Lewis & Short

1. rŭdis, e, adj. [cf. crudus], unwrought, untilled, unformed, unused, rough, raw, wild (cf. crudus): omnis fere materia non deformata, rudis appellatur, sicut vestimentum rude, non perpolitum: sic aes infectum rudusculum, Cincius ap. Fest. p. 265 Müll. (class.; esp. freq. in the trop. signif.).

  1. I. Lit.: terra (opp. restibilis), Varr. R. R. 1, 44, 2; so, terra, id. ib. 1, 27, 2: ager, Col. 3, 11, 1: campus, Verg. G. 2, 211: humus, Ov. M. 5, 646: rudis atque infecta materies, Petr. 114, 13; cf.: rudis indigestaque moles (Chaos), Ov. M. 1, 7: marmor, Quint. 2, 19, 3: saxum, id. 9, 4, 27; cf.: signa (de marmore coepto), Ov. M. 1, 406: aes (opp. signatum), Plin. 33, 3, 13: hasta, rudely finished, ill-made, Verg. A. 9, 743; cf.: novacula (with retusa), Petr. 94, 14: circumjectus parietum, Plin. 11, 51, 112, § 270: caementum, Tac. Or. 20 (with informes tegulae): lana, Ov. M. 6, 19: textum, rough, coarse, id. ib. 8, 640; so, vestis, id. F. 4, 659: herba, wild, Mart. 2, 90, 8: cf. uva, unripe, green, hard, id. 13, 68.
    Neutr. plur. as subst.: detrahit doctrina aliquid, ut lima rudibus et cotes hebetibus, Quint. 2, 12, 8.
    1. B. Poet., transf., young, new (cf. integer): illa (carina, sc. Argo) rudem cursu prima imbuit Amphitriten, untried, not yet sailed on, Cat. 64, 11; hence, also, Argo, Luc. 3, 193: agna, Mart. 9, 71, 6: filia, id. 7, 95, 8: dextram cruore regio imbuit, Sen. Troad. 217: pannas, new, Vulg. Matt. 9, 16.
  2. II. Trop., rude, unpolished, uncultivated, unskilled, awkward, clumsy, ignorant; hence (like ignarus), with gen., unacquainted with, inexperienced in, etc. (cf. imperitus).
          1. (α) Absol.: consilium, Plaut. Poen. 1, 1, 61; cf.: forma ingenii impolita et plane rudis, Cic. Brut. 85, 294: incohata ac rudia, id. de Or. 1, 2, 5: quae rudia atque imperfecta adhuc erant, Quint. 3, 1, 7: rudia et incomposita, id. 9, 4, 17: vox surda, rudis, immanis, dura, etc., id. 11, 3, 32: modulatio, id. 1, 10, 16; cf.: modus (tibicinis), Ov. A. A. 1, 111: rude et Graecis intactum carmen, Hor. S. 1, 10, 66: stilus (with confusus), Quint. 1, 1, 28; 12, 10, 3: animi, id. 1, 10, 9 (with agrestes); 1, 1, 36: adhuc ingenia, id. 1, 2, 27; cf. ingenium, Hor. A. P. 410: rudis fuit vita priscorum et sine litteris, Plin. 18, 29, 69, § 284: saeculum, Quint. 2, 5, 23; 12, 11, 23; Tac. H. 1, 86: anni, i. e. young, early, Quint. 1, 1, 5; Tac. A. 13, 16 fin.; cf.: adhuc aetas, id. ib. 4, 8: rudem me et integrum discipulum accipe et ea, quae requiro, doce, Cic. N. D. 3, 3, 7; Quint. 2, 3, 3; 3, 6, 83: Aeschylus rudis in plerisque et incompositus, id. 10, 1, 66: tam eram rudis? tam ignarus rerum? etc., Cic. Sest. 21, 47; so (with ignarus) Quint. 1, 8, 4: rudis ac stultus, id. 11, 3, 76: illi rudes homines primique, id. 8, 3, 36; 10, 2, 5: illi rudes ac bellicosi, id. 1, 10, 20: nescit equo rudis Haerere ingenuus puer, Hor. C. 3, 24, 54.
          2. (β) With in and abl.: cum superiores alii fuissent in disputationibus perpoliti, alii in disserendo rudes, Cic. Rep. 1, 8, 13: (oratorem) nullā in re tironem ac rudem esse debere, id. de Or. 1, 50, 218; (with hebes) id. ib. 1, 58, 248: rudis in re publicā, id. Phil. 6, 6, 17: in causā, id. Fam. 4, 1, 1: in jure civili, id. de Or. 1, 10, 40: in minoribus navigiis, id. ib. 1, 38, 174: omnino in nostris poëtis, id. Fin. 1, 2, 5: sermo nullā in re, id. de Or. 1, 8, 32.
            With simple abl. (very rare): Ennius ingenio maximus, arte rudis, Ov. Tr. 2, 424: arte, Stat. Th. 6, 437: studiis, Vell. 2, 73, 1.
          3. (γ) With gen.: imperiti homines rerum omnium rudes ignarique, Cic. Fl. 7, 16: dicat se non imperitum foederis, non rudem exemplorum, non ignarum belli fuisse, id. Balb. 20, 47: provinciae rudis, id. Verr. 2, 2, 6, § 17: Graecarum litterarum, id. Off. 1, 1, 1; Nep. Pelop. 1, 1: rei militaris, Cic. Ac. 2, 1, 2: harum rerum, id. Verr. 2, 2, 35, § 87: artium, Liv. 1, 7: bonarum artium, Tac. A. 1, 3: facinorum, id. ib. 12, 51: agminum, Hor. C. 3, 2, 9: civilis belli, id. Ep. 2, 2, 47; cf.: bellorum (elephanti), Flor. 4, 2, 67: operum conjugiique, Ov. F. 4, 336: somni, i. e. sleepless, id. M. 7, 213: dicendi, Tac. A. 1, 29.
          4. (δ) With ad (very rare): rudem ad pedestria bella Numidarum gentem esse, Liv. 24, 48, 5: ad quae (spectacula) rudes tum Romani erant, id. 45, 32, 10; 10, 22, 6; 21, 25, 6: ad partus, Ov. H. 11, 48: ad mala, id. P. 3, 7, 18: rudes adhuc ad resistendum populos, Just. 1, 1, 5: rudis natio ad voluptates, Curt. 6, 21, 9; 8, 8, 24.
            (ε) With dat. (very rare): fontes rudes puellis, i. e. strange, Mart. 6, 42, 4.
            (ζ) With inf.: nec ferre rudis medicamina, Sil. 6, 90: Martem rudis versare, id. 8, 262.
            Comp., sup., and adv. do not occur.

2. rŭdis, is, f. (abl. sing. rudi, Capitol. Opil. Macr. 4, 5), a slender stick or rod.

  1. I. To stir with in cooking; a stirring-stick, spatula: versato crebro duabus rudibus, Cato, R. R. 79; so, ferreae, Plin. 34, 18, 50, § 170; cf. rudicula.
  2. II. A staff used by soldiers and gladiators in their exercises (perh. a wooden sword), answering to a quarter-staff, a foil (freq. and class.): (milites) rudibus inter se in modum justae pugnae concurrerunt, Liv. 26, 51; 40, 6 and 9 Drak. N. cr. (al. sudibus); Ov. Am. 2, 9, 22; id. A. A. 3, 515: rudibus batuere, Suet. Calig. 32.
    Hence, transf.: PRIMA or SVMMA RVDIS (also in one word, SVMMARVDIS), the first or head fencer, the fencing-master, Inscr. Orell. 2575; 2584: SECVNDA RVDIS, the second fencer, the fencing-master’s assistant, ib. 2573 sq.
    A gladiator received such a rudis when honorably discharged (whence he was called rudiarius): tam bonus gladiator rudem tam cito accepisti? Cic. Phil. 2, 29, 74: acceptā rude, Juv. 6, 113: essedario rudem indulgere, Suet. Claud. 21.
    And hence transf. to other persons who receive an honorable discharge: tardā vires minuente senectā, Me quoque donari jam rude tempus erat, i. e. to dismiss, discharge, Ov. Tr. 4, 8, 24; id. Am. 2, 9, 22; cf.: spectatum satis et donatum jam rude, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 2 (v. Orell. ad h. l.): ergo sibi dabit ipse rudem, Juv. 7, 171; Mart. 3, 36, 10.