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. calx, calcis, f. (m., Pers. 3, 105 dub.; Sil. 7, 696; cf. App. M. 7, p. 483 Oud.; Pers. 3, 105; Grat. Cyn. 278. Whether Lucil. ap. Charis, p. 72 P. belongs here or to 2. calx is undecided) [Sanscr. kar-, wound, kill; akin with λάξ, calcar, calceus], the heel.

  1. I. Lit.: calces deteris, you tread on my heels, Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 111: quod si ipsa animi vis In capite aut umeris aut imis calcibus esse Posset, Lucr. 3, 792; 5, 136: incursare pug nis, calcibus, πὺξ καὶ λάξ, Plaut. Poen. 4, 1, 3; Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 53: certare pugnis, calcibus, unguibus, Cic. Tusc. 5, 27, 77: uti pugnis et calcibus, id. Sull. 25, 71: concisus pugnis et calcibus, id. Verr. 2, 3, 23, § 56: subsellium calce premere, Auct. Her. 4, 55, 68: ferire pugno vel calce, Quint. 2, 8, 13: quadrupedemque citum ferratā (al. ferrato) calce fatigat, Verg. A. 11, 714: nudā calce vexare ilia equi, Stat. S. 5, 2, 115; Sil. 7, 697; 13, 169; 17, 541: nudis calcibus anguem premere, Juv. 1, 43.
    Also of the heels of animals, Varr. R. R. 2, 5, 8; Col. 8, 2, 8: quadrupes calcibus auras Verberat, Verg. A. 10, 892.
    Hence, caedere calcibus, to kick, λακτιζω, Plaut. Poen. 3, 3, 71: calce petere aliquem, to kick, Hor. S. 2, 1, 55: ferire, Ov. F. 3, 755: extundere frontem, Phaedr. 1, 21, 9: calces remittere, to kick, Nep. Eum. 5, 5; so, reicere, Dig. 9, 1, 5: aut dic aut accipe calcem, take a kick, Juv. 3, 295 al.
      1. 2. Prov.: adversus stimulum calces (sc. jactare, etc.) = λακτίζειν πρὸς κέντρον (Aesch Agam. 1624; Pind. Pyth. 2, 174; W. T. Act. 9, 5), to kick against the pricks, Ter. Phorm. 1, 2, 28 Don. and Ruhnk.; cf. Plaut. Truc. 4, 2, 55, and s. v. calcitro: calcem impingere alicui rei, to abandon any occupation: Anglice, to hang a thing on the nail, Petr. 46.
    1. B. Meton. (pars pro toto), the foot, in gen.: calcemque terit jam calce, Verg. A. 5, 324 Serv. and Heyne.
  2. II. Transf. to similar things.
    1. A. In architecture: calces scaporum, the foot of the pillars of a staircase; Fr. patin de l’échiffre, Vitr. 9, praef. § 8.
    2. B. Calx mali, the foot of the mast, Vitr. 10, 3, 5.
    3. C. In agriculture, the piece of wood cut off with a scion, Plin. 17, 21, 35, § 156.

2. calx, calcis, f. (m., Varr. ap. Non. p. 199, 24, and Cato, R. R. 18, 7; Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 86; dub. Cic. Tusc. 1, 8, 15; and id. Rep. Fragm. ap. Sen. Ep. 108 fin.; cf. Rudd. I. p. 37, n. 3; later collat. form calcis, is, f., Ven. Fort. Carm. 11, 11, 10) [χάλιξ].

  1. I. Liv.
    1. A. A small stone used in gaming, a counter (less freq. than the dim. calculus, q. v.), Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 86; Lucil. ap. Prisc. p. 687 P.; cf. Paul. ex Fest. p. 46 Müll.
    2. B. Limestone, lime, whether slaked or not, Lucr. 6, 1067; Cic. Mil. 27, 74: viva, unslaked, quicklime, Vitr. 8, 7: coquere, to burn lime, Cato, R. R. 16; Vitr. 2, 5, 1: exstincta, slaked, id. l. l.: macerata, id. 7, 2; Plin. 36, 23, 55, § 177: harenatus, mixed with sand, mortar, Cato, R. R. 18, 7: materies ex calce et harenā mixta, Vitr. 7, 3.
      Since the goal or limit in the race-ground was designated by lime (as later by chalk, v. creta), calx signifies,
  2. II. Trop., the goal, end, or limit in the race-course (anciently marked with lime or chalk; opp. carceres, the starting-point; mostly ante-Aug.; esp. freq. in Cic.): supremae calcis spatium, Lucr. 6, 92 Lachm.; Sen. Ep. 108, 32; Varr. ap. Non. p. 199, 24: ad calcem pervenire, Cic. Lael. 27, 101; so, ad carceres a calce revocari, i. e. to turn back from the end to the beginning, id. Sen. 23, 83: nunc video calcem, ad quam (al. quem) cum sit decursum, id. Tusc. 1, 8, 15: ab ipsā (al. ipso) calce revocati, id. Rep. Fragm. ap. Sen. l.l.; Quint. 8, 5, 30 dub.; v. Spald. N. cr.
        1. b. Prov., of speech: extra calcem decurrere, to digress from a theme, Amm. 21, 1, 14.
    1. B. In gen., the end, conclusion of a page, book, or writing (mostly post-class.): si tamen in clausulā et calce pronuntietur sententia, Quint. 8, 5, 30: in calce epistulae, Hier. Ep. 9; 26 fin.; 84 init.: in calce libri, id. Vit. St. Hil. fin.