pūbesco, bŭi, 3
* V. inch. n. [id.], to reach the age of puberty, become pubescent.
* Lit. (class.; syn. adulesco): molli pubescere veste,to put on the down of puberty,Lucr. 5, 672: flore novo,Sil. 3, 79: Herculem, cum primum pubesceret, etc.,Cic. Off. 1, 32, 118: flos juvenum pubescentium ad militiam,Liv. 8, 8: puer vix pubescente juventā,Sil. 16, 678: et nunc aequali tecum pubesceret aevo,Verg. A. 3, 491: pubescere bello,Sil. 4, 429: dehinc pubescens (Tiberius),Suet. Tib. 6: pubescunt dulces malae,Val. Fl. 7, 340: pubescente mala,Sil. 5, 414: et nati modo pubescentia ora,Stat. S. 3, 3, 11: pubescentibus annis,Petr. 119.
* Transf.
* To be covered or clothed, to clothe itself with any thing (poet.): vites laetificae pampinis pubescere, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 28, 69 (Trag. v. 193 Vahl.); so Plin. 14, 2, 4, § 24: virgulta fetu,Claud. Rapt. Pros. 2, 79: prataque pubescunt variorum flore colorum,Ov. Tr. 3, 12, 7.
* To grow up, ripen (class.): omnia, quae terra gignit, maturata pubescunt,Cic. N. D. 1, 2, 4; cf. id. ib. 2, 19, 50; Col. 4, 28, 1.
* Trop., to grow, improve, ripen, flourish, be renewed; of wine, Macr. S. 7, 7.—Of the phoenix renewing its youth, Claud. Phoen. 51.—Of the full beams of the rising sun, Claud. Rapt. Pros. 2, 49.— Of war: subcrescentis rabiem belli, antequam pubescat validus, opprimere,Amm. 21, 13, 14.—Of the spring: pubescente vere,Amm. 27, 5, 2; 30, 5, 1.—Of belief: pubescente jam fide gestorum,Amm. 31, 4, 4.

s. TLL