lac | lacte | lact (noun N) : (nom. , Enn. ap. Non. 483, 2; Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 85; id. Bacch. 5, 2, 16 Ritschl
* N. cr. al.; and , Aus. Idyll. 12; Mart. Cap. 3, § 307; masc. acc. lactem, App. M. 8, p. 214 fin.; 215 init.; but dub. in Gell. 12, 1, 17, where Hertz reads lacte), n. Gr. γάλα, gen. γάλακτ-ος, milk.
* Lit.: dulci repletur lacte,Lucr. 5, 814: cum lacte nutricis errorem suxisse,Cic. Tusc. 3, 1, 2: lacte vivere,Caes. B. G. 4, 1: lac mihi non aestate novum, non frigore defit,Verg. E. 2, 22: concretum vimine querno lac,Ov. M. 12, 437: lactis inopia ... abundantia,Col. 5, 12, 2: a lacte cunisque,from the cradle, from infancy,Quint. 1, 1, 21: lac pressum,cheese,Verg. E. 1, 82: coagulatum,Plin. 23, 7, 64, § 128.—Prov.: tam similem quam lacte lacti'st,as like as one egg is to another,Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 85; cf.: neque lac lacti magis est simile,id. Am. 2, 1, 54; id. Men. 5, 9, 30: lac gallinaceum, chicken's milk, of something very rare, Plin. N. H. praef. § 23; Petr. 38, 1: qui plus lactis quam sanguinis habet,of tender age,Juv. 11, 68.
* Trop., for something sweet, pleasant: in melle sunt linguae sitae nostrae atque orationes, lacteque; corda felle sunt lita,Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 77: ut mentes ... satiari velut quodam jucundioris disciplinae lacte patiantur,Quint. 2, 4, 5.
* Transf.
* Milky juice, milk of plants: herbae, nigri cum lacte veneni,Verg. A. 4, 514: herbarum,Ov. M. 11, 606: tenero dum lacte, quod intro est, id. Nux, 95: ficulneum,Col. 7, 8, 1: caprifici,Cels. 5, 7.
* Milk-white color (poet.): candidus taurus ... una fuit labes; cetera lactis erant,Ov. A. A. 1, 290.

s. TLL