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.

infĕri, ōrum, v. inferus, I. B.

infĕrus, a, um (ante-class. collat. form of the nom. sing. infer: ubi super inferque vicinus permittet, Cato, R. R. 149), adj. [cf. Sanscr. adh-aras, adh-amas, the lower, lowest; and Lat. infra], that is below, underneath, lower; opp. superus.

  1. I. Posit.
    1. A. In gen.: inferus an superus tibi fert Deus funera, Liv. Andr. ap. Prisc. p. 606 P.; cf.: Di Deaeque superi atque inferi, Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 36; Ter. Phorm. 4, 4, 6; cf. also: ut ex tam alto dignitatis gradu ad superos videantur deos potius quam ad inferos pervenisse, Cic. Lael. 3, 12: limen superum inferumque salve, Plaut. Merc. 5, 1, 1: ut omnia supera, infera, prima, ultima, media videremus, Cic. Tusc. 1, 26, 64: loca, the lower parts, id. Arat. 474: fulmina, that come out of the ground, Plin. 2, 52, 53, § 138: aqua, that falls down, rain-water, Varr. ap. Non. 1, 221: mare inferum, the Lower, i. e. the Tuscan Sea (opp. mare superum, the Upper or Adriatic Sea), Mel. 2, 4; Plin. 3, 5, 10, § 75; Cic. Att. 9, 3, 1; id. de Or. 3, 19 et saep. also without mare: navigatio infero, upon the Tuscan Sea, id. Att. 9, 5, 1.
    2. B. In partic., underground, belonging to the Lower World: infĕri, ōrum, m. (gen. inferūm for inferorum, Varr. ap. Macr. S. 1, 16; Sen. de Ira, 2, 35), the inhabitants of the infernal regions, the dead: triceps apud inferos Cerberus, Cic. Tusc. 1, 5, 10: si ab inferis exsistat rex Hiero, were to rise from the dead, Liv. 26, 32: si salvi esse velint, Sulla sit iis ab inferis excitandus, to be raised from the dead, Cic. Cat. 2, 9, 20: inferorum animas elicere, id. Vatin. 6, 14: ad inferos poenas parricidii luere, in the infernal regions, id. Phil. 14, 12, 32: ab inferis excitare aliquem, i. e. to quote the words of one deceased, id. Or. 25, 85; id. Brut. 93, 322.
  2. II. Comp.: infĕrĭor, ius, lower in situation or place.
    1. A. Lit.: spatium, Caes. B. G. 7, 46, 3: locus, id. ib. 2, 25: pars, id. ib. 7, 35: ex inferiore loco dicere, from below (opp. ex superiore loco, from the tribunal), Cic. Att. 2, 24, 3; cf. superus, II. A.: onerosa suo pondere in inferius feruntur, downwards, Ov. M. 15, 241: scriptura, Cic. Inv. 2, 40, 117.
      Plur. subst.: infĕrĭōres, um, m., the people of the lower part of the city, Auct. B. Alex. 6, 3.
    2. B. Trop.
      1. 1. Subsequent, later, latter, in time or succession: erant inferiores quam illorum aetas, qui, etc., lived later, were younger, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 5, 2; cf.: aetate inferiores paulo quam Iulius, etc., id. Brut. 49, 182; and: inferioris aetatis esse, id. ib. 64, 228: inferiores quinque dies, the latter, Varr. L. L. 6, § 13 Müll.
      2. 2. Inferior in quality, rank, or number.
          1. (α) With abl. specif.: voluptatibus erant inferiores, nec pecuniis ferme superiores, Cic. Rep. 2, 34: inferior fortunā, id. Fam. 13, 5, 2: dignitate, auctoritate, existimatione, gratia non inferior, quam qui umquam fuerunt amplissimi, id. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 6: inferiores animo, Caes. B. G. 3, 24: quemadmodum causa inferior, dicendo fieri superior posset, Cic. Brut. 8: erat multo inferior navium numero Brutus, Caes. B. C. 1, 57.
            With abl.: ut humanos casus virtute inferiores putes, Cic. Lael. 2.
          2. (β) With in and abl.: in jure civili non inferior, quam magister fuit, Cic. Brut. 48, 179.
          3. (γ) Absol.: inferiores extollere, Cic. Lael. 20, 72; cf. id. ib. § 71: invident homines maxime paribus aut inferioribus, id. de Or. 2, 52, 209; cf.: indignum est, a pari vinci aut superiore, indignius ab inferiore atque humiliore, id. Quint. 31: supplices inferioresque, id. Font. 11: ordines, Caes. B. C. 1, 46: crudelis in inferiores, Auct. Her. 4, 40: non inferiora secutus, naught inferior, Verg. A. 6, 170.
  3. III. Sup. in two forms: infĭmus (or infŭmus) and īmus.
    1. A. Form infimus (infumus), a, um, lowest, last (= imus; but where the lowest of several objects is referred to, infimus is used, Cic. N. D. 1, 37, 103; 2, 6, 17; v. Krebs, Antibarb. p. 588).
      1. 1. Lit.: stabiliendi causa singuli ab infimo solo pedes terra exculcabantur, Caes. B. G. 7, 73, 7: ab infimis radicibus montis, id. B. C. 1, 41, 3; 1, 42, 2: cum scripsissem haec infima, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 6: ab infima ara, from the lowest part of the altar, id. Div. 1, 33; cf.: sub infimo colle, the foot, Caes. B. G. 7, 79.
        Subst.: infĭmum, i, n., the lowest part, bottom, in the phrase: ab infimo, from below, at the bottom, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 140: collis erat leniter ab infimo acclivis, Caes. B. G. 7, 19, 1 (for which, ab imo; v. below, B. 1.): stipites demissi et ab infimo revincti, id. ib. 7, 73, 3; cf. Sen. Q. N. 3, 30, 4; 6, 4, 1; so, ad infimum, at the bottom, Caes. B. G. 7, 73, 3: collis passus circiter CC. infimus apertus, at the bottom, id. ib. 2, 18, 2.
      2. 2. Trop., lowest, meanest, basest in quality or rank: infima faex populi, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 6; cf.: condicio servorum, id. Off. 1, 13: infimo loco natus, id. Fl. 11: summos cum infimis pari jure retinebat, id. Off. 2, 12: humilitas natalium, Plin. 18, 6, 7, § 37: preces, the most humble, Liv. 8, 2; 29, 30.
        Hence, infĭmē, adv., only trop., at the bottom (late Lat.): quid summe est, quid infime, Aug. Ep. 18, 2.
    2. B. Form imus, a, um, the lowest, deepest, last ( = infimus; but when opp. to summus, to express a whole from end to end, imus is used; v. Suet. Aug. 79; Quint. 2, 13, 9; Liv. 24, 34, 9; Cic. Rosc. Com. 7, 20; Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 54; cf. Krebs, Antibarb. p. 588).
      1. 1. Lit.: ab imis unguibus usque ad verticem summum, Cic. Rosc. Com. 7, 20: terra ima sede semper haeret, id. Rep. 6, 18: fundo in imo, at the very bottom, Verg. A. 6, 581: vox, the deepest bass (opp. vox summa, the treble), Hor. S. 1, 3, 7; Quint. 11, 3, 15: conviva, that reclines at the bottom, Hor. S. 2, 8, 40; Mart. 6, 74: ad imam quercum, at the foot of the oak, Phaedr. 2, 4, 3: in aure ima, at the bottom of the ear, Plin. 11, 45, 103, § 205.
        As substt.
    1. A. Plur.: īmi, ōrum, m., the lowest, most humble: aequalis ad maximos imosque pervenit clementiae tuae admiratio, Sen. Clem. 1, 1, 9: pacis et armorum superis imisque deorum Arbiter, Ov. F. 5, 665.
    2. B. īmum, i, n., the bottom, depth, low est part. Lit.: ab imo ad summum, Hor. S. 2, 3, 308: locus erat paulatim ab imo acclivis, Caes. B. G. 3, 19, 1 (for which, ab infimo; v. above, A. 1.); so, tigna paulum ab imo praeacuta, id. ib. 4, 17: suspirare ab imo, to fetch a deep sigh, Ov. A. A. 3, 675: (aures) instabiles imo facit, at the bottom. at their roots, id. M. 11, 177: aquae perspicuae imo, down to the bottom, id. ib. 5, 588.
      Plur.: ima summis mutare, to turn the lowest into the highest, Hor. C. 1, 34, 12; Vell. 2, 2: ima, the under world, Ov. M. 10, 47.
      With gen.: ima maris, the bottom of the sea, Plin. 32, 6, 21, § 64: ima montis, the foot of a mountain, id. 4, 11, 18, § 40.
      1. 2. Trop., with respect to time or order, the last (mostly poet.): mensis, Ov. F. 2, 52.
        Hence, subst.: īmum, i, n., the last, the end: nihil nostrā intersit an ab summo an ab imo nomina dicere incipiamus, Auct. Her. 3, 18, 30: si quid inexpertum scaenae committisservetur ad imum, till the last, to the end, Hor. A. P. 126: dormiet in lucemad imum Threx erit, at last, id. Ep. 1, 18, 35.