Arista, aristæ. Varro. The beard of corne: sometime the eare: sometime wheate.Aristæ graciles Zephyro vibrantur.Ouid.The small eares are shaken. Aristæ grauidæ. Ouid.Cares full of corne.Arista ioiuna. Claud. Voyde of corne.Molli arista campus flauescit.Virg.Post aliquot aristos.After certaine yeares.Aristas teneras lædere, Virg.Aristæ virides. Inuenal. Aristæ maturæ. Ouid. Arista, pro Spica.Virg. Arista, pro Frumento.Virg. Aristas Persius pro pilis posuit Heared.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
ărista, ae, f. [perh. for acrista and akin to ācer, q. v., or perh. to aro, q. v.; cf. Germ. Aehre; Engl. ear (of corn); Germ. Ernte, harvest; Engl. earnest, fruit, pledge]. I.The awn or beard of grain: arista, quae ut acus tenuis longa eminete glumā; proinde ut granitheca sit gluma, et apex arista, Varr. R. R. 1, 48; Cic. Sen. 15, 51; Ov. H. 5, 111; id. Tr. 4, 1, 57.—II.Meton. (pars pro toto). A.The ear itself: maturae aristae, Ov. F. 5, 357: pinguis arista, Verg. G. 1, 8; 1, 111; id. A. 7, 720.—Also, an ear of spikenard, Ov. M. 15, 398.—Hence, 2.Poet., summer: Post aliquot, mea regna videns, mirabor aristas,
, Claud. IV. Cons. Hon. 371 (cf. at the next grass, for next summer, an expression still common in the north of England; so, seven years old at the next grass, Sylvester's Dubartas; just fifteen, coming summer's grass, Swift).—B.Poet. transf., 1. Of the hair of men, Pers. 3, 115. —2. Of the bones of fishes, Aus. Mos. 85; 119.—3. Of plants in gen., Val. Fl. 6, 365.