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. nĭger, gra, grum (gen. fem. nigraï, Lucr. 4, 537; comp. nigrior, Ov. H. 18, 7), adj., black, sable, dark, dusky (cf.: ater, pullus).

  1. I. Lit.: quae alba sint, quae nigra, dicere, Cic. Div. 2, 3, 9: quamvis ille niger, quamvis tu candidus esses, Verg. E. 2, 16: hederae nigrae, id. G. 2, 258: silvae (= umbrosae), Hor. C. 1, 21, 7: frons, id. ib. 4, 4, 58: collis, id. ib. 4, 12, 11: lucus, Ov. F. 3, 295 (for which atrum nemus, Verg. A. 1, 165): caelum pice nigrius, Ov. H. 18, 7: nigerrimus Auster, i. e. causing darkness, Verg. G. 3, 278; so, venti, Hor. C. 1, 5, 7: Eurus, id. Epod. 10, 5: nigros efferre maritos, i. e. killed by poison, Juv. 1, 71; cf.: pocula nigra, poisoned, Prop. 2, 20, 68 (3, 23, 10).
    Prov.: facere candida de nigris; nigra in candida vertere, to turn black into white, Juv. 3, 29; cf. Ov. M. 11, 315.
    Subst.: nĭgrum, i, n., a black spot, Ov. A. A. 1, 291.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. Of or pertaining to death: nigrorumque memor, dum licet, ignium (= lugubris rogi), of the funeral pile, Hor. C. 4, 12, 26: hora, Tib. 3, 5, 5: dies, the day of death, Prop. 2 (3), 19, 19: Juppiter niger, i. e. Pluto, Sen. Herc. Oet. 1705.
    2. B. Sad, mournful: domus, Stat. S. 5, 1, 18; Val. Fl. 3, 404.
    3. C. Unlucky, ill-omened: huncine solem Tam nigrum surrexe mihi? Hor. S. 1, 9, 72; Prop. 2, 21, 38 (3, 25, 4): lapis, the spot in the Comitium where Romulus or one of his adherents was slain, Paul. ex Fest. p. 177 Müll.
    4. D. Of character, black, bad, wicked: Phormio, nec minus niger, nec minus confidens, quam ille Terentianus est Phormio, Cic. Caecin. 10, 27: hic niger est, hunc tu, Romane, caveto, Hor. S. 1, 4, 85.

2. Nĭger, gri, m., a Roman surname: Aquilius Niger, Suet. Aug. 11.

3. Nĭger, gris, m., a river in Africa, Mart. Cap. 6, § 673; v. Nigris.

Nī̆gris, is (Nī̆gir, Vitr. 8, 2, 6; Nī̆-ger, Mart. Cap. 6, § 673), m., a river in the interior of Africa, now the Joliba or Niger, Plin. 5, 4, 4, § 30; 8, 21, 32, § 77.
Hence, Nī̆grītae, ārum, m., the people living near the Niger, Mel. 1, 4, 3; 3, 10, 4; Plin. 5, 8, 8, § 43.