(adjective) : dīrus, a, um, Sanscr. root dī, to flee; Gr. δέος, δείδω, δεινός
* Fearful, awful (for syn. cf.: saevus, atrox, ferox, crudelis, trux, furens, furiosus, immitis).
* Orig. belonging to the lang. of augurs; of fate, ill-omened, ominous, boding, portentous: QVAE AVGVR INIVSTA, NEFASTA VITIOSA DIRA DEFIXERIT, IRRITA INFECTAQVE SVNTO,Cic. Leg. 2, 8 fin.; cf. id. Div. 1, 16: tristissima exta sine capite fuerunt, quibus nihil videtur esse dirius,id. ib. 2, 15 fin.; cf.: bubo, dirum mortalibus omen,Ov. M. 5, 550: omen,Tac. H. 3, 56; Suet. Aug. 92; id. Tib. 1, 3, 17: aves,Tac. A. 12, 43; Suet. Claud. 22: alites,Plin. 18, 1, 1, § 4: somnia,Val. Fl. 3, 59: tempus, Cic. Poët. Div. 1, 11, 18: exsecrationes,Liv. 40, 56; 28, 22; Suet. Claud. 12; cf. deprecationes,Plin. 28, 2, 4, § 19: detestatio,Hor. Epod. 5, 89: ritus sacrorum,Tac. A. 16, 8: religio loci,Verg. A. 8, 350 et saep.—Hence, as subst.:
* Dīrae, ārum, f.
* Transf., of character, dreadful, horrible, terrible, abominable, detestable (so almost exclusively poet.; a very favorite expression with the Aug. poets; in the Ciceron. per. not at all; but cf. diritas, II.): senex dirissimus, Varr. Poët. ap. Non. 100, 30: Dea,i. e. Circe,Ov. M. 14, 278: Ulixes,Verg. A. 2, 261; 762: Hannibal,Hor. C. 2, 12, 2 al.: durum,id. ib. 3, 6, 36 (also ap. Quint. 8, 2, 9): Afer,Hor. C. 4, 4, 42: Amulius,Ov. F. 4, 53: noverca,id. H. 12, 188: pellex,id. ib. 5, 60 et saep.: hydra,Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 10: serpens,Ov. M. 2, 651: victima,id. A. A. 1, 334: parens,fell, cruel,id. ib. 2, 383: soror,Stat. S. 5, 3, 84: parentes,Manil. 5, 541.
* As a nom. propr., Dīrae, the Furies, Verg. A. 12, 845 sq.; 4, 473; Val. Fl. 1, 804; Aur. Vict. Epit. 21 al.; called also Dirae deae, sorores,Verg. A. 7, 324 and 454.
* Dīra, ōrum, n., fearful things, ill-boding events: in dira et in vitiosa incurrimus,Cic. Div. 1, 16, 29; id. Leg. 2, 8, 21; cf.: me mihi dira precari cogis,to curse, invoke curses on,Tib. 2, 6, 17: dira passus,Vulg. Sirach, 38, 16.
* Of inanimate and abstr. subjects: regio,Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 5: facies,id. F. 1, 553: dapes,id. ib. 6, 663: venena,Hor. Epod. 5, 61; id. S. 1, 9, 31: Asphaltites lacus,Plin. 5, 15, 15, § 71: scopulus,id. 4, 11, 18, § 51: duarum Syrtium vadoso mari diri sinus,id. 5, 4, 4, § 26 et saep.: bellum,Verg. A. 11, 217: nefas,id. ib. 4, 563: sollicitudines,Hor. Epod. 13, 10: amores,Ov. M. 10, 426: superbia,id. ib. 3, 354: quies,Tac. A. 1, 65 et saep.—Poet., answering to the Gr. δεινός, with inf.: dira portas quassare trabs,Sil. 4, 284.
* Skilful: in complicandis negotiis,Amm. 14, 5, 8.

s. TLL