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.

ăvis, is, f. (abl. sing. avi and ave; cf. Varr. L. L. 8, § 66 Müll.; Prisc. p. 765 P.; Rhem. Palaem. p. 1374 P.; Neue, Formenl. I. pp. 218, 222; in the lang. of religion, the form avi is most common; v. infra) [cf. Sanscr. vā (which may imply av), to blow (to wave); vis, a bird; Zend, vi; with which Curt. compares οἰ-ωνός, a large bird, and Benfey αἰ-ετός, an eagle].

  1. I. Lit., a bird; or collect., the winged tribe: Liber captivos avis ferae consimilis est, Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 7: videmus novis avibus canere undique silvas, Lucr. 1, 256: arguta, Prop. 1, 18, 30: istā enim avi (sc. aquilā) volat nulla vehementius, Cic. Div. 2, 70, 144: ave ad perfugia litorum tendente, Plin. 10, 3, 3, § 9; Vulg. Gen. 1, 2; ib. Deut. 4, 17; ib. Marc. 4, 32; ib. Luc. 13, 34 et saep.
    In Varr. once of bees: de incredibili earum avium naturā audi, Varr. R. R. 3, 16, 3.
    A description of birds is found ap. Plin. lib. 10; of their habits, ap. Varr. R. R. 3, 3 sq. and ap. Col. 8, 1 sq.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Esp., in reference to auguries, since the Romans took their omens or auguries from birds (v. augurium and auspicium): post quam avem aspexit templo Anchises, Naev. ap. Prob. ad Verg. E. 6, 31.
      Hence, avis, meton., = omen a sign, omen, portent, freq. with the epithets bona, mala, sinistra ( = bona; v. sinister), adversa, etc.: liquido exeo foras Auspicio avi sinistrā, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 2: ducam legiones meas Avi sinistrā, auspicio liquido atque ex sententiā, id. Ps. 2, 4, 72: solvere secundo rumore aversāque avi, poët. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 16, 29, where B. and K. read adversā: malā ducis avi domum, with a bad omen, Hor. C. 1, 15, 5: este bonis avibus visi natoque mihique, Ov. F. 1, 513; so id. M. 15, 640: di, qui secundis avibus in proelium miserint, Liv. 6, 12, 9: Quā ego hunc amorem mihi esse avi dicam datum? Plaut. Cas. 3, 4, 26: Hac veniat natalis avi, Tib. 2, 2, 21.
      In abl., form ave: tunc ave deceptus falsā, Ov. M. 5, 147.
    2. B. Comically, for a man in the garb of a bird: Sed quae nam illaec est avis, quae huc cum tunicis advenit? Plaut. Poen. 5, 2, 15.
    3. C. Avis alba, v. albus, I. B. 3. e.