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.

1. Crēta, ae (nom. Crētē, Mel. 2, 7, 12; Ov. M. 8, 118; 9, 668; 9, 735; acc. Creten, id. ib. 8, 99; Hor. C. 3, 27, 34 al.;

  1. I. on the contrary, Cretam, Verg. A. 3, 129 al.), f., = Κρήτη, Crete, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, distinguished in ancient times by its fruitfulness and very early cultivation, now Candia, Mel. l. l.; Plin. 4, 12, 20, § 58; Verg. A. 3, 104; Hor. Epod. 9, 29; Cic. Fl. 13, 30; id. Phil. 2, 38, 97; Vell. 2, 34, 1; Varr. R. R. 1, 7, 6; Plin. 15, 11, 10, § 37.
    Hence,
  2. II. Crēs, Crētis, m., and Cressa, ae, f., = Κρής, Κρῆσσα, Cretan; or as subst., a Cretan; a Cretan woman.
        1. a. Masc. Cres: Epimenides, Cic. Div. 1, 18, 34.
          In plur. Cretes, the Cretans, Cic. Mur. 35, 74; Ov. Am. 3, 10, 19; gen. Cretum, Cic. Tusc. 2, 14, 34; Cat. 55, 23; Ov. F. 1, 594 al.; acc. Cretăs, Caes. B. G. 2, 7; Mel. 1, 16, 1; Ov. H. 16, 348; Luc. 4, 441 al.
        2. b. Fem. Cressa, adj.: pharetra, Verg. G. 3, 345: nota, made with Cretan earth or chalk (v. 2. Creta, II.), Hor. C. 1, 36, 10: herbae, for healing in gen., Prop. 2, 1, 61 (acc. to Serv. ad Verg. A. 12, 412, perh. for dictamnus): bos, i. e. Pasiphaë (q. v.), id. 4 (5), 7, 57.
          Subst. for Ariadne, Ov. Am. 1, 7, 16; for Aĕrope, id. A. A. 1, 327.
    1. B. Crēsĭus (in MSS. and edd. also Cressĭus; cf. Verg. A. 5, 285 Wagn.), a, um, adj., = Κρη:σιος, Cretan: nemora, Verg. A. 4, 70: prodigia, i. e. taurus (v. C.), id. ib. 8, 295: regna, Ov. H. 16, 299: tecta, Stat. Th. 12, 582 al.
    2. C. Crētaeus, a, um, adj., Cretan: Ida, Verg. A. 12, 412: urbes, Ov. M. 9, 666: ratis, Prop. 3 (4), 19, 26: taurus, the bullock which Neptune sent to Minos, Ov. M. 7, 434.
      Subst.: Crētae-us, i, m., the Cretan, for Epimenides, Prop. 2, 34 (25), 29.
    3. * D. Crētānus, i, m., a Cretan (prob. a word coined in sport), Plaut. Curc. 3, 73.
    4. E. Crētensis, e, adj., Cretan: homo, judex, Cic. Phil. 5, 5, 13 and 14: Juppiter, id. N. D. 3, 21, 53: sagittarii, Liv. 37, 41, 9 et saep.
      In plur.: Crētenses, ium, m., the Cretans (renowned as archers), Nep. Hann. 9, 2; Liv. 37, 60, 4; 41, 25, 7 al.
  3. F. Crētĭcus, a, um, adj., Cretan: mare, Hor. C. 1, 26, 2: vinum, Plin. 14, 9, 11, § 81: labyrinthus, id. 36, 13, 19, § 90: bellum, Flor. 3, 7: pes, an amphimacrus, Diom. p. 475 P. al.: versus, composed of the amphimacrus, id. p. 513 ib. al.
      1. 2. Subst.
        1. a. Crētĭcus, i, m., a surname of Q. Metellus, from his subjugation of Crete, Flor. 3, 7 fin.; 3, 8, 1; Vell. 2, 34; Cic. Att. 1, 19, 2; cf. id. Fl. 13, 30; Ov. F. 1, 594.
        2. b. Crētĭca, ae, f., a plant, called also clematitis, Plin. 25, 8, 54, § 96.
        3. c. In the Gr. form Crētĭcē, ēs, f., a plant, called also hibiscus, App. Herb. 38 and 62.
  4. G. Crētis, ĭdis, f., a Cretan (woman): Nymphae, Ov. F. 3, 444.

2. crēta, ae, f. [orig. adj., from 1. Creta], Cretan earth, i. e. chalk, white earth or clay.

  1. I. Prop., Plin. 35, 17, 57, § 195 sq.; Cato, R. R. 39, 2; Varr. R. R. 1, 7, 8 al.; esp. used for cleansing garments, Plaut. Aul. 4, 9, 6.
    Hence, trop.: creta est profecto horum hominum oratio, i. e. removes all trouble from the mind, Plaut. Poen. 5, 2, 10 sq.
    Also used as a cosmetic, Hor. Epod. 12, 10; Mart. 6, 93, 9; 8, 33, 17 al.; for seals, Cic. Fl. 16, 37; cf. cretula, for marking the goal in a race-course, Plin. 8, 42, 65, § 160; for the making of earthen vessels, Col. 3, 11, 9; Plin. 14, 20, 25, § 123 et saep.
    Poet.: rapidus cretae Oaxes, turbulent, Verg. E. 1, 66 Rib. (dub. al. Cretae; v. Forbig. ad loc.).
  2. II. From its whiteness is borrowed the trope for something favorable or lucky (opp. carbo), Hor. S. 2, 3, 246; imitated by Pers. 5, 108.