I.good-looking, showy, handsome, beautiful, splendid, brilliant (not freq. till after the Aug. period; syn.: venustus, pulcher, formosus, spectabilis).
A. Lit. (not so in Cic.): “hunc speciosum pelle decorā,” Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 45: “femina,” Quint. 5, 10, 47: “puer,” Petr. 41, 6: “corpora,” Quint. 11, 3, 26: “nec id speciosum fieri putabo,” id. 5, 12, 19: “in certaminibus speciosa atque robusta,” id. 11, 3, 26: “ministerium,” Vell. 2, 111, 3: “familia,” id. 2, 59, 2.—Comp.: “familiam nemo speciosiorem producit,” Sen. Ep. 87, 6: “si plenior aliquis et speciosior et coloratior factus est,” Cels. 2, 2.—Sup.: “homo (Alcibiades),” Quint. 8, 4, 23: “corpus,” id. 2, 15, 9: “filia,” Petr. 140, 2.—
B. Trop.: “reversionis has speciosas causas habes,” well-sounding, plausible, specious, Cic. Att. 16, 7, 6; cf.: “specioso titulo uti vos, Romani, Graecarum civitatium liberandarum video,” Liv. 35, 16: “dictu speciosa,” id. 1, 23: “gerentis bellum Romanos speciosum Graeciae liberandae tulisse titulum,” id. 42, 52, 15; 36, 17, 13; cf. Quint. 8, 6, 8: “magis necessarium quam speciosum, ministerium,” Liv. 4, 8, 6: “dicere aliquod speciosum,” Quint. 1, 5, 3: “speciosum dicendi genus,” id. 10, 1, 127: “vocabula rerum,” Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 116: “miracula,” id. A. P. 144: “speciosa locis morataque recte Fabula,” id. ib. 319: “speciosa nomina culpae Imponis,” Ov. M. 7, 69: “specioso eripe damno,” from this splendid misery, id. ib. 11, 133.—Comp.: “cum speciosius quid dicendum est,” Quint. 11, 3, 84: “speciosior rhetorice quam dialectice,” id. 2, 20, 7: “speciosiore stili genere,” id. 7, 1, 54: “gestarum rerum ordinem sequi speciosius fuit,” id. 3, 7, 15.—Sup.: “longe speciosissimum genus orationis,” Quint. 8, 6, 49. —Adv.: spĕcĭōsē , showily, handsomely, splendidly.
1. Lit.: vehi, i. e. in a painted or ornamented vessel, Plin. 35, 7, 31, § 49. —Comp.: “speciosius instratus equus quam uxor vestita,” Liv. 34, 7: “tractet arma,” Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 52: “quo speciosius ingrediantur sublimes,” Col. 2, 2, 22.—Sup.: “contorta hasta (with optime emissa),” Quint. 9, 4, 8.—
