viscus

I. the inner parts of the animal body, the internal organs, the inwards, viscera (the nobler parts, the heart, lungs, liver, as well as the ignobler, the stomach, entrails, etc.; cf.: ilia, intestina, exta).

(a). Sing.: mortui praecordia et viscus omne, Cels. praef. med.; Lucr. 1, 837; 3, 719; Tib. 1, 3, 76; Ov. M. 6, 290; 15, 365; Luc. 3, 658; Quint. Decl. 1, 14; Nemes. Cyn. 139.—

(b). Plur. (only so in class. prose), Cels. 4, 11; 7, 9, 2; Lucr. 2, 669; 3, 249; 3, 375 al.; Ov. M. 7, 601; 8, 846; 12, 390; 15, 314; id. F. 4, 205 al.—Of the uterus, Quint. 10, 3, 4; Dig. 48, 8, 8.—Of the testicles, Petr. 119; Plin. 20, 13, 51, § 142.—

B. Transf.

1. The flesh, as lying under the skin: cum Herculi Dejanira sanguine Centauri tinctam tunicam induisset, inhaesissetque ea visceribus, Cic. Tusc. 2, 8, 20: ut multus e visceribus sanguis exeat, Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 14, 34: heu quantum scelus est, in viscera viscera condi! Ov. M. 15, 88: boum, Cic. N. D. 2, 63, 159: taurorum, Verg. A. 6, 253; 8, 180.—

2. The fruit of the womb, offspring, child (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): (Tereus) in suam sua viscera congerit alvum, Ov. M. 6, 651; 8, 478; 10, 465; id. H. 11, 118; cf. Curt. 4, 14, 22: viscera sua flammis inicere, Quint. 6, praef. § 3 Spald.—

II. Trop., like our bowels, for the interior, inward or inmost part: itum est in viscera terrae, Ov. M. 1, 138: montis (Aetnae), Verg. A. 3, 575: in medullis populi Romani ac visceribus haerebant, Cic. Phil. 1, 15, 36: in venis atque in visceribus rei publicae, id. Cat. 1, 13, 31; cf. id. Tusc. 4, 11, 24: haec in dicendo non extrinsecus alicunde quaerenda, sed ex ipsis visceribus causae sumenda sunt, id. de Or. 2, 78, 318: quae (ἐγκελεύσματα) mihi in visceribus haerent, id. Att. 6, 1, 8: neu patriae validas in viscera vertite vires, Verg. A. 6, 833: de visceribus tuis, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 7; so, aerarii, id. Dom. 47 fin.: magnarum domuum, the heart, i. e. the favorite, Juv. 3, 72.