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.

1. āter, tra, trum, adj. [cf. αἴθω, to burn; Sanscr. idh; αἴθων αἰθήρ, Αἴτνη, Aetna, aether, aestus, aestas] (pr. burnt black, black as a coal; cf.: Tam excoctam reddam atque atram quam carbost, Ter. Ad. 5, 3, 63: hence), black; and specif., coalblack, lustreless-black, sable, dark (opp. albus, lustreless-white, and diff. from niger, glossy black, v. albus init.; class. and freq., but never in Vulg., which uses niger).

  1. I. Lit.: album an atrum vinum potas? Plaut. Men. 5, 5, 17: atrior multo Quam Aegyptii, id. Poen. 5, 5, 11: alba et atra discernere non poterat, Cic. Tusc. 5, 39, 114: nigra scuta, tincta corpora; atras ad proelia noctes legunt, Tac. G. 43: Mos erat antiquus niveis atrisque capillis, etc., Ov. M. 15, 41; so id. ib. 15, 44; cf. albus: fauces, Lucr. 6, 1147: dens, Hor. Epod. 8, 3: nubes, Lucr. 6, 180; Hor. C. 2, 16, 2: lumen, with smoke, Verg. A. 7, 457: agmen, with dust, id. ib. 12, 450 Serv.: axis, with blood, Sil. 2, 186: Eridanus ater stragibus, id. 6, 107: bilis, Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 64, and Cic. Tusc. 3, 5, 11 (cf. the Gr. μελαγχολία): cruor, Hor. Epod. 17, 31: tempestas, Lucr. 6, 258 sq.; Verg. A. 5, 693: hiemps, id. ib. 7, 214: canis, Ter. Phorm. 4, 4, 25: corvus atro gutture, Cat. 108, 5: venena, Verg. G. 2, 130: Tartara, Lucr. 3, 966; so, Cocytus, Hor. C. 2, 14, 17: mare, dark, stormy, id. S. 2, 2, 16: fluctus, Verg. A. 5, 2: mons, v. 2. ater.
    The proverb albus an ater, v. albus.
    Poet., = atratus, clothed in black: lictores, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 6; cf. albus, I. B. 2.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen., black, dark, gloomy, sad, dismal, unfortunate, etc.: funus, Lucr. 2, 580: formido, id. 4 [173], and id. 6, 254; so, Timor, Verg. A. 9, 719: cupressus, id. ib. 3, 64: dies, id. ib. 6, 429; Prop. 3, 2, 4: mors, Hor. C. 1, 28, 13: fila trium sororum, id. ib. 2, 3, 16: Esquiliae (as a burying-place), dismal, id. S. 2, 6, 32: seu mors atris circumvolat alis, id. ib. 2, 1, 58: cura, id. C. 3, 1, 40; 3, 14, 13; 4, 11, 35: lites, id. A. P. 423: comes, id. S. 2, 7, 115: serpens, Verg. G. 1, 129; Ov. M. 3, 63 al.: genius .. vultu mutabilis, albus et ater, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 189.
      In Roman civil life, dies atri are the days on which the state experienced some calamity, unlucky days. (This designation is said to have arisen from the Roman custom of marking every unfortunate day in the calendar with coal); Varr. L. L. 6, § 29; Liv. 6, 1; Gell. 5, 17; Fest. s. v. nonarum, p. 179 Müll.; id. s. v. religiosus, p. 278 Müll.; Ov. A. A. 1, 418; Macr. S. 1, 15 fin. and 16; Afran. ap. Non. p. 73, 33: si atro die faxit insciens, probe factum esto, Liv. 22, 10.
    2. B. Esp.
      1. 1. Rare and poet., of mind or feeling, malevolent, malicious, virulent (cf. niger, II. D., and the Gr. μέλας, II. 4 Lidd. and Scott): versus, Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 30: si quis atro dente me petiverit, id. Epod. 6, 15.
      2. 2. Also poet. of something difficult to be understood, dark, obscure (so μέλας, Anth. Pal. 11, 347): latebrae Lycophronis atri, Stat. p. 5, 3, 157.
        Comp. v. supra, I.
        Sup. and adv. not used.

ātrĭum, ii, n. [acc. to Scaliger, from αἴθριον, subdiale, since it was a part of the uncovered portion of the house (but the atrium of the Romans was always covered); acc. to Varr. L. L. 5, § 161 Müll., from the Tuscan town Atria, where this style of architecture originated; cf. Paul. ex Fest. p. 13 Müll.; and Müller, Etrusk. 1, p. 254 sq.; but better from ater, acc. to the explanation of Servius: ibi etiam culina erat, unde et atrium dictum est; atrum enim erat ex fumo, ad Verg. A. 1, 730].

  1. I. The fore-court, hall, entrance-room, entry; that part of the Roman house into which one first came after passing the entrance (janua); cf. Vitr. 6, 4; O. Müller, Archaeol. III. § 293, and Etrusk. above cited. In earlier times, the atrium was used as a dining-room, Cato ap. Serv. ad Verg. A. 1, 726. Here stood, opposite the door, the lectus genialis, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 87; here sat the housewife with her maidens spinning, Arn. adv. Gent. 2, 67; here clients were in attendance, Hor. Ep. 1, 5, 31; Juv. 7, 7 and 91; and here hung the family portraits and other paintings, Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 55; Mart. 2, 90; Val. Max. 5, 8, 3; Vulg. Matt. 26, 58; ib. Marc. 14, 54; ib. Joan. 18, 15 al.
    Poet. in the plur., of a single atrium: Apparet domus intus et atria longa patescunt, Verg. A. 2, 483; so Ov. M. 14, 260; Juv. 8, 20 al.
    Meton. for the house itself: nec capient Phrygias atria nostra nurus, Ov. H. 16, 184; id. M. 13, 968.
    So of the entrance-room in the dwelling of the gods: dextrā laevāque deorum Atria nobilium (as it were clients, v. supra) valvis celebrantur apertis, Ov. M. 1, 172; Stat. Th. 1, 197.
  2. II. In temples and other public buildings there was often an atrium, a hall, court: in atrio Libertatis, Cic. Mil. 22, 59; Liv. 25, 7; 45, 15; Tac. H. 1, 31; Suet. Aug. 29: Vestae, Plin. Ep. 7, 19, 2; also called atrium regium, Liv. 26, 27; cf. Ov. F. 6, 263; id. Tr. 3, 1, 30: atrium tabernaculi, Vulg. Exod. 27, 9; ib. Lev. 6, 26: in atriis Domūs Dei, ib. Psa. 91, 14; 134, 2; Smith, Dict. Antiq.
    So atrium auctionarium, an auction-hall, auction-room, Cic. Agr. 1, 3; so Inscr. Orell. 3439; and absol., atria: cum desertis Aganippes Vallibus esuriens migraret in atria Clio, Juv. 7, 7. Such halls were the Atria Licinia, Cic. Quinct. 6, 25: ATRIVM SVTORIVM, the shoemakers’ hall, a place in Rome, Calend. Praenest. Inscr. Orell. II. 386.