Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Cirrus

Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary, and Greek Lexicon (Rich, 1849)

CIRRUS. Properly, a lock of curly hair, growing in a full and natural curl, as contradistinguished from Cincinnus, a ringlet or twisted curl, mostly made with the irons; such, for instance, as was natural to the youth of Greece, before they attained the age of manhood, when their locks were cut off, and dedicated to some deity (Varro, ap. Non. s. v. p. 94.); or to the Germans (Juv. Sat. xiii. 164.) and Gauls, who were distinguished amongst the ancients for the abundance and beauty of their hair, and, consequently, in all works of art, are universally characterized by this property. See the illustration, s. COMATUS.

2. Cirrus in vertice (μαλλòς ἀθλητοῦ, Gloss. Vet.) A tuft of hair drawn up all round the head, and tied into a bunch on the occiput, as was the practice of athletes, wrestlers, boxers, &c., in order to avoid being seized by the hair in the heat of contest, as exhibited in the illustration (Cirrus/2.1), from a bas-relief in the Vatican, representing a pair of Pancratiastae. The example likewise explains a passage of Suetonius (Nero, 45.), in which it is related, that during the insurrection of Vindex, and while the city of Rome was suffering severely from famine, a vessel arrived from Alexandria, which, instead of being laden with grain, only brought a cargo of fine sand for the use of the athletes maintained by the emperor. The population, enraged at this, fastened a tuft of hair (cirrus in vertice) on the top of all his statues, with a pasquinade below in Greek characters, alluding to the insurrection of Vindex, and thus implying that the emperor, as an athlete, was about to commence a contest in which he would be worsted.

3. The forelock of a horse, when tied up into a tuft at the top of his head, as in the example (Cirrus/3.1), from a Pompeian painting, instead of being left to fall over his forehead, when it was called capronae. Veget. Vet. iv. 2.

4. The fetlock tuft of a horse. Veget. Vet. ii. 28. Id. iv. 1.

5. The topknot, or tuft upon the heads of certain birds. Plin. H. N. xi. 4.

6. A tuft of flowers, which grow in close bunches or tufts. Plin. H. N. xxvi. 20.

7. The arms of the polypus, which are divided into numerous feelers, like a bunch of hair. Plin. H. N. xxvi. 37.

8. The fringe on a piece of cloth (Phaedr. ii. 5. 13.), which was produced by leaving the ends of the warp threads upon the cloth after it was taken from the loom, instead of cutting them off. The example (Cirrus/8.1) is from a Pompeian painting; and compare the article and illustration s. Tela recta.

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  Cirrus/2.1
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  Cirrus/3.1
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  Cirrus/8.1