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.

surdē, adv., v. surdus fin.

surdus, a, um, adj. [Sanscr. svar, heavy; svaras, weight; cf. O. H. Germ. swārida, weight], deaf.

  1. I. Lit.: ne mi ut surdo verbera auris, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 204; id. Cas. 3, 3, 12: si surdus sit, varietates vocum noscere possit? Cic. Div. 2, 3, 9: utinam aut hic surdus aut haec muta facta sit, Ter. And. 3, 1, 5.
    Sup., stone-deaf, Mart. Cap. 9, § 926; Aug. Ep. 39.
    Prov.: surdo narrare, canere, etc., preach to deaf ears, talk to the wind: nae ille haud scit, quam mihi nunc surdo narret fabulam, Ter. Heaut. 2, 1, 10: cantabant surdo, Prop. 4 (5), 8, 47; cf.: non canimus surdis, Verg. E. 10, 8; and: quae (praecepta) vereor, ne vana surdis auribus cecinerim, Liv. 40, 8, 10; 3, 70, 7; Tib. 4, 14, 2: narrare asello Fabellam surdo, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 200; cf.: suadere surdis, quid sit opus facto, Lucr. 5, 1050.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Deaf to any thing, i. e. not listening, unwilling to hear, inattentive, regardless, insensible, inexorable; also, not understanding, not apprehending: orando surdas jam aures reddideras mihi, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 89; so, aures, Liv. 24, 32, 6; cf. Prop. 2, 16 (3, 8), 48; id. 2, 20 (3, 13), 13: non surdus judex, Cic. Font. 11, 25 (7, 15): ad mea munera surdus, Ov. H. 7, 27: per numquam surdos in tua vota deos, id. P. 2, 8, 28: surdae ad omnia solacia aures, Liv. 9, 7, 3: surdae ad fortia consilia Vitellio aures, Tac. H. 3, 67 init.: surdus adversus aliquid, Aug. Serm. 50, 13: surdus sum, I will not hear, Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 24: surdas clamare ad undas, Ov. A. A. 1, 531: litora, Prop. 4 (5), 11, 6.
      Hence, poet. transf.: vota, i. e. to which the gods are deaf, to which they will not hearken, Pers. 6, 28: surdaeque adhibent solatia menti, Ov. M. 9, 654: tuas lacrimas litora surda bibent, Prop. 4 (5), 11, 6: leges rem surdam, inexorabilem esse, Liv. 2, 3: surda tellus, not susceptible of cultivation, Plin. 18, 3, 4, § 21: surdus timori, not capable of fear, Sil. 11, 354: tuis lacrimis, Mart. 10, 13, 8: in alicujus sermone, Cic. Tusc. 5, 40, 116.
      Comp.: scopulis surdior Icari Voces audit adhuc integer (i. e. castus), Hor. C. 3, 7, 21: surdior illa freto surgente, Ov. M. 14, 711: surdior aequoribus, id. ib. 13, 804: non saxa surdiora navitis, Hor. Epod. 17, 54.
          1. (β) With gen.: Mars genitor, votorum haud surde meorum, Sil. 10, 554: pactorum, id. 1, 692: veritatis, Col. 3, 10, 18.
    2. B. Of things that give out a dull, indistinct sound, dull-sounding (very rare): theatrum, Varr. L. L. 9, § 58 Müll.: locus, Vitr. 3, 3: loca, Sen. Herc. Fur. 576: vox, Quint. 11, 3, 32: surdum quiddam et barbarum, id. 12, 10, 28.
    3. C. Pass., that is not heard, noiseless, silent, still, mute, dumb (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): lyra, Prop. 4 (5), 5, 58: buccina, Juv. 7, 71: plectra, Stat. S. 1, 4, 19: non erit officii gratia surda tui, unsung, Ov. P. 2, 6, 31; cf. fama, Sil. 6, 75: surdum et ignobile opus, Stat. Th. 4, 359: nomen parentum, Sil. 8, 248: herbae, Plin. 22, 2, 3, § 5: quos diri conscia facti mens surdo verbere caedit, secret, Juv. 13, 194: ictus, Plin. 19, 1, 4, § 20.
    4. D. Of odor, appearance, meaning, etc., faint, dim, dull, indistinct, stupid: spirant cinnama surdum, Pers. 6, 36: colos, Plin. 37, 5, 18, § 67: hebes unitate surdā color, id. 37, 5, 20, § 76: discrimen figurarum, id. 35, 2, 2, § 4: materia, id. 13, 15, 30, § 98: res surdae ac sensu carentes, id. 20, prooem. § 1; so id. 24, 1, 1, § 3; 27, 13, 120, § 146.
      Hence, * adv.: surdē, faintly, imperfectly, indistinctly: surde audire, Afran. ap. Charis. p. 194 P. (Com. Fragm. v. 348 Rib.).