Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

alvus, i, f. (m., Att. ap. Prisc. p. 654 P.; 718 ib., and Non. 193, 26; Calv., Ael. Cin., and Laber. ap. Charis. p. 61 P.) [for aluus from alo: venter feminae ab alendo dicta, Paul. ex Fest. p. 8 Müll. and so Varr.; acc. to others kindr. with Sanscr. ulvam = uterus, and this again connected with vulva, volvo; ἐλύω εἰλύω; Sanscr. val = to turn; O. H. Germ. wallen = to roll], the belly, the paunch, the bowels.

  1. I. Lit.: purgatio alvi, Cic. N. D. 3, 22: forsitan purgat alvum, Vulg. Jud. 3, 24; 3, 22; cf. Cic. N. D. 2, 50: solvere, Cels. 1, 3: exonerare, Plin. 10, 44, 61, § 126: inanire, id. 20, 3, 8, § 14 et saep.: non descendit alvus, is costive, Cels. 2, 7: cui satis alvus reddit cotidie, id. 2, 12, n. 2: alvus cita, active, id. 1, 6: alvum bonam facere, Cato, R. R. 114: movere, id. ib. 115: citare, Col. 7, 9, 9: adstringere alvum, to make costive, Cels. 1, 3; so also: cohibere, comprimere, supprimere, firmare, sistere, inhibere, etc., to bind, constipate, etc.
    In plur.: ad eliciendas alvos, Plin. 19, 5, 26, § 2.
    Hence, for excrement: alvus varia, Cels. 2, 6: alvus liquida, nigra, pallida, pinguis, id. ib.; and for flux, diarrhœa: alvus corpus ac vires carpit, Col. 6, 7.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. The womb: in alvo gestare, Plaut. Stich. 2, 1, 5; twice in Cic.: cum praegnans Dionysium alvo contineret, Cic. Div. 1, 20: spes in alvo commendata, id. Clu. 12; so Hor. C. 4, 6, 20; id. A. P. 340 al.
    2. B. The stomach, the digestive organs, Cic. N. D. 2, 54; so id. ib. 2, 50; Ov. M. 6, 651.
    3. C. A beehive (very freq.): mediā alvo, quā introeant apes, Varr. R. R. 3, 16, 15: alvi melle plenae, Plin. 21, 12, 43, § 73: si plenae alvi fuerint, id. 11, 15, 15, § 40: (apes) alvo se continent, id. 11, 16, 15, § 43; Col. 9, 8, 1; 9, 14, 7; so id. 9, 15, 11.
    4. D. Of the basin of the molten sea in the Jewish temple: (boves) alvum maris circuibant, Vulg. 2 Par. 4, 3.