(adj.adv.) : infĕrus, a, um (ante-class. collat. form of the
* Nom. sing. infer: ubi super inferque vicinus permittet,Cato, R. R. 149), adj. cf. Sanscr. adh-aras, adh-amas, the lower, lowest; and Lat. infra, that is below, underneath, lower; opp. superus.
* Posit.
* In gen.: inferus an superus tibi fert Deus funera, Liv. Andr. ap. Prisc. p. 606 P.; cf.: Di Deaeque superi atque inferi,Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 36; Ter. Phorm. 4, 4, 6; cf. also: ut ex tam alto dignitatis gradu ad superos videantur deos potius quam ad inferos pervenisse,Cic. Lael. 3, 12: limen superum inferumque salve,Plaut. Merc. 5, 1, 1: ut omnia supera, infera, prima, ultima, media videremus,Cic. Tusc. 1, 26, 64: loca,the lower parts,id. Arat. 474: fulmina,that come out of the ground,Plin. 2, 52, 53, § 138: aqua, that falls down, rain-water, Varr. ap. Non. 1, 221: mare inferum, the Lower, i. e. the Tuscan Sea (opp. mare superum, the Upper or Adriatic Sea), Mel. 2, 4; Plin. 3, 5, 10, § 75; Cic. Att. 9, 3, 1; id. de Or. 3, 19 et saep. also without mare: navigatio infero,upon the Tuscan Sea,id. Att. 9, 5, 1.
* Comp.: infĕrĭor, ius, lower in situation or place.
* Lit.: spatium,Caes. B. G. 7, 46, 3: locus,id. ib. 2, 25: pars,id. ib. 7, 35: ex inferiore loco dicere, from below (opp. ex superiore loco, from the tribunal), Cic. Att. 2, 24, 3; cf. superus, II. A.: onerosa suo pondere in inferius feruntur,downwards,Ov. M. 15, 241: scriptura,Cic. Inv. 2, 40, 117.—Plur. subst.: infĕrĭōres, um, m., the people of the lower part of the city, Auct. B. Alex. 6, 3.
* Sup. in two forms: infĭmus (or infŭmus) and īmus.
* Subsequent, later, latter, in time or succession: erant inferiores quam illorum aetas, qui, etc.,lived later, were younger,Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 5, 2; cf.: aetate inferiores paulo quam Iulius, etc.,id. Brut. 49, 182; and: inferioris aetatis esse,id. ib. 64, 228: inferiores quinque dies,the latter,Varr. L. L. 6, § 13 Müll.
* Inferior in quality, rank, or number.
* With abl. specif.: voluptatibus erant inferiores, nec pecuniis ferme superiores,Cic. Rep. 2, 34: inferior fortunā,id. Fam. 13, 5, 2: dignitate, auctoritate, existimatione, gratia non inferior, quam qui umquam fuerunt amplissimi,id. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 6: inferiores animo,Caes. B. G. 3, 24: quemadmodum causa inferior, dicendo fieri superior posset,Cic. Brut. 8: erat multo inferior navium numero Brutus,Caes. B. C. 1, 57. — With abl.: ut humanos casus virtute inferiores putes,Cic. Lael. 2.
* With in and abl.: in jure civili non inferior, quam magister fuit,Cic. Brut. 48, 179.
* Absol.: inferiores extollere,Cic. Lael. 20, 72; cf. id. ib. § 71: invident homines maxime paribus aut inferioribus,id. de Or. 2, 52, 209; cf.: indignum est, a pari vinci aut superiore, indignius ab inferiore atque humiliore,id. Quint. 31: supplices inferioresque,id. Font. 11: ordines,Caes. B. C. 1, 46: crudelis in inferiores,Auct. Her. 4, 40: non inferiora secutus,naught inferior,Verg. A. 6, 170.
* Form infimus (infumus), a, um, lowest, last (= imus; but where the lowest of several objects is referred to, infimus is used,Cic. N. D. 1, 37, 103; 2, 6, 17; v. Krebs, Antibarb. p. 588).
* Lit.: stabiliendi causa singuli ab infimo solo pedes terra exculcabantur,Caes. B. G. 7, 73, 7: ab infimis radicibus montis,id. B. C. 1, 41, 3; 1, 42, 2: cum scripsissem haec infima,Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 6: ab infima ara,from the lowest part of the altar,id. Div. 1, 33; cf.: sub infimo colle,the foot,Caes. B. G. 7, 79. — Subst.: infĭmum, i, n., the lowest part, bottom, in the phrase: ab infimo,from below, at the bottom,Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 140: collis erat leniter ab infimo acclivis,Caes. B. G. 7, 19, 1 (for which, ab imo; v. below, B. 1.): stipites demissi et ab infimo revincti,id. ib. 7, 73, 3; cf. Sen. Q. N. 3, 30, 4; 6, 4, 1; so, ad infimum,at the bottom,Caes. B. G. 7, 73, 3: collis passus circiter CC. infimus apertus,at the bottom,id. ib. 2, 18, 2.
* Form imus, a, um, the lowest, deepest, last ( = infimus; but when opp. to summus, to express a whole from end to end, imus is used; v. Suet. Aug. 79; Quint. 2, 13, 9; Liv. 24, 34, 9; Cic. Rosc. Com. 7, 20; Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 54; cf. Krebs, Antibarb. p. 588).
* Lit.: ab imis unguibus usque ad verticem summum,Cic. Rosc. Com. 7, 20: terra ima sede semper haeret,id. Rep. 6, 18: fundo in imo,at the very bottom,Verg. A. 6, 581: vox, the deepest bass (opp. vox summa, the treble), Hor. S. 1, 3, 7; Quint. 11, 3, 15: conviva,that reclines at the bottom,Hor. S. 2, 8, 40; Mart. 6, 74: ad imam quercum,at the foot of the oak,Phaedr. 2, 4, 3: in aure ima,at the bottom of the ear,Plin. 11, 45, 103, § 205. — As substt.
* Plur.: īmi, ōrum, m., the lowest, most humble: aequalis ad maximos imosque pervenit clementiae tuae admiratio,Sen. Clem. 1, 1, 9: pacis et armorum superis imisque deorum Arbiter,Ov. F. 5, 665.
* Īmum, i, n., the bottom, depth, lowest part.Lit.: ab imo ad summum,Hor. S. 2, 3, 308: locus erat paulatim ab imo acclivis,Caes. B. G. 3, 19, 1 (for which, ab infimo; v. above, A. 1.); so, tigna paulum ab imo praeacuta,id. ib. 4, 17: suspirare ab imo,to fetch a deep sigh,Ov. A. A. 3, 675: (aures) instabiles imo facit,at the bottom. at their roots,id. M. 11, 177: aquae perspicuae imo,down to the bottom,id. ib. 5, 588. — Plur.: ima summis mutare,to turn the lowest into the highest,Hor. C. 1, 34, 12; Vell. 2, 2: ima,the under world,Ov. M. 10, 47.—With gen.: ima maris,the bottom of the sea,Plin. 32, 6, 21, § 64: ima montis,the foot of a mountain,id. 4, 11, 18, § 40.
* Trop., with respect to time or order, the last (mostly poet.): mensis,Ov. F. 2, 52.—Hence, subst.: īmum, i, n., the last, the end: nihil nostrā intersit an ab summo an ab imo nomina dicere incipiamus,Auct. Her. 3, 18, 30: si quid inexpertum scaenae committis ... servetur ad imum,till the last, to the end,Hor. A. P. 126: dormiet in lucem ... ad imum Threx erit,at last,id. Ep. 1, 18, 35.

s. TLL