Firmamentum, ti, n. g. Cic.A suretie or stabilitie: the grounde of a cause or matter.Firmamentum ac robur.Cic.Firmamentum disciplinæ.Cic.Imperij.Cic.The stay of. Reipublicæ. Cic.Stabilitatis constantiæqúe eius quã in amicitia quærimus firmamentum, est fides.Cic.The ground of.Ponere firmamentum in aliquo.Cicer.To putte his chiefe stay in.Vincula & sirmamenta membrorum. Gell. The sinewes.Firmamentum & contineus causæ. Quint. The ground and principall point of the cause.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
firmāmentum, i, n. [id.], a strengthening, support, prop (class.; esp. freq. in the trop. sense and in Cic.). I.Lit.: transversaria tigna iniciuntur, quae firmamento esse possint, Caes. B. C. 2, 15, 2: ossa nervique et articuli, firmamenta totius corporis, Sen. de Ira, 2, 1, 2: vincula et firmamenta membrorum, Gell. 13, 22, 9.—B.Transf., the sky fixed above the earth, the firmament (late Lat.), Tert. Bapt. 3; Aug. de Genes. ad lit. 2 et saep.—II.Trop.A. In gen., a support, prop, stay: eum ordinem, qui exercet vectigalia, firmamentum ceterorum ordinum recte esse dicemus, Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 7, 17: firmamentum ac robur totius accusationis, id. Mur. 28, 58; cf.: multo plus firmamenti ac roboris, id. de Imp. Pomp. 4, 10: parum firmamenti et parum virium, id. Clu. 2, 5: rei publicae, id. Planc. 9, 23; cf.: imperii populi Romani, id. Phil. 3, 5, 13: stabilitatis constantiaeque fides est, id. Lael. 18, 65: dignitatis, id. Tusc. 4, 3, 7: honor sacerdotii firmamentum, potentiae adsumebatur, Tac. H. 5, 8: si ullum firmamentum in illo teste posuisses, Cic. Fl. 37, 92: legionem ex subsidiis in primam aciem firmamentum ducit,
as a support
, Liv. 29, 2, 9.—In plur.: Romulus cum haec egregia duo firmamenta rei publicae peperisset, auspicia et senatum, Cic. Rep. 2, 10.—B. In partic., rhet. t. t., the chief support of an argument, the main point, to\ sune/xon, Cic. Inv. 1, 14, 19; id. Part. 29, 103; Auct. Her. 1, 16, 26; Quint. 3, 11, 1; 9; 12 sq.