dī-lĭgens

dī-lĭgo, lexi, lectum, 3, v. a. [2. lego]. Prop., to distinguish one by selecting him from others; hence, in gen., to value or esteem highly, to love (v. amo init., and cf. faveo, studeo, foveo, cupio; very freq. and class.).

Prop.:

nihil est enim virtute amabilius, nihil quod magis alliciat ad diligendum: quippe cum propter virtutem et probitatem etiam eos, quos numquam vidimus, quodam modo diligamus,

Cic. Lael. 8, 28; cf. id. ib. 9, 29 sq.; 14, 50; id. Rep. 1, 10 fin.; 1, 12 et saep. (cf. also the passages with diligo which are cited under amo, 1. and 1. colo, II. 2. b.); Caes. B. G. 6, 19 fin.; id. B. C. 1, 61, 3; Suet. Caes. 67; Verg. A. 9, 430; Hor. C. 2, 20, 7 et saep.:

satin habes, si feminarum nulla'st, quam aeque diligam?

Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 11; cf. id. ib. 3, 3, 18; Verg. A. 1, 344; Hor. C. 2, 5, 17; Suet. Caes. 50; 52; id. Aug. 62 al.:

te in germani fratris dilexi loco,

Ter. And. 1, 5, 57; cf. Verg. A. 4, 31; Suet. Calig. 24 al.: quem di diligunt, whom the gods favor, denoting a fortunate person, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 7, 18; Ter. And. 5, 6, 9; id. Phorm. 5, 6, 14. —Prov.:

diligitur nemo, nisi cui fortuna secunda est,

Ov. P. 2, 3, 23.

Transf.

Of inanimate objects:

fidem est complexus, observantiamque dilexit,

Cic. Balb. 28; cf.:

Caesaris consilia in re publica,

id. Prov. Cons. 10 fin.:

benevolentiam, diligentiam, prudentiam mirifice,

id. Att. 12, 34 fin.:

aviae memoriam,

Suet. Vesp. 2:

auream mediocritatem,

Hor. C. 2, 10, 6:

Cypron,

id. ib. 1, 30, 2 et saep. —

Very rarely, of inanimate subjects, to love, choose, affect:

montes amant cedrus, larix, etc.... montes et valles diligit abies,

Plin. 16, 18, 30, § 73 sq. —

With inf. for amare, to do willingly or habitually, to be fond of doing:

pira nasci tali solo maxime diligunt,

Pall. Febr. 25, 1.—Hence,

dī-lĭgens, entis, P. a., prop. esteeming, loving; hence, in respect to an inanimate object, careful, assiduous, attentive, diligent, accurate with regard to it, opp. negligens (very freq. and class.).

In gen.

With praepp.:

qui in re adventitia atque hereditaria tam diligens, tam attentus esset,

Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 48; so, in rebus omnibus, id. Lael. 17, 62:

in exquirendis temporibus,

id. Rep. 2, 14 fin.:

in ostentis animadvertendis,

id. Div. 1, 42 fin.:

in compositione,

id. Quint. 10, 1, 79:

in philosophia,

id. ib. 129:

in eloquendo,

id. ib. 63:

in symmetria,

Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 58 al.:

ad custodiendum aliquem diligentissimus,

Cic. Cat. 1, 8, 19; so,

ad reportandum,

id. Verr. 2, 4, 3, § 6:

ad cetera,

Quint. 1, 1, 7:

diligentes circa hoc,

Plin. 31, 5, 30, § 56:

circa aerarium,

Eutr. 8, 7.—

With gen.:

omnis officii diligentissimus,

Cic. Cael. 30, 73:

veritatis,

Nep. Epam. 3:

imperii,

id. Con. 1, 2:

disciplinae,

Vell. 1, 6; cf.:

litterarum veterum,

Gell. 4, 11, 4:

compositionis,

Quint. 9, 4, 77:

aliarum rerum quae vitam instruunt,

Sen. Vit. Beat. 3, 3:

temperamenti,

Plin. Pan. 79, 5:

naturae,

attentively investigating it, Plin. 13, 4, 7, § 31; so,

medicinae,

id. 32, 3, 13, § 26 et saep.—

With dat.:

Corinthios video publicis equis assignandis et alendis, orborum et viduarum tributis fuisse quondam diligentes,

Cic. Rep. 2, 20, 32.—

Absol.:

experientissimus ac diligentissimus orator,

Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 21: pro cauto ac diligente, Caes. Fragm. ap. Charis. p. 101 P.;

for which: ut a diligenti curiosus distat,

Quint. 8, 3, 55; cf. id. 1, 4, 24; 2, 15, 10 et saep.—

Transf., of inanimate subjects:

assidua ac diligens scriptura,

Cic. de Or. 1, 33, 150; cf.:

diligentior notitia,

Plin. 6, 22, 24, § 84:

stilus,

Tac. Or. 39:

remedia,

Sen. Ep. 95; Plin. 3, 5, 6, § 45; Vell. 1, 4.—

In partic., with reference to domestic affairs, frugal, thrifty, economical (cf. its opp. negligens = prodigus, and Ruhnk. Rutil. Lup. p. 95, a, ed. Frotsch.):

homo frugi ac diligens, qui sua servare vellet,

Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 18; Plin. Ep. 2, 6, 1; cf.

opp. negligens,

ib. 4, 13, 8;

and c. c. parcus and opp. luxuriosus,

Auct. Her. 4, 34:

cum te pro illiberali diligentem (appelles),

Quint. 9, 3, 65:

ex re familiari, cujus diligentissimus erat,

Suet. Gramm. 23.—Hence, dīlĭgenter, adv. (acc. to II. A.), carefully, attentively, diligently:

accurate agatur, docte et diligenter,

Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 30; id. Men. 5, 6, 3; Ter. Eun. 2, 1, 1; 2, 3, 47 al.; Cic. Phil. 1, 15 fin.; id. Fam. 6, 5; id. Att. 16, 16 A. fin.; Caes. B. G. 2, 5 al.— Comp., Cic. Rep. 1, 22; id. Brut. 22, 86; Caes. B. G. 3, 16 fin.; id. B. C. 3, 8, 4; Vulg. Act. 22, 30 al.— Sup., Cic. Lael. 2, 7; id. Rep. 2, 3; Caes. B. G. 2, 28 fin.; id. B. C. 3, 81 al.—

dīlectus, a, um, P. a., loved, beloved, dear (rare).—With dat.:

pueri dilecti Superis,

Ov. M. 10, 153; so id. ib. 5, 395; 8, 758.—In sup., Stat. Th. 8, 99; Vulg. Heb. 6, 9.— Absol.:

luce mihi carior dilectior fili,

Macr. Somn. Scip. 2, 1 init.; Claud. Rapt. Pros. 3, 74 al.— Subst.: dīlectus, i, m., = ho erômenos, a favorite, Suet. Aug. 98.