āctuōsē

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lēnis, e, adj. [cf. lentus], soft, smooth, mild, gentle, easy, calm.

Lit.:

sensus judicat dulce, amarum: lene, asperum,

Cic. Fin. 2, 12, 36; id. N. D. 2, 58, 146:

vehemens fricatio spissat, lenis mollit,

Plin. 28, 4, 14, § 53:

vinum hoc asperum est: aliud lenius, sodes, vide,

Ter. Heaut. 3, 1, 48:

lenibus venenis uti,

Cic. Att. 2, 21, 1:

lenissimus ventus,

id. ib. 7, 2, 1:

motus laterum,

moderate, gentle, Quint. 11, 3, 92; 161:

leni igni sucus coquitur,

Plin. 21, 18, 73, § 122.—Of the Nile:

postea lenis,

Plin. 5, 9, 10, § 54:

tormentum,

Hor. C. 3, 21, 13:

volatus,

Ov. M. 12, 527:

somnus,

Hor. C. 3, 1, 21.—Of heights, gently or gradually rising:

clivus,

Liv. 6, 24; cf. id. 29, 33.— Comp.:

jugum paulo leniore fastigio ab ea parte quae, etc.,

Caes. B. C. 2, 24;

so fastigium,

Plin. 16, 36, 64, § 158.—

Trop., gentle, moderate, mild, lenient, calm.

In gen.:

servitutem lenem reddere,

Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 5:

Ecce me. Opusne (erit tibi) leni? leniorem dices quam mutumst mare,

id. Mil. 3, 1, 70:

homo lenis et facilis,

Cic. Fam. 5, 2, 9:

populus Romanus in hostes lenissimus,

id. Rosc. Am. 53, 154:

lenissima verba,

id. Fam. 5, 15, 1:

lenissimum ingenium,

id. Brut. 56, 204: lenior sententia, Caes. B. C. 1, 2: lene consilium dare, Hor C. 3, 4, 41.—

With inf.:

non lenis precibus fata recludere Mercurius,

Hor. C. 1, 24, 17.—

In partic.

Of speech, mild, gentle:

oratio placida, submissa, lenis,

Cic. de Or. 2, 43, 183:

lenis et fluens contextus orationis,

Quint. 9, 4, 127:

leniores epilogi,

id. 6, 1, 50.—

In gram.: spiritus, the spiritus lenis, the smooth or soft breathing (opp. the spiritus asper), Prisc. p. 572 P.— Hence, adv. in two forms.

lēne (only poet.), softly, mildly, gently:

sectus humum rivo, lene sonantis aquae,

Ov. F. 2, 704:

clivi lene jacentes,

gently rising, Calp. Ecl. 7, 25:

lene fluens fons,

Nemes. Ecl. 4, 47:

lene Notus spirat,

Avien. Descript. Orb. 857.—

lēnĭter (class.), softly, mildly, gently.

Lit.:

leniter arridens,

Cic. Rep. 6, 12, 12:

leniter atterens Caudam,

Hor. C. 2, 19, 30:

ventus leniter pluvius,

Plin. 18, 34, 77, § 337:

leniter ire per excubias custodum,

Ov. Am. 1, 6, 7: collis leniter acclivis, gradually or gently rising, Caes. B. G. 7, 19; so,

editus collis,

Liv. 2, 50.— Comp.:

torrens lenius decurrit,

Ov. M. 3, 568.—

Trop., quietly, calmly, gently, moderately, leniently.

In gen.:

tentem leniter an minaciter?

Plaut. Stich. 1, 2, 20:

petere quippiam ab aliquo dictis bonis,

id. Am. prol. 25:

ferre aliquid,

Ov. H. 5, 7:

traducere aevum,

Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 97:

nimis leniter latam suam injuriam ratus,

Liv. 29, 9 (al. leviter).— Sup.:

lenissime sentire,

Cic. Fam. 5, 2, 9.—

In partic.

Of speech:

multa leniter, multa aspere dicta sunt,

Cic. Brut. 44, 164:

agit versum Roscius quam leniter, quam remisse, quam non actuose,

id. de Or. 3, 26, 102.— Comp.:

qui jamdiu multo dicis remissius et lenius quam solebas,

Cic. de Or. 1, 60, 255.—

Moderately, i. e. very little, not at all:

hoc leniter laudabitis,

Plaut. Poen. 5, 3, 40; 3, 3, 9:

leniter qui saeviunt sapiunt magis,

id. Bacch. 3, 3, 4.—

In a bad sense, remissly, indolently:

si cunctetur atque agat lenius,

too slowly, Caes. B. C. 1, 1.

lenis, is, m., a kind of vessel, Afran. and Laber. ap. Non. 544, 31.