L. Livius v. c. et mag. omnibus sociis sal.
Una hebdomas exacte!The pages of Lewis & Short have supplied the following, easily the most common word we have yet to encounter in our random explorations of this dictionary:
tempus, ŏris (abl. temp. tempori or temperi; v. infra), n. [etym. dub.; perh. root tem-; Gr. τέμνω; prop. a section; hence, in partic. of time]. I. Lit., a portion or period of time, a time: tempus diei, daytime, Ter. Heaut. 1, 2, 38 ... matutina tempora, morning hours, Cic. Fam. 7, 1, 1: anni tempora, the seasons, Lucr. 2, 33; ... 2. Esp. of the time intervening between two events, etc., an interval, period, time ... B. Transf., time, in general. 1. Lit. a. In gen. ... b. In partic., the time, i.e. the fitting or appointed time, the right season, proper period, opportunity, = καιρός : nunc occasio est et tempus, Plaut. Ps. 4, 2, 3 ... (β) tempŏra, um (less freq. in the sing. tempus), after the Gr. τὰ καίρια (prop. the right place, the fatal spot), the temples of the head; ... Poet., transf. the face, visage in gen., Prop. 2, 24 (3, 18), 3; 2, 18, 32 (3, 11, 10).—The head: jacuit pulsus tria tempora ramo Cacus, upon his three heads, Prop. 4 (5), 9, 15 ... 2. Transf. a. The time in its moral aspects; the state of the times, position, state, condition; in plur., the times, circumstances (esp. freq. of dangerous or disrespectful circumstances): si ad tuum tempus perducitur, facilis gubernatio est, time of administration, consulship, Cic. Fam. 10, 1, 2 ... eae (res) contra nos faciunt in hoc tempore, at the present time, under the present circumstances, Cic. Quint. 1, 1; ... b. Time in poetry and rhetoric, i.e. measure, quantity: idem facit in trochaeo, qui temporibus et intervallis est par iambo, Cic. Or. 57, 194; ... II. Adverb. phrases. A. tempŏrē, and more freq. in adverb. form, tempŏrī or tempĕrī, at the right time or fitting time, at the appointed time, in time, betimes, timely, seasonably, satisne tempori opera sient confecta, Cato, R. R. 2, 1; 3, 4; ... B. Form tempore, in time, with the progress of time, gradually ... C. Ad tempus. 1. At the right time or appointed time, in time: ad tempus redire, Cic. Att. 13, 45, 2 ... 2. For some time, for the time being, for a while, for the moment ... D. Ante tempus, before the right time, too soon ... E. Ex tempore, instantaneously, forthwith, on the spur of the moment, extempore ... F. In tempore, at the right, proper, or appropriate time, in time: in tempore ad eam veni, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 123: in ipso tempore eccum ipsum, in the nick of time, i. And. 3, 2, 52 ... G. In tempus, for a time, temporarily ... H. Per tempus, at the right time, in time ... K. Pro tempore, according to circumstances.
The above is a highly abbreviated version of Lewis & Short's original entry, which takes up an entire page unto itself. As most students of Latin will know,
tempus means "time." For the novice Latinist it can be a tricky vocabulary entry, however, as it is a rare noun of the third declension ending in
-us, and is neuter besides! As an aid to my own memory, I always think of Cicero's famous quip whenever declining this word:
"O tempora, o mores!" (from his
First Oration against Catiline), which reminds me not to mistake this word for a second or even fourth declension noun.
Having gone through the entire dictionary entry while typing this out, I was surprised by how many usages of
tempus are for "appropriate" or "fitting" times. Of the adverbial phrases given (II.A–K), half of them have something to do with "the right time." It would seem that the Romans were very concerned with doing things
"comme il faut," as the French would say!
To finish today's vocabulary, we might as well examine Cicero's well-known speech that I mentioned above:
In Catilinam, 1.1 wrote:
Fig. 1. Cicero Denounces Catiline, by C. Maccari (1888).O
tempora, o mores! Senatus haec intellegit. Consul videt; hic tamen vivit. Vivit! immo vero etiam in senatum venit, fit publici consilii particeps, notat et designat oculis ad caedem unum quemque nostrum. Nos autem fortes viri satisfacere rei publicae videmur, si istius furorem ac tela vitemus. Ad mortem te, Catilina, duci iussu consulis iam pridem oportebat, in te conferri pestem, quam tu in nos [omnes iam diu] machinaris.
"What
times, what morals! The Senate is aware of these things. The consul sees them, and yet this man lives. He lives! He has even come to the Senate, takes part in our public deliberations, takes note with his eyes and picks out each one of us for the slaughter. And we brave men think that we are satisfying our duty to the Republic if we but keep free of his knives and fury. You should have been put to death by the consuls ages ago, Catiline, brought to the ruination which you now plot for us!"
Wow! No wonder Cicero is considered the gold-standard of Latin rhetoric!
Valete.