Lewis & Short

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sērus, a, um, adj. [cf. series; Sanscr. sărat, thread; that which is long drawn out],

  1. I. late (freq. and class.; cf.: tardus, lentus): nescis quid vesper serus vehat (the title of a work by Varro), Varr. ap. Gell. 1, 22, 4; 13, 11, 1: sero a vespere, Ov. M. 4, 415: serā nocte, Liv. 1, 57, 9; Col. 1 praef.; Prop. 1, 3, 10; Val. Fl. 7, 400: crepuscula, Ov. M. 1, 219: lux, id. ib. 15, 651: dies, Tac. H. 3, 82 (cf. infra, B.): hiems, Liv. 32, 28, 6: anni, i. e. ripe years, age, Ov. M. 6, 29; 9, 434; id. F. 5, 63; cf. aetas, id. A. A. 1, 65; Plaut. Aul. 4, 1, 4: gratulatio, Cic. Fam. 2, 7, 1: portenta deūm Tarda et sera nimis, id. poët. Div. 2, 30, 64: nepotes, Ov. M. 6, 138: posteritas, id. P. 1, 4, 24: sera eruditio, quam Graeci ὀψιμαθίαν appellant, Gell. 11, 7, 3; cf. poet., of persons, with gen.: o seri studiorum! ye late-learned, ὀψιμαθεῖς (i. e. backward, ignorant), Hor. S. 1, 10, 21 (v. infra, b. α): ulmus, late- or slowly-growing (acc. to others, old), Verg. G. 4, 144; so, ficus, late in bearing, Col. 5, 10, 10; cf. serotinus, and v. the foll. under sup.
    Comp.     (rare; not in Cic. or Cæs.; cf. adv. infra fin.): serior mors (opp. maturior), Cels. 2, 6 med.: senectus, Mart. 5, 6, 3: spe omnium serius bellum, Liv. 2, 3, 1: serior putatio, Col. 4, 23, 1; 2, 10, 15.
    Poet., for posterior: serior aetas, Ov. Tr. 5, 9, 7; Tib. 1, 4, 33: hora, Ov. H. 19, 14.
    Sup.: successores quam serissimi, Vell. 2, 131, 2: serissima omnium (pirorum) Amerina, etc., ripening the latest, Plin. 15, 15, 16, § 55; cf. supra.
        1. b. Poet.
          1. (α) For the adv. sero, of one who does any thing late: serus in caelum redeas, Hor. C. 1, 2, 45: serus Graecis admovit acumina chartis, id. Ep. 2, 1, 161: jusserit ad se Maecenas serum sub lumina prima venire Convivam, late in the day, id. S. 2, 7, 33: nec nisi serus abi, Ov. A. A. 2, 224: poena tamen tacitis sera venit pedibus, Tib. 1, 10, 3: (me) Arguit incepto serum accessisse labori, Ov. M. 13, 297.
            So with things as subjects: sera rubens accendit lumina Vesper, Verg. G. 1, 251: imposita est sero tandem manus ultima bello, Ov. M. 13, 403: seros pedes assumere, id. ib. 15, 384: Cantaber serā domitus catenā, Hor. C. 3, 8, 22: serum ut veniamus ad amnem Phasidos, Val. Fl. 4, 708.
            With gen.: o seri studiorum! Hor. S. 1, 10, 21 (v. supra); so, belli serus, Sil. 3, 255.
            With inf.: cur serus versare boves et plaustra Bootes? Prop. 3, 5 (4, 4), 35.
          2. (β) For adverb. use of sera and serum, v. adv. infra.
    1. B. Substt. ‡
      1. 1. sēra, ae, f. (sc. hora), a late hour, the evening hour, ἑσπέρα, sera, vespra, crepusculum, Gloss. Vet.
      2. 2. sērum, i, n., late time, late hour (of the day or night; first in Liv.; esp. in the historians): serum erat diei, Liv. 7, 8, 4: quia serum diei fuerit, id. 26, 3, 1: jamque sero diei subducit ex acie legionem, Tac. A. 2, 21 fin.: extrahebatur in quam maxime serum diei certamen, Liv. 10, 28, 2 Drak. N. cr.: in serum noctis convivium productum, id. 33, 48; cf.: ad serum usque diem, Tac. H. 3, 82.
        Absol., in Sueton., of a late hour of the day: in serum dimicatione protractā, Suet. Aug. 17; id. Ner. 22: in serum usque patente cubiculo, id. Oth. 11.
  2. II. Pregn., too late (class.): ut magis exoptatae Kalendae Januariae quam serae esse videantur, Cic. Phil. 5, 1: neque rectae voluntati serum est tempus ullum, etc., Quint. 12, 1, 31: tempus cavendi, Sen. Thyest. 487: bellum, Sall. Fragm. ap. Philarg. Verg. G. 4, 144: Antiates serum auxilium post proelium venerant, Liv. 3, 5 fin.; 31, 24: auxilia, Val. Fl. 3, 562: improbum consilium serum, ut debuit, fuit: et jam profectus Virginius erat, etc., Liv. 3, 46 fin.: redit Alcidae jam sera cupido, Val. Fl. 4, 247: seras conditiones pacis tentare, Suet. Aug. 17: cum tandem ex somno surrexissent, in quod serum erat, aliquot horas remis in naves collocandis absumpserunt, which was too late, Liv. 33, 48, 8: hoc serum est, Mart. 8, 44, 1; and with a subj.-clause: dum deliberamus, quando incipiendum sit, incipere jam serum est, Quint. 12, 6, 3; so, serum est, advocare iis rebus affectum, etc., id. 4, 2, 115.
        1. b. Poet. for the adverb (cf. supra, I. b. α): tum decuit metuisse tuis: nunc sera querelis Haud justis assurgis, too late, Verg. A. 10, 94: ad possessa venis praeceptaque gaudia serus, Ov. H. 17, 107: Herculeas jam serus opes spretique vocabis Arma viri, Val. Fl. 3, 713: serā ope vincere fata Nititur, Ov. M. 2, 617: auxilia ciere, Val. Fl. 3, 562.
          Hence, adv., in three forms.
      1. 1. sēră, late (poet. and very rare): sera comans Narcissus, late in flowering, Verg. G. 4, 122.
      2. 2. sērum, late at night (poet. and very rare): quae nocte sedens serum canit, Verg. A. 12, 864.
      3. 3. sērō̆.
    1. A. (Acc. to I.) Late.
        1. a. Late, at a late hour of the day or night (rare but class.): eo die Lentulus venit sero, Cic. Att. 7, 21, 1 (cf. infra, B.): domum sero redire, id. Fam. 7, 22.
        2. b. Late, at a late period of time, in gen. (freq. and class.): res rustica sic est: si unam rem sero feceris omnia opera sero facies, Cato, R. R. 5, 7; Cic. Brut. 10, 39; Quint. 6, 3, 103: doctores artis sero repertos, id. 2, 17, 7; 2, 5, 3.
          Comp.: modo surgis Eoo Temperius caelo, modo serius incidis undis, Ov. M. 4, 198; Liv. 31, 11, 10: serius, quam ratio postulat, Quint. 2, 1, 1: scripsi ad Pompeium serius quam oportuit, Cic. Fam. 14, 10; 15, 1, 4; id. Sest. 31, 67; Liv. 37, 45, 18; 42, 28, 1: itaque serius aliquanto notatus et cognitus (numerus), Cic. Or. 56, 186: serius egressus vestigia vidit in alto Pulvere, Ov. M. 4, 105: ipse salutabo decimā vel serius horā, Mart. 1, 109, 9: omnium Versatur urna serius ocius Sors exitura, later or earlier (or, as we say, inverting the order, sooner or later), Hor. C. 2, 3, 26; so, serius aut citius sedem properamus ad unam, Ov. M. 10, 33: serius ei triumphandi causa fuit, ne, etc., Liv. 39, 6, 4; 38, 27, 4: in acutis morbis serius aeger alendus est, Cels. 3, 2.
          Sup.: ut quam serissime ejus profectio cognosceretur, Caes. B. C. 3, 75 (Scaliger ex conj.); so, legi pira Tarentina, Plin. 15, 17, 18, § 61 (al. serissima).
    2. B. (Acc to II.) Too late (freq. and class.): abi stultus, sero post tempus venis, Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 90: idem, quando illaec occasio periit, post sero cupit, id. Aul. 2, 2, 71; id. Am. 2, 2, 34; id. Men. 5, 6, 31; id. Pers. 5, 1, 16 (Opp. temperi); id. Trin. 2, 4, 14; 2, 4, 167; 4, 2, 147; Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 103; id. Ad. 2, 4, 8. (Scipio) factus est consul bis: primum ante tempus: iterum sibi suo tempore, rei publicae paene sero, Cic. Lael. 3, 11; id. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 3, § 9: sero resistimus ei, quem per annos decem aluimus contra nos, id. Att. 7, 5, 5; id. Verr. 2, 5, 63, § 164 et saep.: ne nimis sero ad extrema veniamus, far too late, id. Phil. 2, 19, 47; Liv. 21, 3, 5.
      Hence, in a double sense, alluding to the signif. A. a.: cum interrogaret (accusator), quo tempore Clodius occisus esset? respondit (Milo), Sero, Quint. 6, 3, 49.
      Prov.: sero sapiunt Phryges, are wise too late, are troubled with after-wit; v. sapio.
      Comp., in the same sense: possumus audire aliquid, an serius venimus? Cic. Rep. 1, 13, 20: ad quae (mysteria) biduo serius veneram, id. de Or. 3, 20, 75: doleo me in vitam paulo serius tamquam in viam ingressum, id. Brut. 96, 330: erit verendum mihi, ne non hoc potius omnes boni serius a me, quam quisquam crudelius factum esse dicat, id. Cat. 1, 2, 5: serius a terrā provectae naves, Caes. B. C. 3, 8; Suet. Tib. 52.