Lewis & Short

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1. sĕnectus, a, um, adj. [senex], aged, very old.

  1. I. Adj. (rare, and mostly anteclass.): senecta aetas, Plaut. Am. 4, 2, 12; id. Trin. 1, 2, 5; id. Aul. 2, 2, 75; id. Cas. 2, 3, 23; 2, 3, 41; id. Merc. 5, 4, 25; Lucr. 5, 886; 5, 896; Sall. Fragm. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 11, 165: membris exire senectis, Lucr. 3, 772: corpus, Sall. ap. Prisc. p. 869 (H. 4, 63 Dietsch): aetas, id. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 11, 165 (H. inc. lib. 115 Dietsch).
  2. II. Subst.: sĕ-necta, ae, f., old age, extreme age, senility (freq., though mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose; not in Cic.; cf. 2. senectus).
    1. A. In abstr.: prospiciendum ergo in senectā: nunc adulescentia est, Lucil. ap. Non. 492, 23; Enn. ap. Cic. Or. 55, 184 (Trag. v. 393 Vahl.; v. Vahl. N. cr. ad h. 1.); Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 60 (opp. aetatula); id. Trin. 2, 3, 7; id. Mil. 3, 1, 29; * Ter. Ad. 5, 8, 31; Caecil. ap. Cic. Sen. 8, 25; Lucr. 4, 1256; Liv. 2, 40, 6; 6, 8, 2; 24, 4, 2; 28, 16, 12; 38, 53, 9; Cat. 64, 217; Tib. 1, 4, 31; 1, 8, 42; 1, 10, 40 al.; Prop. 1, 19, 17; 2, 13 (3, 5), 47; 3, 5 (4, 4), 24; 3, 19 (4, 18), 15; Verg. G. 1, 186; 3, 96; id. A. 6, 114 al.; Hor. C. 1, 31, 19; 2, 6, 6; 2, 14, 3; id. Ep. 2, 2, 211; Ov. M. 3, 347; 6, 37; 6, 500; 6, 675 et saep. al.: in senectā, Varr. L. L. 5, § 5 Müll.; so in prose, Petr. 132, 10; Plin. 7, 50, 51, § 167; 8, 32, 50, § 116; 16, 27, 51, § 117 et saep.; Tac. A. 3, 23; 3, 55; 4, 41; 4, 58 fin.; 13, 33; 14, 65 al.; Suet. Aug. 79; id. Ner. 40; id. Galb. 4, 17; id. Gram. 11; Vulg. Psa. 70, 18 al.
    2. B. In the elder Pliny, concr. ( = 2. senectus, II.), the old skin, slough of a serpent, cast off annually: serpentes senectam exuendo, etc., Plin. 20, 23, 95, § 254; 28, 11, 48, § 174; 30, 8, 22, § 69.
    3. C. An old man, Sil. 8, 6; cf. id. 7, 178.

2. sĕnectūs, ūtis,f. [senex].

  1. I. Old age, extreme age, senility (freq. and class.; only in sing.): adulescentia (tua) senectuti dedecoramentum (fuit), senectus rei publicae flagitium, C. Gracch. ap. Isid. Orig. 2, 21, 4; cf.: quasi qui adulescentiam florem aetatis, senectutem occasum vitae velit definire, Cic. Top. 7, 32: ut in Catone Majore, qui est scriptus ad te de senectute … ut tum ad senem senex de senectute, sic, etc., id. Lael. 1, 4 sq.; cf. id. Sen. 1 sqq.: T. Aufidius, qui vixit ad summam senectutem, id. Brut. 48, 179: cum esset summā senectute et perditā valetudine, id. Phil. 8, 10, 31: confecti homines senectute, id. Fin. 5, 11, 33: ted optestor per senectutem tuam, Plaut. As. 1, 1, 3: ibi fovebo senectutem meam, id. Stich. 4, 1, 62; Ter. And. 5, 3, 16; id. Ad. 5, 3, 47; id. Hec. 1, 2, 44 al.; Caecil. ap. Cic. Sen. 8, 25; Lucr. 1, 414; Cic. Rep. 1, 3, 4; 5, 8, 10; id. Fin. 5, 11, 32; id. de Or. 1, 60, 255 et saep.; Cat. 108, 1; Tib. 2, 2, 19; Verg. G. 3, 67; id. A. 5, 416; 6, 304; 7, 440; Ov. M. 14, 143; Luc. 1, 343; 2, 128; Stat. S. 3, 3, 156; Tac. A. 1, 4; 6, 31; 12, 40; 14, 40: dum virent genua, Et decet, obductā solvatur fronte senectus, the moroseness of old age, Hor. Epod. 13, 5; cf.: quae vos tam foeda senectus corripuit, fregitque animos? Val. Fl. 6, 283.
    Of style; only trop., and hence with quasi: cum ipsa oratio jam nostra canesceret haberetque suam quandam maturitatem et quasi senectutem, Cic. Brut. 2, 8: plena litteratae senectutis oratio, id. ib. 76, 265.
    Of inanim. things (for vetustas; only poet. and very rare): vos (tabellae) cariosa senectus Rodat, Ov. Am. 1, 12, 29: vini veteris, Juv. 5, 34; 13, 214.
    Prov.: aquilae senectus, v. aquila.
  2. II. Transf.
      1. 1. Personified, the goddess of old age, Old Age: tristis Senectus, Verg. A. 6, 275.
      2. 2. Old age, i. e. old men: senectus semper agens aliquid, Cic. Sen. 8, 26; cf. id. ib. 14, 48; cf.: aequari adulescentes senectae suae impatienter indoluit, Tac. A. 4, 17.
      3. 3. Gray hairs: temporibus geminis canebat sparsa senectus, Verg. A. 5, 416.
      4. 4. The old skin, slough, cast off yearly by serpents and other animals: Theophrastus auctor est, anguis modo et stelliones senectutem exuere eamque protinus devorare, Plin. 8, 31, 49, § 111; 9, 30, 50, § 95; 30, 7, 19, § 57; 30, 9, 23, § 81; cf. senecta, supra, II. B.