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ex-ordĭor, orsus, 4, v. dep. a., to begin a web, to lay the warp, to weave (class.).
- I. Lit.: funem longum pedes LXXII., Cato R. R. 135, 4; cf. trop.: neque exordiri primum, unde occipias, habes, Neque detexundam ad telam certos terminos, Plaut. Ps. 1, 4, 7; and: pertexe modo, Antoni, quod exorsus es, Cic. de Or. 2, 33, 145.
- II. Transf., in gen., to begin, commence, esp. a speech; constr. with the acc., an inf., with ab or absol.
- (α) With acc. (so perh. not in Cic.): consilia, Plaut. As. 1, 1, 102: argutias adversus aliquem, id. Bacch. 1, 2, 19: facinus, id. ib. 4, 4, 71: hanc rem facete et callide, id. Pers. 4, 1, 7: bellum ab causa tam nefanda, Liv. 4, 17, 6: classicum ingenti spiritu, Suet. Caes. 32: tragoediam magno impetu, id. Aug. 85: causam, Quint. 4, 1, 2: preces, Ov. M. 10, 483: parricidia et caedes a Claudio, Suet. Ner. 33 et saep.
- (β) With inf. (Ciceronian): imitabor ergo Aratum, qui magnis de rebus dicere exordiens, a Jove incipiendum putat, Cic. Rep. 1, 36: tunc dicere exorsus est, id. Fin. 1, 8 fin.; cf. id. Div. 2, 49, 101; and Nep. Pelop. 1 fin.
- (γ) With ab (class.): aut ab adversarii dicto exordiemur, aut, etc., Auct. Her. 1, 6, 10: ab ipsa re, Cic. de Or. 2, 79, 320: a veritate, a dignitate, id. ib. 2, 8, 31.
- (δ) Absol. (class.): ancilla hoc pacto exordiri coepit, Plaut. Cas. 3, 5, 31: jubent exordiri ita, ut eum, qui audiat, benevolum nobis faciamus, etc., Cic. de Or. 2, 19, 80; so, ita, quasi, etc., Quint. prooem. § 4: in hunc modum, Tac. A. 3, 50: his verbis, id. ib. 6, 6: clamore, Cic. Cael. 15, 38.
Note: exorsus, a, um, in pass. signif., begun, commenced: exorsa tela, Plaut. Bacch. 2, 4, 116; Visell. ap. Prisc. p. 793 P.; cf.: reperiunt ea, quibus ante exorsa et potius detexta prope retexantur, Cic. de Or. 2, 38, 158.
In the plur. subst.: exorsa, ōrum, n., a beginning, commencement: per ambages et longa exorsa aliquem tenere, a long preamble, Verg. G. 2, 45: sua cuique exorsa laborem Fortunamque ferent, beginning, undertaking, id. A. 10, 111 (opp. exitus), Amm. 14, 11, 26.
exordĭum, ii, n. [exordior, I.].
- I. Prop., the beginning, the warp of a web (rare): non possum togam praetextam sperare, cum exordium pullum videam, Quint. 5, 10, 71.
- II. Transf., in gen., a beginning, commencement (the usual meaning; syn.: initium, principium, primordium): neve inde navis inchoandae exordium Coepisset, quae, etc., Enn. ap. Auct. Her. 2, 22, 34 (Trag. v. 282 ed. Vahl.): hujus quoque exordium mali, quoniam principium boni diximus, explicemus, Cic. Inv. 1, 3, 3; cf.: institutae rei publicae clarum ac tam omnibus notum, id. Rep. 2, 2: a qua totius vitae ducat exor dium, id. Fin. 5, 7, 18; cf.: a quibus tempo ribus scribendi capiat exordium, id. Leg. 1, 3, 8: paene ab exordio Urbis, Suet. Vesp. 8; id. Tib. 42: tertius (annus) a prima vigilia sumens exordium, Amm. 26, 1, 9.
In plur.: rerum, Lucr. 2, 333; 3, 31; 4, 114; cf. Verg. E. 6, 33: priva animaï, Lucr. 3, 380: solis lunaeque, id. 5, 471: rationis, id. 1, 149: primae pugnae, Verg. A. 7, 40 et saep.
- B. In partic., of speech: saepe animadverti, summos oratores in dicendi exordio permoveri, Cic. de Or. 1, 27, 122: ergo ita nascetur exordium, id. Tusc. 1, 4 fin.
As part of a speech or writing, the introduction, exordium, proëm, preface (syn.: prooemium, praefatio, prologus): exordium est principium orationis, per quod animus auditoris aut judicis constituitur vel apparatur ad audiendum, Auct. Her. 1, 3, 4; cf. Quint. 4, 1, 1 sq.: tum denique id, quod primum est dicendum, postremum soleo cogitare, quo utar exordio, Cic. de Or. 2, 77 fin.: proximus liber a prima parte, id est exordio incipiet, Quint. 3, 11, 28; 1, 12, 19: in exordio pro Milone, id. 9, 4, 133; 9, 4, 74 et saep.
In plur., Quint. 11, 3, 161: quae prima exordia sumat? Verg. A. 4, 284.
- 2. Transf., a writing, treatise, in gen., Col. 5, 11, 13; 7, 5, 1; 7, 12, 1 al.