I. Prop., a thick, stiff hair on an animal; a bristle (class.; usu. in plur.; cf. villus, pilus).
A. Plur.
1. Absol., Lucr. 5, 786; “of a boar,” Ov. M. 8, 428; cf. 2, B. infra; “of a porcupine,” Claud. Hystr. 6; “of the fish aper,” Ov. Hal. 59; “of a goat,” Verg. G. 3, 312; “of a cow,” id. A. 7, 790; “of a horse,” Amm. 29, 2, 4; Val. Fl. 6, 71: “ita quasi saetis labra mihi compungit barba,” Plaut. Cas. 5, 2, 48.—
2. With gen.: “saetae leonis,” Prop. 4, 9, 44.—
B. Sing.: “saeta equina,” Cic. Tusc. 5, 21, 62: “nigrae saetae grex (suum),” Col. 7, 9, 2; cf. Verg. A. 7, 667.—
II. Meton.
A. Of stiff, bristly, human hair, Verg. A. 8, 266; id. G. 3, 312; Ov. M. 13, 850; Juv. 2, 11; Mart. 6, 56.—
B. Of the spiny leaves of coniferous trees, Plin. 16, 10, 18, § 41.—
C. Of any thing made of coarse hair or bristles, e. g. the bottom or leader of an angling-line, Ov. Hal. 34: “piscem tremulā salientem ducere saetā,” Mart. 1, 56, 9; “so,” id. 10, 30, 16.—
D. A brush made from bristles: “parieti siccato cera Punica cum oleo liquefacta candens saetis inducatur,” Plin. 33, 7, 40, § 122; cf. Vitr. 7, 9, 3.
