labat+ariĕte+crebro+janua

lăbo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. [from the same root as 1. labor], to totter, be ready to fall, begin to sink, to give way, be loosened (syn.: vacillo, titubo, nato).

Lit.: labat, labuntur saxa, caementae cadunt, Enn. ap. Non. 196, 3 (Trag. v. 142 Vahl.):

signum labat,

Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 43, 95:

si ex ictu... labant dentes,

Cels. 7, 12, 1:

labat ariete crebro Janua,

Verg. A. 2, 492:

labant curvae naves,

roll, Ov. M. 2, 163:

pressaeque labant sub gurgite turres,

id. ib. 1, 290:

(turris) qua summa labantis Juncturas tabulata dabant,

Verg. A. 2, 463:

littera labat,

written with a trembling hand, Ov. H. 10, 140:

labare sermone,

to stutter, speak indistinctly, Plin. 14, 22, 28, § 146:

si labat oculus et hac atque illac movetur,

is unsteady, Cels. 7, 7, 14:

tarda trementi genua labant,

sink, Verg. A. 5, 432; so,

pedes,

Ov. F. 6, 676:

vincla labant,

are loosed, id. A. A. 2, 85.— Poet., of dying persons:

inde labant populi,

fall, sink, Luc. 6, 93; cf.:

omnia tum vero vitaï claustra lababant,

Lucr. 6, 1153.—With Gr. acc.:

egressi labant vestigia prima,

Verg. A. 10, 283 Forbig. (Rib. egressisque).—

Trop.

To waver, to be unstable, undecided, to hesitate (in opinion, resolution, etc.):

si res labat, Itidem amici collabascunt,

Plaut. Stich. 4, 1, 16; cf.:

scito, labare meum consilium illud, quod satis jam fixum videbatur,

Cic. Att. 8, 14, 2:

labamus mutamusque sententiam,

id. Tusc. 1, 32, 78:

cum ei labare M. Antonius videretur,

id. Phil. 6, 4, 10:

animumque labantem inpulit,

Verg. A. 4, 22:

labantia corda,

id. ib. 12, 223:

socii labant,

waver in fidelity, Liv. 22, 61; cf.:

fides sociorum,

id. 32, 30, 9:

animus regis,

id. 40, 54; 2, 39:

quīs lababat fides,

whose fidelity was wavering, Sil. 2, 392:

mens,

Ov. M. 6, 629:

tu mente labantem dirige me,

Luc. 2, 244:

ex nimia matrem pietate labare sensit,

Ov. M. 6, 629:

memoria labat,

becomes weak, Liv. 5, 18; cf.:

mens in illis (phreneticis) labat, in hoc (cordiaco) constat,

Cels. 3, 19:

nec dubium habebatur labare hostes,

Tac. A. 2, 26:

labante jam Agrippina,

id. H. 14, 22:

labantem ordinem contirmare,

Suet. Caes. 14:

acies labantes restituere,

Tac. G. 8 init.:

sustinere labantem aciem,

id. H. 3, 23; 5, 18.—

To sink, fall to pieces, go to ruin:

quid non sic aliud ex alio nectitur, ut non, si unam litteram moveris, labent omnia?

Cic. Fin. 3, 22, 74:

omnes rei publicae partes aegras et labantes sanare et confirmare,

id. Mil. 25, 68; cf.:

sustinuisse labantem fortunam populi Romani,

Liv. 26, 41:

sicuti populo Romano sua fortuna labet,

id. 42, 50:

labante egregia quondam disciplina,

id. 36, 6:

cum res Trojana labaret,

Ov. M. 15, 437:

labantibus Vitellii rebus,

Tac. H. 2, 86:

si quid in moribus labaret,

id. A. 2, 33.