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.

mūrex, ĭcis, m.

  1. I. The purple-fish, Plin. 9, 36, 60, § 125; Enn. ap. App. Mag. p. 299, 11 (Heduph. v. 11, p. 167 Vahl.): Baianus, Hor. S. 2, 4, 32.
    The Tritons used the shell as a tuba, Val. Fl. 3, 726.
    The shells were also used for holding liquids, Mart. 3, 82, 27.
    And for adorning grottos: summa lacunabant alterno murice conchae, Ov. M. 8, 563.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. The purple dye, purple, made from the juice of the purple-fish: Tyrioque ardebat murice laena, Verg. A. 4, 262.
    2. B. Of bodies shaped (pointed) like the purplefish.
      1. 1. A pointed rock or slone: acuto in murice remi Obnixi crepuere, Verg. A. 5, 205: Cato sternendum forum muricibus censuerat, with small, pointed stones, Plin. 19, 1, 6, § 24.
      2. 2. A sharp murex-shell used for a bridle-bit: acuto murice frenat Delphinas bijuges, Stat. Achill. 1; 221.
      3. 3. A caltrop, with sharp points in every direction: murices ferreos in terram defodisse Dareum, quā hostem equites emissurum esse credebat, Curt. 4, 13, 36; Val. Max. 3, 7, 2.
      4. 4. A spike of iron: armarium muricibus praefixum, Gell. 6, 4, 4.

mūrĭcus, i, m. [mus], a mouser: poëta non musicus, sed muricus, Ven. Fort. praef. Lib. 1, p. 31 Brower.