tergeo or less freq. tergo, si, sum, 2 or 3 (v. Neue, Formenl. 2, 423 sq.; part. perf. tertus, Varr. ap. Non. 179, 7 and 8), v. a. [for stergo; akin to stringo; Gr. straggeu/w, to twist], to rub off, wipe off, wipe dry, wipe clean, cleanse.I.Lit. (class.; syn. verro): numquam concessavimus Lavari aut fricari aut tergeri aut ornari, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 10: mantelium, ubi manus terguntur, Varr L. L. 6, 85 Müll.; so, frontem sudario, Quint. 6, 3, 60: nares in adversum, id. 11, 3, 121: fossas,
to dry
, Cato, R. R. 2, 4; Col. 2, 21, 3: aequatam (mensam) mentae tersere virentes, Ov. M. 8, 663: pars leves clipeos et spicula lucida tergent,
rub off
,
polish
,
burnish
, Verg. A. 7, 626: arma, Liv. 26, 51, 4: leve argentum, vasa aspera, Juv. 14, 62: manuque simul velut lacrimantia tersit Lumina, Ov. M. 13, 132: oculos pedibus, Plin. 11, 48, 108, 258. — Poet.: aridus unde aures terget sonus ille,
grates upon
, Lucr. 6, 119: nubila caeli (Aurora),
to scatter
, Sil. 16, 136: tergere palatum,
to tickle the palate
, Hor. S. 2, 2, 24. — Absol.: qui tractant ista, qui tergunt, qui ungunt, qui verrunt, Cic. Par. 5, 2, 37: si QVIS TERGERE ORNARE REFICERR VOLET (sc. aram), Inscr. Orell. 2489.—II.Trop. (very rare): librum, i. e.
to improve
,
amend
, Mart. 6, 1, 3: scelus,
to expiate
, Sen. Herc. Oet. 907.—Hence, tersus, a, um, P. a., wiped off, i. e. clean, neat (not in Cic.). A.Lit.: (mulier) lauta, tersa, ornata, etc., Plaut. Stich. 5, 5, 4; cf id. Pa. 1, 2, 31; cf.: alii sunt circumtonsi et tersi atque unctuli, Varr. ap Non. 179, 8: plantae, Ov. M. 2, 736: tersum diem pro sereno dictum ab antiquis, Fest. p. 363 Müll. — B.Trop., pure, correct, nice, neat, terse: judicium acre tersumque. Quint. 12, 10, 20: tersum ac limatum esse oportet quod libris dedicatur, id. 12, 10, 50: elegiae tersus atque elegans auctor, id. 10, 1, 93; of in comp.: multo est tersior ac purus magis (Horatius), id. 10, 1, 94: opus tersum, molle, jucundum, Plin. Ep. 9, 22, 2; so, praefationes tersae, graciles, dulces, id. ib. 2, 3, 1.—Sup.: vir in judicio litterarum tersissimus, Stat. S. 2 praef.—No adv.
trĭgĕmĭnus (collat. form, mostly poet., tergĕmĭnus), a, um, adj. [tresgeminus], three born at a birth: fratres, three twin-brothers.I.Lit., Liv. 1, 24, 1; cf.: tergeminos nasci certum est Horatiorum Curiatiorumque exemplo, Plin. 7, 3, 3, 33: trigeminorum matres, Col. 3, 8, 1: trigemini filii, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 123. — As subst.: trĭgĕmĭni, three brothers born at a birth, Liv. 1, 25, 1; Col. 2, 1, 3; 7, 6, 7; cf.: trigemino partu, id. 3, 10, 17: Horatius trigemina spolia prae se gerens,
of the three twin-brothers
, Liv. 1, 26, 2: Trigemini,
the title of a comedy of Plautus
, Gell. 7, 9, 7.— II.Transf., in gen., threefold, triple, triform, = triplex (mostly poet.): trigeminae victoriae triplicem triumphum egistis, Liv. 6, 7, 4: tripectora tergemini vis Geryonai, Lucr. 5, 28; cf. of the same and of Cerberus: tergeminumque virum tergeminumque canem, Ov. Tr. 4, 7, 16; and of Cerberus: cui tres sunt linguae tergeminumque caput, Tib. 3, 4, 88: canis, Prop. 4 (5), 7, 52: tergemina Hecate (because she was also Luna and Diana; cf. triceps and triformis), Verg. A. 4, 511: tergemina dextra, i. e.
of the three Graces
, Stat. S. 3, 4, 83: jus tergeminae prolis. i. e. trium liberorum, id. ib. 4, 8, 21: pomorum tergemina natura, Plin. 15, 28, 34, 114: verba illa Ciceronis in Pisonem (cap. 1) trigemina: decepit, fefellit, induxit, Gell. 13, 24, 22: certat tergeminis tollere honoribus, to the threefold honors, i. e. of the three highest magistracies, those of the curule ædile, the prætor, and the consul, Hor. C. 1, 1, 8: at tibi tergeminum mugiet ille sophos,
thrice repeated
, Mart. 3, 46, 8.—III. Porta Trigemina, a gate, in the early times of Rome, at the foot of Mount Aventine, Liv. 4, 16, 2; 35, 10, 12; Plaut. Capt. 1, 1, 22; Plin. 18, 3, 4, 15; Front. Aquaed. 5 al.; cf. Becker, Antiq. 1, p. 157 sq.