noun · femininefifth declension
aciēs
aciēs f (genitive aciēī)
Classical[ˈa.ki.eːs]Ecclesiastical[ˈaː.t͡ʃi.es]
№ 439 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- sharp edge or point
- battle line
- battle, engagement
CE 13-14, Augustus, Res Gestae Divi Augusti
Those who cruelly killed my parent, I drove them into exile by legal trials having avenged their deed, and afterwards, when they made war on the republic, I defeated them twice in battle. - Late Latinsteel
- sharpness of sight, keeness of a glance
- the pupil of an eye
- a fixed look
- acuteness of mind
- a verbal contest
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
exercitus ad pugnam īnstrūctus; prīma aciēs ante stat.aciēs -ēī f — in Mille Verba, Bellum et Arma
exercitus ad pugnam īnstrūctusaciēs -ēī (f) — in IVLIANVS I: Gallia, ch. 7
vīs oculōrum, vīsusaciēs -ēī (f) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 8
battle line
aciēs -ēī (f) — in De Bello Gallico III
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Pugna · Acies · Prœlium
Pugna (πυκνή, πύξ,) denotes in a general sense, any conflict, from a single combat to the bloodiest pitched battle, like μάχη; acies, the conflict of two contending armies drawn up in battle array with tactical skill, the pitched battle; prœlium (from πρύλεες) the occasional rencounter of separate divisions of the armies, as an engagement, action, skirmish, like συμβολή. (v. 189.) [No: prœlium is frequently used of general engagements: e.g. illustrissimum est prœlium apud Platæas. Nep.]
Acies · Acumen · Cacumen · Mucro · Cuspis
1. Acies is the sharpness of a line adapted for cutting; acumen, of a tip or point adapted for sticking. Figuratively, the acies mentis is shown in the keen sifting of what is confused, in clear perception; the acumen mentis is the fathoming of that which is deeply hidden, in subtle discovery. 2. Acumen and cacumen mean a natural head or top; acumen, of a cone, beak, and so forth; cacumen, particularly that of a mountain: mucro and cuspis mean an artificial head, for the purpose of piercing and wounding; mucro, that of a sword, dagger, and so forth; cuspis, that of a spear, arrow, etc., like αἰχμή. (vi. 5.)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | aciēs | aciēs |
| genitive | aciēī | aciērum |
| dative | aciēī | aciēbus |
| accusative | aciem | aciēs |
| ablative | aciē | aciēbus |
| vocative | aciēs | aciēs |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- media acies
- the centre.
- in acie dimicare
- to fight a pitched battle.
- acies hostium impellitur
- the enemy's line is repulsed.
- aciem explicare or dilatare
- to extend the line of battle, deploy the battalions.
- acie (armis, ferro) decernere
- to fight a pitched battle.
- in aciem descendere (Liv. 8. 8)
- to enter the field of battle.
- exercitum educere or producere in aciem
- to lead the army to the fight.
- aciem triplicem instruere (B. G. 1. 24)
- to draw up the army in three lines.
5 more phrases
- acies inclīnat or inclīnatur (Liv. 7. 33)
- the line of battle gives way.
- in omnes partes aciem (oculorum) intendere
- to gaze intently all around.
- per medios hostes (mediam hostium aciem) perrumpere
- to break through the enemy's centre.
- aciem (copias, exercitum) instruere or in acie constituere
- to draw up forces in battle-order.
- oculorum aciem alicui praestringere (also simply praestringere)
- to dazzle a person.
ăcĭēs, ēi, f. v. 2. acer (
I. gen. acii and acie, like dii and die, facii and facie, fr. dies, facies, Cn. Mat. ap. Gell. 9, 14; Caes. B. G. 2, 23; Sall. ap. Serv. ad Verg. G. 1, 208, or Sall. Fragm. ed. Kritz. p. 118; cf. Prisc. p. 780 P.), a sharp edge or point.
I. Lit., of a sword, dagger, sickle, etc.:
gladiorum, Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 11: Vulg. Heb. 11, 34: securium, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 43, § 113: falcis, Verg. G. 2, 365: hastae, Ov. M. 3, 107: ferri, Plin. 7, 15, 13.—B. Transf.
1. Of the sense or faculty of sight,
a. Keenness of look or glance, sharpness of vision or sight: oculorum, Lucil. ap. Non. 34, 32; cf. Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 4; Lucr. 1, 324;
also acies alone, id. 2, 420; and in plur., id. 4, 693: ne vultum quidem atque aciem oculorum ferre potuisse, Caes. B. G. 1, 39: pupula ad te dirigit aciem, Cat. 63, 56: tanta tenuitas, ut fugiat aciem, Cic. Tusc. 1, 22: bonum incolumis acies, misera caecitas, id. Fin. 5, 28, 84; so ib. 4, 24; Verg. A. 12, 558 al.—Hence, b. Concr., the pupil of the eye, Lucr. 3, 411; cf.
with 414: acies ipsa, quā cernimus, quae pupula vocatur, Cic. N. D. 2, 57: in Albania gigni quosdam glaucā oculorum acie, Plin. 7, 2, 2 (cf. ib.: glaucis oculis); and poet. (as pars pro toto) for the eye, Lucr. 3, 363; 4, 249; 281; 358; 720: huc geminas nunc flecte acies, Verg. A. 6, 789; 12, 658 (hence the word is also used in the plur., cf. below, 2.).—c. A looking at an object with fixed attention, look, aim:
ad eam rem habeo omnem aciem, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 38.—On the contr., prima acie, at the first glance, Lucr. 2, 448 (cf. primo aspectu, Cic. de Or. 3, 25, 98).—2. In milit. lang., the front of an army (conceived of as the edge of a sword), line of battle, battle-array.
a. In abstr. (cf. Vitr. praef. 1. 7, p. 154 Rod.):
quibus ego si aciem exercitus nostri ostendero, Cic. Cat. 2, 3, 5: aciem instruere, Caes. B. G. 1, 22: dirigere, id. ib. 6, 8: extra aciem procurrere, id. B. C. 1, 55: statuit non proeliis, neque in acie, sed alio more bellum gerendum, Sall. J. 54; cf. Liv. 5, 41, 4; also of the arrangement of ships for a naval engagement, Nep. Hann. 11; cf. Caes. B. C. 1, 58.—Hence, metaph. b. The battlearray; in concr., an army drawn up in order of battle: acies est instructa a nobis decem cohortium, Galba ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 30:
hostium acies cernebatur, Caes. B. G. 7, 62: altera pars acii vitassent fluminis undas, Matius ap. Gell. 9, 14 (as transl. of Il. 21 init.): dubitavit acie pars, Sall. Fragm. l. l.: stabit ante aciem, Vulg. Deut. 20, 2; 1 Par. 12, 33: prima acies hastati erant, the van, the first line, Liv. 8, 8: tertiam aciem laborantibus subsidio mittere, Caes. B. G. 1, 52: ab novissima acie, from the rear: ante signa procedere, Liv. 8, 10: dextra acies (= dextrum cornu), the right wing, Liv. 27, 48, 8: agmina magis quam acies pugnabant, in marching order, rather than in order of battle, id. 25, 34 (acies is here, and in similar cases, considered as the sing. used collectively; v. Oud. and Herz. Caes. B. G. 7, 62; yet the plur. is more than probable). Rarely of cavalry, Liv. 8, 39; Vell. 2, 112.—Poet.: acies Vulcania, of a long line of fire, Verg. A. 10, 408.—c. The action of the troops drawn up in battlearray, a battle, engagement, = pugna: in acie celebri objectans vitam, Pac. ap. Non. 234, 25; Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 4: mea facta in acie obliti, Att. ap. Non. 502, 1:
in acie Pharsalica, Cic. Lig. 3; so id. Fam. 6, 3: in acie vincere, Caes. B. G. 7, 29: dimicare, ib. 7, 64: copias in aciem ducere, Liv. 31, 34: producere in aciem, Nep. Milt. 5: excedere acie, Caes. B. C. 2, 41; Liv. 31, 17: direxerunt aciem contra eos, Vulg. Gen. 14, 8; 2 Par. 18, 33.—3. Acies ferri, steel, Plin. 34, 14, 41.—
II. Fig.
A. (Acc. to I. B.) (like acumen.) Acuteness of the mind, sharpness, force, power (so very often in Cicero, but always with the gen. mentis, animi, ingenii):
(cum animus) exacuerit illam, ut oculorum, sic ingenii aciem ad bona eligenda, etc., Cic. Leg. 1, 23, 60; so, ingenii, id. Ac. 2, 39, 122: mentis, id. N. D. 2, 17, 45; id. Tusc. 1, 30, 73: animi, id. Sen. 23, 83; id. Phil. 12, 2; Vell. 2, 118, 4; cf.: rerum diversitas aciem intentionis abrumpit, Flor. 1 prol., § 3.— B. A verbal contest, disputation, discussion, debate:
orationis aciem contra conferam, Plaut. Ep. 4, 1, 20: ad philosophos me revocas, qui in aciem non saepe prodeunt, Cic. Tusc. 2, 25, 60: nos jam in aciem dimicationemque veniamus, id. Or. 13 fin.; cf. id. Opt. Gen. Or. 5, 17; Quint. 2, 10, 8; 6, 4, 17; 10, 1, 29.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
aciēs ēī (old form ē; acc. aciem, disyl. V.; plur. only nom. and acc.), f
2 AC-, a sharp edge, point, cutting part: securium: falcis, V.—Fig.: horum auctoritatis, the edge, i. e. efficiency. — Meton., of sight, sharpness of vision, keen look: aciem oculorum ferre, Cs.: fugere aciem: cum stupet acies fulgoribus, the sight, H. — Brilliancy, brightness: neque tum stellis acies obtunsa videtur, V. — Concr., the pupil of the eye: acies ipsa, quā cernimus.—Poet., the eye: huc geminas nunc flecte acies, V.: huc atque huc acies circumtulit, V.—In war, the front of an army, line of battle, battle-array: triplex, i. e. the legion in three ranks, Cs.: duplex, Cs.: mediā acie, Cs.: exercitūs nostri: aciem instruere, Cs.: extra aciem procurrere, Cs.: neque in acie, sed alio more bellum gerendum, S. — Of a line of ships: productā longius acie (navium), Cs.—The battle-array, an army in order of battle: hostium acies cernebatur, Cs.: unius corporis duae acies dimicantes, two divisions of an army: prima, the van, L.: tertia, Cs.: novissima the rear, L. — Of cavalry: equitum acies, L. — Poet.: Volcania, a line of fire, V.—A battle, engagement: in acie Pharsalicā: in acie vincere, Cs. —Fig., of mind, acuteness, sharpness, force, power: mentis: animi.—A verbal contest, disputation, discussion, debate: in aciem prodire.
Origins
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂eḱ-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂eḱéh₁yeti
- Proto-Italic*akēō
- Latinaciēs
Proto-Italic *-jēs Latin -iēs Latin aciēs From aceō (“to be sour”) + -iēs. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἀκίς (akís, “point, pointed object”), ἀκή (akḗ, “point”) and Proto-Germanic *agjō (whence English edge).
Borrowings
- Englishacies
- Italianacie
- Portugueseácie
Ibero-Romance
- Spanishhazfrom Old Spanish azes
- Extremaduranhaci
- Old Galician-Portugueseaz
Elsewhere
- Italianacciafrom Vulgar Latin *acia
- Campidaneseatzafrom Vulgar Latin *acia
- Logudoreseattafrom Vulgar Latin *acia
- Logudoreseathafrom Vulgar Latin *acia
- Gallureseacciafrom Vulgar Latin *acia
- Gallureseazzafrom Vulgar Latin *acia