subtīlĭtas | supt- (noun F) : (), , subtilis
* Fineness, thinness, slenderness, minuteness (syn. tenuitas).
* Lit. (mostly post-Aug.; not in Cic.): linearum,Plin. 35, 10, 36, § 82: ferramentorum,the keen edge, sharpness,id. 28, 9, 41, § 148: inenarrabilis florum,id. 21, 1, 1, § 1: muliebris,Vitr. 4, 1 med.: immensa animalium,Plin. 11, prooem. 1. § 1: caelandi fingendique ac tingendi,id. 35, prooem. § 1: umoris,id. 2, 65, 65, § 163.
* Trop.
* In gen., keenness, acuteness, penetration, definiteness, exactness, subtlety, etc. (class.; syn.: acumen, sollertia): sententiarum,Cic. N. D. 2, 1, 1: disputandi,id. Tusc. 3, 23, 56: ea subtilitas, quam Atticam appellant,id. Brut. 17, 67: subtilitas sermonis,id. Rep. 1, 10, 16: credunt plerique militaribus ingeniis subtilitatem deesse,Tac. Agr. 9: ingens,Petr. 31: tanta,id. 38; Sen. Ep. 113, 1: Aristoteles, vir immensae subtilitatis,Plin. 18, 34, 77, § 335; cf.: litterarum,id. 2, 108, 112, § 247: geometrica,id. 2, 65, 65, § 164: perversa grammaticorum,id. 35, 3, 4, § 13: subtilitas parcimoniae compendia invenit,id. 17, 22, 35, § 171: picturae summa suptilitas,id. 35, 9, 36, § 67: inutilis,Sen. Ep. 65, 16: quaedam inutilia et inefficacia ipsa subtilitas reddit,id. ib. 82, 24: nimia, id. ib 88, 43.
* In partic., in rhet., plainness, simplicity, absence of ornament: orationis subtilitas imitabilis quidem illa videtur esse existimanti, sed nihil est experienti minus,Cic. Or. 23, 76; id. Brut. 84, 291: suavitatem Isocrates, subtilitatem Lysias, vim Demosthenes habuit,id. de Or. 3, 7, 28: subtilitas et elegantia scriptorum,id. Fam. 4, 4, 1.