Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

amnis, is, m. (fem., Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 18; Naev. and Att. ap. Non. 191, 33; Varr. R. R. 3, 5, 9; cf. Prisc. pp. 652 and 658 P.; Rudd. I. p. 26, n. 37; Schneid. Gram. 2, 98; abl. regularly amne; but freq. amni in the poets, Verg. G. 1, 203; 3, 447; Hor. S. 1, 10, 62; Col. R. R. 10, 136; also in prose, Liv. 21, 5; 21, 27 al.; cf. Prisc. p. 766; Rhem. Pal. 1374 P.; Rudd. I. p. 85, n. 85) [qs. for apnis from Sanscr. ap = water; n. plur. āpas. Van.; v. aqua], orig., any broad and deep-flowing, rapid water; a stream, torrent, river (hence, esp. in the poets, sometimes for a rapidly-flowing stream or a torrent rushing down from a mountain = torrens; sometimes for a large river, opp. fluvius (a common river); sometimes also for the ocean as flowing round the land; it most nearly corresponds with our stream; in prose not often used before the histt. of the Aug. per.; in Cic. only in Aratus and in his more elevated prose; never in his Epistt.).

  1. I. Lit.: acervos altā in amni, Att., Trag. Rel. p. 178 Rib.: apud abundantem antiquam amnem et rapidas undas Inachi, Att. ap. Non. 192, 4 (Trag. Rel. p. 175 Rib.): Sic quasi amnis celeris rapit, sed tamen inflexu flectitur, Naev. Trag. Rel. p. 12 Rib.; Plaut. Poen. 3, 3, 15: molibus incurrit validis cum viribus amnis, Lucr. 1, 288 (v. the whole magnificent description, 1, 282- 290): Nilus unicus in terris, Aegypti totius amnis, id. 6, 714: ruunt de montibus amnes, Verg. A. 4, 164: amnes magnitudinis vastae, Sen. Q. N. 3, 19.
    Also in distinction from the sea: cum pontus et amnes cuncti invicem commeant, Sen. Q. N. 4, 2.
    On the contr. of the ocean, acc. to the Gr. Ὠκεανὸς ποταμός (Hom. Od. 11, 639): Oceani amnis, the ocean-stream, Verg. G. 4, 233: quā fluitantibus undis Solis anhelantes abluit amnis equos, Tib. 2, 5, 60: Nox Mundum caeruleo laverat amne rotas, id. 3, 4, 18 al.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Poet., of the constellation Eridanus: Eridanum cernes funestum magnis cum viribus amnem, Cic. Arat. 145 (as a transl. of the Gr. λείψανον Ἠριδανοῖο, πολυκλαύστου ποταμοῖο, Arat. Phaenom. 360): Scorpios exoriens cum clarus fugerit amnis, Germanic. Arat. 648; cf. id. ib. 362.
    2. B. Also poet. and in post-class. prose, any thing flowing, liquid, Verg. A. 12, 417; 7, 465: amnis musti, Pall. 11, 14, 18.
    3. C. Of a writer, whose eloquence is thus compared to a flowing stream (v. flumen, II. B. and fluo, II. 2. B. 1.): alter (Herodotus) sine ullis salebris quasi sedatus amnis (i. e. a noiseless stream flowing on in majestic size and fulness) fluit; alter (Thucydides) incitatior fertur, Cic. Or. 12, 39.
    4. D. Like flumen, as abstr., a current, stream: secundo amni, down or with the stream, Verg. G. 3, 447: adverso amne, up the stream, Curt. 10, 1 al.