I. Lit., of iron adhering to a magnet: unus ubi ex uno dependet, subter adhaerens, Lucr. 6, 914; cf. id. 3, 557: tota adhaerens (lingua) crocodilis, cleaving to his palate, Plin. 11, 37, 65, 171.—With in and abl.: tela in tuis visceribus, Cic. Vatin. 5, 13; so Ov. M. 4, 693.—With acc.: cratera et corvus adhaeret, Cic. Arat. 541 (so Tert.: humerum, de Pall. 5).—With abl.: fronte cuspis, Ov. M. 5, 38.—With dat., poet.: tonsis (ovibus) illotus sudor, Verg. G. 3, 443: veteri craterae limus adhaesit, Hor. Sat. 2, 4, 80; and in later prose: navis ancoris, is fastened to them, Tac. A. 2, 23: stativis castris, id. ib. 3, 21; and: jumento, to stick to, Gell. 20, 1.—

II. Fig.

A. In gen., to cling to, adhere to: adhaesit homini ad intimum ventrem fames, Plaut. Stich. 1, 3, 83; and of fawning adherence to one, id. As. 1, 3, 59: cui canis ex vero dictum cognomen adhaeret, adheres, Hor. S. 2, 2, 56: nulli fortunae adhaerebat animus, i. e. inconstans fuit, Liv. 41, 20: obsidioni fortiter adhaerentes, Amm. 19, 3.—

B. Adhaerere alicui, to be close to a person or thing, to be near, to hang on, keep close to, etc. (mostly post-Cic., esp. in the histt.): vineis modica silva adhaerebat, was close to it, adjoined it, Tac. H. 2, 25; so Amm. 18, 2.—Of persons: procul abesse Romanos: lateri adhaerere gravem dominum, i. e. he (the King of Macedon) hangs on them, threatens them by his nearness, Liv. 39, 25: nec umquam non adhaerentes, and never departing from his side, Suet. Galb. 14: comitem perpetuo alicui adhaerere, Plin. 10, 22, 26, 51: tempus adhaerens, the time in hand, just the present time, Quint. 5, 10, 46: obvio quoque adhaerente, while each one adhered to him, Suet. Oth. 6; and so trop.: adhaeret altissimis invidia, Vell. 1, 9.—

C. To hang on a thing, i. e. to trail or drag after, to be the last, sarcastically in Cic.: tenesne memoriā te extremum adhaesisse? hung on the end, i. e. extremo loco quaestorem esse factum, Vat. 5 (cf. haerere, Liv. 5, 2 fin., and Gron. ad h. l.); and without sarcasm, Curt. 10, 5, 19.