Lewis & Short

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bracchĭum (less correctly brāchĭ-um; gen. bracchi, Lucr. 6, 434), ii, n. [perh. kindr. with Gr. βραχίων; but cf. Sanscr. bāhu; like frango, Sanscr. bhang, Bopp, Gloss. p. 239 a], the arm; particularly,

  1. I. Lit., the forearm, from the hand to the elbow (while lacertus is the upper arm, from the elbow to the shoulder), Lucr. 4, 830; 6, 397: bracchia et lacerti, Ov. M. 1, 501; 1, 550 sq.: subjecta lacertis bracchia, id. ib. 14, 305; Curt. 8, 9, 21; 9, 1, 29: (feminae) nudae bracchia et lacertos, Tac. G. 17 (opp. umerus); Cels. 8, 1, § 79 sqq.; 8, 10, § 55 sqq.
    Far oftener,
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. In gen., the arm, the whole arm, from the shoulder to the fingers, Pac. ap. Non. p. 87, 26, and Varr. L. L. 5, 7, p. 4 Müll.; id. ap. Gell. 16, 16, 4: quod eum bracchium fregisse diceret, Cic. de Or. 2, 62, 253; cf. Cels. 1, 10, 3: multi ut diu jactato bracchio praeoptarent scutum manu emittere et nudo corpore pugnare, Caes. B. G. 1, 25: bracchium (sc. dextrum) cohibere togā, Cic. Cael. 5, 11 (cf. Sen. Contr. 5, 6: bracchium extra togam exserere): eodem ictu bracchia ferro exsolvunt (i.e. venas incidunt, as, soon after, crurum et poplitum venas abrumpit), Tac. A. 15, 63; 1, 41.
      Of embraces: collo dare bracchia circum, to throw the arms round the neck, Verg. A. 6, 700; cf.: circumdare collo, Ov. M. 9, 459: implicare collo, id. ib. 1, 762: inicere collo, id. ib. 3, 389: cervici dare, Hor. C. 3, 9, 2: lentis adhaerens bracchiis, id. Epod. 15, 6: Hephaestionis bracchium hastā ictum est, Curt. 4, 16, 31: ut in jaculando bracchia reducimus, Quint. 10, 3, 6: sinisteriore bracchio, Suet. Dom. 17: bracchia ad superas extulit auras, Verg. A. 5, 427: alternaque jactat Bracchia protendens (Dares), id. ib. 5, 377: juventus horrida bracchiis, Hor. C. 3, 4, 50.
      Of a rower: si bracchia forte remisit, Verg. G. 1, 202: matri bracchia tendere, Ov. M. 3, 723: patrio tendens bracchia caelo, id. ib. 9, 210: tendens ad caelum bracchia, id. ib. 9, 293: precando Bracchia sustulerat, id. ib. 6, 262.
      Prov.: dirigere bracchia contra Torrentem, to swim against the current, Juv. 4, 89.
      1. 2. Of the movement of the arms in speaking: bracchii projectione in contentionibus, contractione in remissis, Cic. Or. 18, 59; so Quint. 11, 3, 84: extento bracchio paululum de gestu addidit, Cic. de Or. 2, 59, 242: demissa bracchia, Quint. 2, 13, 9: a latere modice remota, id. 11, 3, 159: ut bracchio exserto introspiciatur latus, id. 11, 3, 118: aliqui transversum bracchium proferunt et cubito pronunciant, id. 11, 3, 93: bracchium in latus jactant, id. 4, 2, 39: si contendemus per continuationem, bracchio celeri, mobili vultu utemur, Auct. Her. 3, 15, 27.
      2. 3. Of the motion of the arms in dancing: bracchia in numerum jactare, Lucr. 4, 769; imitated by Ov.: numerosa bracchia jactat (ducit, Jahn), Ov. Am. 2,4,29, and id. R. Am. 754; Lucr. 4, 790; imitated in Ov. A. A. 1, 595; Prop. 2 (3), 22, 6; imitated in Stat. S. 3, 5, 66; cf. of the labors of the Cyclopes: illi inter sese magnā vi bracchia tollunt In numerum, Verg. G. 4, 174.
      3. 4. Trop.: levi or molli bracchio agere aliquid, to do any thing superficially, negligently, remissly (prob. peculiar to the lang. of conversation), Cic. Att. 4, 16, 6; so, molli bracchio aliquem objurgare, id. ib. 2, 1, 6.
        Prov.: praebuerim sceleri bracchia nostra tuo, lend a hand, Ov. H. 7, 126.
    2. B. The limbs of animals analogous to the arms of men; of the claws of crawfish, etc., Ov. M. 4, 625; 10, 127; 15, 369; Plin. 9, 31, 51, § 97: hence also of the sign Cancer, Ov. M. 2, 83; also of Scorpio, Verg. G. 1, 34; Ov. M. 2, 82; 2, 195.
      Of the claws of the nautilus, Plin. 9, 29, 47, § 88, and other sea-fish, id. 11, 48, 108, § 258.
      Of the lion: in feminum et bracchiorum ossibus, Plin. 11, 37, 86, § 214.
      1. 2. Comicé for armus or femur (as inversely armus = bracchium): Ar. Edepol vel elephanto in Indiā Quo pacto pugno perfregisti bracchium. Py. Quid? bracchium? Ar. Illud dicere volui femur, the shoulder, the shoulder-blade of the elephant, Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 26 sq. Brix ad loc.
    3. C. Objects resembling arms.
      1. 1. The branches of trees (cf. Ov. M. 1, 550: in ramos bracchia crescunt; v. also manus and coma): vitem sub bracchia ungito, Cato, R. R. 95 fin.; of the vine, Verg. G. 2, 368; Col. 4, 24, 2; 7, 8 sq.; 5, 5, 9 sq.; Pall. Febr. 9, 6; id. Mai, 2, 1: quatiens bracchia Quercus, Cat. 64, 105: differt quod in bracchia ramorum spargitur, Plin. 13, 9, 18, § 62: (aesculus) Tum fortes late ramos et bracchia tendens, etc., Verg. G. 2, 296; Ov. M. 14, 630; Val. Fl. 8, 114.
      2. 2. An arm of the sea: nec bracchia longo Margine terrarum porrexerat Amphitrite, Ov. M. 1, 13; Curt. 6, 4, 16.
      3. 3. The collateral branches or ridges of a mountain: Taurus ubi bracchia emittit, Plin. 5, 27, 27, § 98.
      4. 4. Poet., = antenna, the sail-yards: jubet intendi bracchia velis, Verg. A. 5, 829; cf. Stat. S. 5, 1, 244.
      5. 5. In milit. lang., a (natural or artificial) outwork or line for connecting two points in fortifications, etc.; Gr. σκέλη: aliā parte consul muro Ardeae bracchium injunxerat, a line of communication, Liv. 4, 9, 14; 38, 5, 8; 22, 52, 1 Drak.; 44, 35, 13; Hirt. B. Alex. 30; id. B. Afr. 38; 49; 51; 56; id. B. Hisp. 5; 6; 13; Curt. 6, 4, 16; Luc. 3, 387; 4, 266.
        So of the side-works, moles, dikes, in the fortification of a harbor, Liv. 31, 26, 8; cf. Just. 5, 8, 5 Gron.; Plin. Ep. 6, 31, 15; Suet. Claud. 20.
      6. 6. The arm of a catapult or ballista, Vitr. 1, 1; 10, 15 sq.