Supercilium, supercilij, n. g. Plin. The ouer brow. Seueritie: grauitie.Superciliorum remissio aut contractio. Cie. The hanging downe or knitting of the browes.Abrasa supercilia.Cic.Constricta supercilia. Quint. Depressum & sublatum supercilium.Cic.Dissidentia supercilia. Quint. When one lifteth vppe one browe and hangeth downe an other.Ponere supercilium.To lay aside stately lookes and coÛtenance.Supercilium attollere.To looke vp stately and proudly.Duris supercilijs torua.Ouid.Hirsutum supercilium.Virg.Inflexa iuxta tempora supercilia, Vide INFLECTO.Seueri supercilij matrona.Ouid.An austere or seuere wman: a sowre dame.Triste supercilium. Lucr. A sad and sowre countenaunce. Alleuare supercilia ad singulos vocis conatus. Quint. To caste vp the browes at the speaking of euerie worde.Libidines quas fronte & supercilio contegis.Cic.Decipere aliquem rugis & supercilio.Cic.With graue and sad countenaunce to deceiue.Vibranre supercilio loqui.Ouid.Niti supercilio.Cic. Supercilium, pro Superbia aliquando ponitur. Iuuenal. Cic.Pride.Supercilium dominum terrarum. Mart. Imperiall grauitie and seueritie. Supercilium montis, per translationem.Liu.The brow or ridge of an hill.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
sŭper-cĭlĭum, ii, n. [super and root kal-; Gr. kalu/ptw; Lat. celāre, to hide, cover; cf. Gr. ku/lon, e)piku/lion, eyelid; cf. also, Ang.-Sax. hlid; Engl. lid; Germ. Augenlid]: cilium est folliculus, quo oculus tegitur, unde fit supercilium, Fest. p. 43 Müll.; Plin. 11, 37, 57, 157. I.Lit., the eye-brow (good prose; more freq. in the plur.). (a).Plur.: ex superciliorum aut remissione aut contractione facile judicabimus, etc., Cic. Off. 1, 41, 146: supercilia abrasa, id. Rosc. Com. 7, 20: superiora superciliis obducta sudorem a capite defluentem depellunt, id. N. D. 2, 57, 143: nec sedeo duris torva superciliis, Ov. H. 16 (17), 16: constricta, Quint. 1, 11, 10: torta, Plaut. Rud. 2, 2, 12: conjuncta, Suet. Aug. 79: usque ad malarum scripturam currentia, Petr. 126; Plin. 11, 37, 51, 138: balenae, id. 9, 62, 88, 186; Quint. 11, 3, 78; 11, 3, 79; 11, 3, 160: mulieres potissimum supercilia sua attribuerunt ei deae (Junoni Lucinae), Varr. L. L. 5, 69 Müll.; cf. Fest. p. 305 ib.— (b).Sing.: altero ad frontem sublato, altero ad mentum depresso supercilio, Cic. Pis. 6, 14: triste, Lucr. 6, 1184: altero erecto, altero composito supercilio, Quint. 11, 3, 74: quo supercilio spicit, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 100: hirsutum, Verg. E. 8, 34; Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 94; Ov. A. A. 3, 201; Juv. 2, 93 al.: supercilium salit (as a favorable omen), Plaut. Ps. 1, 1, 105.—B.Transf., the prominent part of a thing, the brow, ridge, summit (not ante-Aug.): clivosi tramitis, Verg. G. 1, 108: tumuli, Liv. 34, 29, 11: infimo stare supercilio,
at the bottom of the projection
, id. 27, 18, 10; cf. Stat. Th. 6, 63: supercilium quoddam excelsum nacti, Auct. B. Afr. 58, 1; Plin. 6, 5, 5, 17.—In archit., a projecting moulding over the scotia of a column or cornice, Vitr. 3, 3med.; a threshold, id. 4, 6, 5.—Of the coast of the sea: supercilia ejus sinistra, Amm. 22, 8, 8; the shore of a river: Nili, id. 14, 8, 5: Rheni, id. 14, 10, 6: fluminis, id. 17, 9, 1: amnis, App. M. 5, p. 169, 34.—II.Trop.A.The nod, the will: cuncta supercilio movens, Hor. C. 3, 1, 8; Claud. Ep. ad Ser. 2, 58.—B.Pride, haughtiness, arrogance, sternness, superciliousness (class.; mostly sing.): supercilium ac regius spiritus, Cic. Agr. 2, 34, 93; id. Sest. 8, 19; id. Red. in Sen. 7, 14; Sen. Ben. 2, 4, 1; Juv. 6, 169; 5, 62: triste Catonis, Mart. 11, 2, 1: pone supercilium, id. 1, 5, 2: supercilii matrona severi, Ov. Tr. 2, 309; cf.: contegere libidines fronte et supercilio, non pudore et temperantiā, Cic. Prov. Cons. 4, 8.