Lenity

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bĕnignĭtas, ātis, f. [benignus], the quality of one benignus, an affable, kind bearing to others.

Of feeling or external conduct, kindness, friendliness, courtesy, benevolence, benignity:

si ad vortendum huc animum adest benignitas,

Plaut. Merc. prol. 11:

justitia, cui sunt adjunctae pietas, bonitas, liberalitas, benignitas, comitas, quaeque sunt generis ejusdem,

Cic. Fin. 5, 23, 65:

etsi me attentissimis animis summā cum benignitate auditis,

id. Sest. 13, 31; id. Caecin. 3, 9; id. Dom. 14, 32; id. Verr. 2, 3, 83, § 191; id. Rosc. Com. 12, 33:

benignitas animi,

Tac. H. 2, 30; Dig. 48, 19, 11; 1, 3, 25.—

Of deeds, kindness, liberality, bounty, favor:

num solus ille dona dat? nunc ubi meam Benignitatem sensisti in te claudier?

Ter. Eun. 1, 2, 84 (intellegit se et dona obtulisse, et id benigne saepe fecisse, Don.); Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 80:

illa quanta benignitas naturae, quod tam multa ad vescendum, tam varia, tamque jucunda gignit,

Cic. N. D. 2, 53, 131:

largitio, quae fit ex re familiari, fontem ipsum benignitatis exhaurit. Ita benignitate benignitas tollitur,

id. Off. 2, 15, 52; 2, 15, 54:

ne benignitas major esset quam facultates,

id. ib. 1, 14, 44:

amicorum benignitas exhausta est in eā re,

id. Att. 4, 2, 7:

(Volumnius) benignitatem per se gratam comitate adjuvabat,

Liv. 9, 42, 5: satis superque me benignitas tua Ditavit, *Hor. Epod. 1, 31; August. ap. Suet. Aug. 71:

benignitate deūm fractae hostium vires,

Tac. H. 4, 85; id. A. 14, 6.— In plur.:

vides, benignitates hominum ut periere,

Plaut. Stich. 4, 2, 54.—

Lenity, mercy:

severitas legum cum aliquo temperamento benignitatis,

Dig. 48, 19, 11 pr.; 1, 3, 25.

commŏdĭtas, ātis, f. [commodus].

Due measure, just proportion, symmetry (so very rare): commoditas et aequitas membrorum, * Suet. Aug. 79.—

Of discourse, fitness, a suitable oratorical expression, Cic. Rosc. Am. 4, 9; id. Inv. 1, 2, 3;

corresp. to commode dicere,

Auct. Her. 1, 1, 1.—

(Acc. to commodus, II.) Easy, unrestrained, free action:

corporis aliqua commoditas non naturā data, sed studio et industriā parta,

i. e. dexterity, skill, Cic. Inv. 1, 25, 36.—

Convenience, ease:

id, ob commoditatem itineris ponte sublicio... conjungi urbi placuit,

Liv. 1, 33, 6.—

Of things, fitness, convenience, a fit occasion, advantage, benefit (class.):

commoditatis omnes articulos scio,

Plaut. Men. 1, 2, 31:

in loco opportunitas, in occasione commoditas ad faciendum idonea (consideranda est),

Cic. Inv. 2, 12, 40; id. Off. 1, 39, 138; Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 94; Ter. And. 3, 3, 37:

o Fors Fortuna, quantis commoditatibus hunc onerastis diem!

id. Phorm. 5, 6, 1:

plurimas et maximas commoditates amicitia continet,

Cic. Lael. 7, 23; cf. id. N. D. 3, 36, 86; id. Fin. 4, 12, 29:

percipere fructum aut commoditatem ex re,

id. Off. 2, 4, 14:

cum commoditas juvaret,

Liv. 4, 60, 2.—

Of persons, pleasantness, complaisance, courteousness, forbearance, lenity (only ante-class. and in Ov.):

vir lepidissime, Cumulate commoditate,

Plaut. Mil. 4, 9, 6; Ter. Ad. 4, 5, 76: patris, Poët. ap. Cic. N. D. 3, 29, 73:

viri,

Ov. H. 17, 176; 16, 310.—

Meton. in Plaut.:

commoditas mea, as a term of endearment,

Plaut. Ep. 5, 1, 8; id. Men. 1, 2, 28; id. Poen. 1, 3, 12.

lēnĭtas, ātis, f. [1. lenis], softness, smoothness, gentleness, mildness.

Lit.:

vini, opp. asperitas,

Plin. 14, 19, 24, § 120:

lini,

id. 13, 12, 26, § 82:

Arar in Rhodanum influit incredibili lenitate,

slowness, Caes. B. G. 1, 12:

vocis,

mildness, Cic. de Or. 2, 43, 182:

smaragdi viridis lenitas,

delicate green, Plin. 37, 5, 16, § 63.—

Trop.

In gen., mildness, gentleness, tenderness, lenity:

non est jam lenitati locus, severitatem res ipsa flagitat,

Cic. Cat. 2, 4, 6:

dare se ad lenitatem,

id. Fam. 13, 1, 4:

animi, with mollitia,

id. Sull. 6, 18:

animadvertendi,

id. Part. Or. 22, 78:

legum,

id. Rab. Perd. 3, 10:

remissa nimis lenitate uti,

Gell. 11, 18, 6.—

In partic., of speech:

elaborant alii in lenitate et aequabilitate, et puro quasi quodam et candido genere dicendi,

Cic. Or. 16, 53:

lenitas ejus sine nervis perspici potest,

id. Brut. 48, 177:

genus orationis cum lenitate quadam aequabili profluens,

id. de Or. 2, 15, 64.

pătĭentĭa, ae, f. [patior], the quality of bearing, suffering, or enduring, patience, endurance.

Lit.

In gen.:

pati entia est honestatis aut utilitatis causā rerum arduarum ac difficilium voluntaria ac diuturna perpessio,

Cic. Inv. 2, 54, 163:

patientia famis et frigoris,

id. Cat. 1, 10, 26:

hominum ea patientia, virtus frugalitasque est,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 3, § 7:

paupertatis,

id. Agr. 2, 24, 64:

audiendi,

Quint. 11, 2, 8; 12, 9, 9.—

In partic., submission to unnatural lust, pathicism, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 13, § 34; Sen. Q. N. 1, 16, 5; id. Vit. Beat. 13, 3; Tac. A. 6, 1; Petr. 9 and 25; Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 5, 3, 2.—

Transf.

Forbearance, indulgence, lenity:

constantiam dico? nescio an melius patientiam possem dicere,

Cic. Lig. 9, 26:

quousque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientiā nostrā?

id. Cat. 1, 1, 1; id. Pis. 2, 5:

quem duplici panno patientia velat,

Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 25:

levius fit patientiā Quicquid corrigere est nefas,

id. C. 1, 24, 19.—

In a bad sense, indolence, want of spirit: ne quis in me aut nimiam patientiam, aut nimium stuporem arguat, Porc. Latro ap. Sen. Contr. 2, 15; Plin. Ep. 6, 31, 5:

in patientiā firmitudinem simulans,

Tac. A. 6, 46.—

Submissiveness, subjection:

usque ad servilem patientiam demissus,

Tac. A. 14, 26:

Britanniam uno praelio veteri patientiae restituit,

id. Agr. 16; id. H. 2, 29.

rĕmissĭo, ōnis, f. [id.] (acc. to remitto, I. A. and B.), a sending back or away, releasing

Lit. (rare).

A sending back, returning; of persons:

obsidum captivorumque,

Liv. 27, 17, 1.—Of things, a throwing back, reflecting:

splendoris,

Vitr. 7, 3, 9.—

A letting down, lowering:

ex superciliorum aut remissione aut contractione,

Cic. Off. 1, 41, 146.—

Trop.

A slackening, relaxing, abating, diminishing, remitting; remission, relaxation, abatement (syn. relaxatio):

animus intentione suā depellit pressum omnem ponderum, remissione autem sic urgetur, ut se nequeat extollere,

Cic. Tusc. 2, 23, 54:

contentiones vocis et remissiones,

id. de Or. 1, 61, 261; cf. id. Brut. 91, 314; so,

vocis,

Quint. 1, 10, 25: sphugmos est intentio motūs et remissio in corde et in arteria, Gell. 18, 10, 10:

remissio lenitatis quādam gravitate et contentione firmatur,

laxity, Cic. de Or. 2, 53, 212:

operis,

Varr. R. R. 1, 17, 7; cf.

laboris,

id. ib. 2, 6, 4; Quint. 3, 8, 29:

tales igitur amicitiae sunt remissione usus eluendae,

Cic. Lael. 21, 76:

senescentis morbi remissio,

id. Fam. 7, 26, 1; so,

febris,

Suet. Tib. 73:

doloris,

Scrib. Comp. 99.—

Slackness, laxness, want of spirit:

in acerbissimā injuriā remissio animi ac dissolutio,

Cic. Fam. 5, 2, 9.—

Relaxation, recreation:

ad omnem animi remissionem ludumque descendere,

Cic. de Or 2, 6, 22; so,

animorum,

id. Fam. 9, 24, 3; id. Arch. 7, 16.— Absol.:

quem non quies, non remissio, non aequalium studia, non ludi delectarent,

Cic. Cael. 17, 39:

danda est omnibus aliqua remissio,

Quint. 1, 3, 8.— Absol. in plur., Quint. 1, 3, 8, § 11; Gell. 15, 2, 5; Plin. Ep. 4, 3, 1, id. Pan. 49, 4:

tempora curarum remissionumque,

Tac. Agr. 9; id. Or. 28.—

Mildness, gentleness, lenity:

(Adversarius) tum ad severitatem, tum ad remissionem animi est contorquen dus,

Cic. de Or. 2, 17, 72 (cf. remissus, B. 1.): so,

remissione poenae,

by a relaxing, diminishing of punishment, by a milder punishment, id. Cat. 4, 6, 13.—

(Acc. to remitto, I. B. 2. b.) A remitting of a penalty, etc., a remission, Col. 1, 7, 1; Suet. Caes. 20; Plin. Ep. 8, 2, 6; 10, 8, 5:

remissio tributi in triennium,

Tac. A. 4, 13:

nuntiationis,

remission, abrogation, Dig. 39, 1, 8, § 4.— Plur.:

post magnas remissiones,

reduction of rent, Plin. Ep. 9, 37, 2.—

In eccl. Lat., remission, forgiveness of sin, etc.:

delicti,

Tert. adv. Marc. 4, 28: peccatorum, Ambros. de Isaac et Anim. 1, 1; Vulg. Matt. 26, 28; id. Act. 2, 38.—

A repetition:

nova ludorum remissio,

Petr. 60, 5.