vīs (noun F) : plur. vīres, ĭum (class. only in nom., acc. and
* Abl. sing. and in plur.; gen. sing. very rare; Tac. Or. 26; Dig. 4, 2, 1; Paul. Sent. 5, 30; dat. sing. vi, Auct. B. Afr. 69, 2; C. I. L. 5, 837; collat. form of the nom. and acc. plur. vis, Lucr. 3, 265; 2, 586; Sall. ap. Prisc. p. 707, or H. 3, 62 Dietsch; Messala ap. Macr. S. 1, 9, 14) [Gr. ἴς, ϝις, sinew, force; ἶφι, with might], strength, physical or mental; force, vigor, power, energy, virtue (cf. robur).
* Lit.
* In gen.
* Trop.
* Transf., concr.
* In partic.
* Energy, virtue, potency (of herbs, drugs, etc.): in radices vires oleae abibunt,Cato, R. R. 61, 1: vires habet herba?Ov. M. 13, 942: egregius fons Viribus occultis adjuvat,Juv. 12, 42.
* Vis, personified, the same as Juno, Aus. Idyll. de Deis; cf. Verg. A. 7, 432 Serv.
* Hostile strength, force, violence, = βία: EA POENA, QVAE EST DE VI, S. C. ap. Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 3, 5: cum vi vis illata defenditur,Cic. Mil. 4, 9; cf.: celeri rumore dilato Dioni vim allatam,Nep. Dion, 10, 1: ne vim facias ullam in illam,Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 37: sine vi facere,id. ib. 4, 7, 20: vim afferre alicui,Cic. Caecin. 21, 61; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 24, § 62; 2, 4, 66, § 148: adhibere,id. Off. 3, 30, 110; id. Cat. 1, 8, 19: praesidio tam valido et armato vim adferre,Liv. 9, 16, 4: iter per vim tentare,by force, forcibly,Caes. B. G. 1, 14; so, per vim,id. B. C. 2, 13; Cic. Att. 7, 9, 4: ne id quidem satis est, nisi docet, ita se possedisse nec vi nec clam nec precario possederit,id. Caecin. 32, 92; so the jurid. formula in Lex Thoria ap. Grut. 202, 18; Dig. 41, 1, 22; Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 28: vis haec quidem hercle est, et trahi et trudi simul,Plaut. Capt. 3, 5, 92; Ter. Ad. 5, 8, 20: naves totae factae ex robore ad quamvis vim et contumeliam perferendam (shortly afterwards: tantas tempestates Oceani tantosque impetus ventorum sustineri),violence, shock,Caes. B. G. 3, 13: caeli,a storm, tempest,Plin. 18, 28, 69, § 278.—To avoid the gen. form (v. supra): de vi condemnati sunt,Cic. Phil. 2, 2, 4: de vi reus; id. Sest. 35, 75; id. Vatin. 17, 41: ei qui de vi itemque ei qui majestatis damnatus sit,id. Phil. 1, 9, 23; cf. id. ib. 1, 9, 21 sq. Halm ad loc.; Tac. A. 4, 13.
* In mal. part., force, violence: pudicitiam cum eriperet militi tribunus militaris ... interfectus ab eo est, cui vim adferebat, Cic. Mil. 4, 9: matribus familias vim attulisse,Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 24, § 62: vis allata sorori,Ov. A. A. 1, 679: victa nitore dei vim passa est,id. M. 4, 233: vim passa est Phoebe,id. A. A. 1, 679.
* Quantity, number, abundance (cf.: copia, multitudo); with gen.: quasi retruderet hominum me vis invitum,Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 66: innumerabilis servorum,Cic. Har. Resp. 11, 22: in pompā cum magna vis auri argentique ferretur,Cic. Tusc. 5, 32, 91: vis magna pulveris,Caes. B. C. 2, 26: vis maxima ranunculorum,Cic. Fam. 7, 18, 3: argenti,id. Prov. Cons. 2, 4: vim lacrimarum profudi,id. Rep. 6, 14, 14: odora canum vis,Verg. A. 4, 132; cf. absol.: et nescio quomodo is, qui auctoritatem minimam habet, maximam vim, populus cum illis facit,Cic. Fin. 2, 14, 44.
* Vires, military forces, troops: praeesse exercitui, ut praeter auctoritatem vires quoque ad coërcendum haberet,Caes. B. C. 3, 57: satis virium ad certamen,Liv. 3, 60, 4: undique contractis viribus signa cum Papirio conferre,id. 9, 13, 12: robur omne virium ejus regni,the flower,id. 33, 4, 4: concitet et vires Graecia magna suas,Ov. H. 15 (16), 340.
* Vires, the virile forces or organs, Arn. 5, 158; 5, 163; Inscr. Orell. 2322; 2332: veluti castratis viribus,Plin. 11, 18, 19, § 60; cf.: vis (= vires) multas possidere in se,Lucr. 2, 586.—Rarely sing.: vis genitalis,Tac. A. 6, 18.
* Mental strength, power, force, vigor: vis illa divina et virtus oratoris,Cic. de Or. 2, 27, 120: vis ac facultas oratoris,id. ib. 1, 31, 142: suavitatem Isocrates ... sonitum Aeschines, vim Demosthenes habuit,id. ib. 3, 7, 28: summa ingenii,id. Phil. 5, 18, 49: magna vis est conscientiae in utramque partem,id. Mil. 23, 61: magna vis est in fortunā in utramque partem,id. Off. 2, 6, 19: patriae,id. de Or. 1, 44, 196: quod ostentum habuit hanc vim, ut, etc.,power, effect,id. Div. 1, 33, 73: qui indignitate suā vim ac jus magistratui quem gerebat dempsisset,Liv. 26, 12, 8: hujus conventionis,Dig. 43, 25, 12.—Plur. (post-Aug.): eloquentiae,Quint. 5, 1, 2: facilitatis,id. 12, 9, 20: ingenii,id. 1, 2, 23; 12, 1, 32: orationis,id. 8, 3, 87.
* Transf., of abstr. things, force, notion, meaning, sense, import, nature, essence (cf. significatio): id, in quo est omnis vis amicitiae,Cic. Lael. 4, 15: eloquentiae vis et natura,id. Or. 31, 112: vis honesti (with natura),id. Off. 1, 6, 18; cf. id. Fin. 1, 16, 50: virtutis,id. Fam. 9, 16, 5: quae est alia vis legis?id. Dom. 20, 53: vis, natura, genera verborum et simplicium et copulatorum,i.e. the sense, signification,id. Or. 32, 115: vis verbi,id. Inv. 1, 13, 17; id. Balb. 8, 21: quae vis insit in his paucis verbis, si attendes, si attendes, intelleges,id. Fam. 6, 2, 3: quae vis subjecta sit vocibus,id. Fin. 2, 2, 6: nominis,id. Top. 8, 35: μετωνυμία, cujus vis est, pro eo, quod dicitur, causam, propter quam dicitur, ponere, Quint. 8, 6, 23.