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.

vello, vulsi, vulsum (perf. velli, Calp. Ecl. 4, 155; Prisc. 10, 6, 36, p. 897 P.; Diom. 1, p. 369 ib.; ante-class. form of sup. volsum; v. Neue, Formenl. 2, p. 576), 3, v. a. [prob. akin to ἕλ-κω].

  1. I. Prop.
    1. A. Of animals, to pluck or pull, i. e. to deprive of the hair, feathers, etc.: oves, Varr. R. R. 2, 11, 9; Plin. 8, 48, 73, § 190: anseres, id. 10, 22, 27, § 53.
    2. B. Of things.
      1. 1. In gen., to pluck, pull, or tear out, away, or up; in simple constr.: plumas anserum, Col. 8, 13, 3: caudae pilos equinae, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 45: barbam, id. S. 1, 3, 133: tot spicula, Verg. A. 10, 889: comam, Mart. 5, 37, 19: cuneum vellito, statimque surculos in ea foramina immittito, Col. 5, 11, 5; cf. id. Arb. 26, 4: signa, to take up, i. e. march, Verg. A. 11, 19; cf.: ut vellerent signa et Romam proficiscerentur, Liv. 3, 50, 11: mors viscera vulsit, Luc. 6, 546.
        With ab and abl.: postes a cardine vellit, Verg. A. 2, 480: albos a stirpe capillos, Prop. 3 (4), 25, 13: asparagum ab radice, Plin. 19, 8, 42, § 149.
        With abl. alone: aut castris audebit vellere signa, Verg. G. 4, 108: genae florem primaevo corpore vulsit, Luc. 6, 562: adfixam oculo sagittam, id. 6, 218: vulsis pectore telis, id. 6, 232; cf.: unguibus et raras vellentem dentibus herbas, Ov. M. 8,800.
        With de and abl.: hastam … de cespite vellit, Verg. A. 11, 566: herbas de caespite, Luc. 4, 414.
      2. 2. Esp.
        1. a. To pluck, pull, or tear down or away: cum pars vellerent vallum, atque in fossas proruerent, Liv. 9, 14, 9; 10, 2, 5: munimenta, id. 2, 25, 3.
        2. b. To pluck, pull, pick, or gather fruit, etc.: modo nata malā vellere poma manu, Tib. 3, 5, 20.
        3. c. To pull, twitch, etc.: aurem, Verg. E. 6, 4; cf. id. Cop. 38; Calp. Ecl. 4, 155; Amm. 22, 3, 12: vellere coepi Et prensare manu lentissima bracchia, Hor. S. 1, 9, 63: latus digitis, Ov. A. A. 1, 606.
        4. d. To be plucked or pulled, i. e. to have the hair pulled out by the roots: circa corporis curam morosior, ut non solum tonderetur diligenter ac raderetur, sed velleretur etiam, Suet. Caes. 45.
  2. II. Trop., to tear, torment: sed mea secreto velluntur pectora morsu, Stat. S. 5, 2, 3.
    Hence, P. a.: vulsus (volsus), a, um.
    1. A. Lit., shorn, plucked, smooth, beardless, hairless: istum gallum Glabriorem reddes mihi quam volsus ludiust, Plaut. Aul. 2, 9, 6: vulsi levatique et inustas comas acu comentes, Quint. 2, 5, 12: corpus vulsum, id. 5, 9, 14: eadem (corpora) si quis vulsa atque fucata muliebriter comat, id. 8, prooem. 19: nepos, Prop. 4 (5), 8, 23.
      1. 2. Trop., effeminate: mens, Mart. 2, 36, 6.
    2. B. Suffering convulsions, spasmodic, Plin. 21, 19, 74, § 126; 23, 1, 16, § 25.

vellus, ĕris, n. [Sanscr. ura for vara, sheep; root var, to cover; Gr. ἔρ-ιον, εἶρος, wool; Goth. vulla; Germ. Wolle].

  1. I. Lit., wool shorn off, a fleece: pastores Palatini ex ovibus ante tonsuram inventam vellere lanam sunt soliti: a quo vellera dicuntur, Varr. L. L. 5, §§ 54 and 130 Müll.; id. R. R. 2, 11, 9; Plin. 27, 7, 28, § 50; Lucr. 6, 504; Hor. Epod. 12, 21; id. Ep. 1, 10, 27; Ov. M. 6, 21; 14, 264.
  2. II. Transf.
      1. 1. The skin of a sheep with the wool on it, the fell or pelt entire, Col. 7, 4, 4; Tib. 2, 1, 62; Verg. E. 3, 95; id. A. 7, 95; Ov. H. 18, 144; id. F. 5, 102.
      2. 2. The hide, pelt of any other animal: fulvi leonis, Ov. F. 2, 340; cf. id. ib. 5, 396: cervina, id. M. 6, 593; cf. id. ib. 3, 197: ferina, id. ib. 11, 4.
      3. 3. A sheep: cultrosque in guttura velleris atri Conicit, Ov. M. 7, 244; cf. Calp. Ecl. 2, 7.
    1. B. Of woolly material.
      1. 1. Wool, down: velleraque ut foliis depectant tenuia Seres, i. e. the fleeces or flocks of silk, Verg. G. 2, 121.
      2. 2. Of light, fleecy clouds: tenuia nec lanae per caelum vellera ferri, Verg. G. 1, 397; so Luc. 4, 124.
      3. 3. Of snow-flakes, Mart. 4, 3, 1.
    2. C. Of things made of wool: Parnasia, woollen bands or fillets, Stat. S. 5, 3, 8.