ambitious

ambĭtĭōsus, a, um, adj. [ambitio].

(Very rare and mostly poet.) Going round, encompassing; poet., embracing, twining round:

lascivis hederis ambitiosior,

Hor. C. 1, 36, 20 (cf.:

undique ambientibus ramis,

Curt. 4, 7, 16).—Of a river, making circuits, having many windings:

Jordanes amnis ambitiosus,

Plin. 5, 15, 15, § 71.— Of oratorical ornament, excessive, superfluous:

vir bonus ambitiosa recidet Ornamenta,

Hor. A. P. 447.—

Transf.

That asks for a thing fawningly; esp., that solicits the favor, good-will, etc., of any one, in a good and bad sense, honor-loving, ambitious, courting favor; vain, vainglorious, conceited, etc.:

qui ita sit ambitiosus, ut omnes vos nosque cotidie persalutet,

Cic. Fl. 18:

homo minime ambitiosus, minime in rogando molestus,

id. Fam. 13, 1:

ne forte me in Graecos tam ambitiosum factum esse mirere,

desirous of the favor of the Greeks, id. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 2:

pro nostris ut sis ambitiosa malis, Ov P. 3, 1, 84: pro nato caerula mater Ambitiosa suo fuit,

i.e. begs fawningly of Vulcan for weapons for her son, id. M. 13, 289:

malis artibus ambitiosus,

seeking to ingratiate one's self, Tac. H. 2, 57:

salubris magis princeps quam ambitiosus,

Suet. Aug. 42 al. —

Pass., that is willingly solicited or entreated, ambitious; much sought, honored, admired:

ambitiosus et qui ambit et qui ambitur,

Gell. 9, 12:

turba caelestes ambitiosa sumus,

Ov. F. 5, 298:

sexus muliebris saevus, ambitiosus, potestatis avidus,

Tac. A. 3, 33: si locuples hostis est, avari;

si pauper, ambitiosi,

id. Agr. 30:

nota quidem sed non ambitiosa domus,

not sought after, Ov. Tr. 1, 9, 18 Jahn: ambitiosae pulchritudinis scortum. Just. 30, 2. —

Of things, vain, ostentatious:

amicitiae,

founded merely on the desire to please, interested, Cic. Att. 1, 18:

rogationes,

id. Fam. 6, 12; so id. ib. 6, 6:

gloriandi genus,

Quint. 11, 1, 22:

preces,

urgent, Tac. H. 2, 49:

sententiae,

Suet. Dom. 8: mors, ambitious, i. e. to obtain fame, Tac. Agr. 42:

medicina ars,

boastful, Plin. 29, 1, 8, § 20:

et quaesitorum pelago terrāque ciborum Ambitiosa fames,

Luc. 4, 376:

atria,

splendid, gorgeous, Mart. 12, 69:

ambitiosis utilia praeferre,

Quint. 1, 2, 27:

ambitiosius id existimans quam domi suae majestas postularet,

more condescending, submissive, Suet. Aug. 25.—

In rhet.: orator ambitiosus, who seeks to rouse attention by obsolete or unusual expressions:

antigerio nemo nisi ambitiosus utetur,

Quint. 8, 3, 26.—Hence, adv.: ambĭtĭōsē, ambitiously, ostentatiously, etc.:

de triumpho ambitiose agere,

Cic. Att. 15, 1:

ambitiose regnum petere,

Liv. 1, 35: amicitias ambitiose colere, Tac. [p. 103] H. 1, 10 al.— Comp., Cic. Fam. 3, 7.— Sup., Quint. 6, 3, 68.

ambĭtĭōsus, a, um, adj. [ambitio].

(Very rare and mostly poet.) Going round, encompassing; poet., embracing, twining round:

lascivis hederis ambitiosior,

Hor. C. 1, 36, 20 (cf.:

undique ambientibus ramis,

Curt. 4, 7, 16).—Of a river, making circuits, having many windings:

Jordanes amnis ambitiosus,

Plin. 5, 15, 15, § 71.— Of oratorical ornament, excessive, superfluous:

vir bonus ambitiosa recidet Ornamenta,

Hor. A. P. 447.—

Transf.

That asks for a thing fawningly; esp., that solicits the favor, good-will, etc., of any one, in a good and bad sense, honor-loving, ambitious, courting favor; vain, vainglorious, conceited, etc.:

qui ita sit ambitiosus, ut omnes vos nosque cotidie persalutet,

Cic. Fl. 18:

homo minime ambitiosus, minime in rogando molestus,

id. Fam. 13, 1:

ne forte me in Graecos tam ambitiosum factum esse mirere,

desirous of the favor of the Greeks, id. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 2:

pro nostris ut sis ambitiosa malis, Ov P. 3, 1, 84: pro nato caerula mater Ambitiosa suo fuit,

i.e. begs fawningly of Vulcan for weapons for her son, id. M. 13, 289:

malis artibus ambitiosus,

seeking to ingratiate one's self, Tac. H. 2, 57:

salubris magis princeps quam ambitiosus,

Suet. Aug. 42 al. —

Pass., that is willingly solicited or entreated, ambitious; much sought, honored, admired:

ambitiosus et qui ambit et qui ambitur,

Gell. 9, 12:

turba caelestes ambitiosa sumus,

Ov. F. 5, 298:

sexus muliebris saevus, ambitiosus, potestatis avidus,

Tac. A. 3, 33: si locuples hostis est, avari;

si pauper, ambitiosi,

id. Agr. 30:

nota quidem sed non ambitiosa domus,

not sought after, Ov. Tr. 1, 9, 18 Jahn: ambitiosae pulchritudinis scortum. Just. 30, 2. —

Of things, vain, ostentatious:

amicitiae,

founded merely on the desire to please, interested, Cic. Att. 1, 18:

rogationes,

id. Fam. 6, 12; so id. ib. 6, 6:

gloriandi genus,

Quint. 11, 1, 22:

preces,

urgent, Tac. H. 2, 49:

sententiae,

Suet. Dom. 8: mors, ambitious, i. e. to obtain fame, Tac. Agr. 42:

medicina ars,

boastful, Plin. 29, 1, 8, § 20:

et quaesitorum pelago terrāque ciborum Ambitiosa fames,

Luc. 4, 376:

atria,

splendid, gorgeous, Mart. 12, 69:

ambitiosis utilia praeferre,

Quint. 1, 2, 27:

ambitiosius id existimans quam domi suae majestas postularet,

more condescending, submissive, Suet. Aug. 25.—

In rhet.: orator ambitiosus, who seeks to rouse attention by obsolete or unusual expressions:

antigerio nemo nisi ambitiosus utetur,

Quint. 8, 3, 26.—Hence, adv.: ambĭtĭōsē, ambitiously, ostentatiously, etc.:

de triumpho ambitiose agere,

Cic. Att. 15, 1:

ambitiose regnum petere,

Liv. 1, 35: amicitias ambitiose colere, Tac. [p. 103] H. 1, 10 al.— Comp., Cic. Fam. 3, 7.— Sup., Quint. 6, 3, 68.

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ambĭtĭo, ōnis, f. [ambio], a going round.

In the time of the republic, t. t. (v. ambio, II. B.), the going about of candidates for office in Rome, and the soliciting of individual citizens for their vote, a canvassing, suing for office (by just and lawful means;

while ambitus denotes unlawful means, as bribery, threats, etc.): quid de nostris ambitionibus loquar?

Cic. Tusc. 2, 26, 62:

mea me ambitio ab omni illā cogitatione abstrahebat,

id. Sull. 4:

cum ambitionis nostrae tempora postulabant,

id. Planc. 18, 45:

si infinitus forensium rerum labor et ambitionis occupatio decursu honorum etiam aetatis flexu constitisset,

id. de Or. 1, 1, 1:

hic magistratus a populo summā ambitione contenditur,

id. Verr. 2, 53, 131:

tanta exarsit ambitio, ut primores civitatis prensarent homines,

Liv. 3, 35, 1 et saep.—

A.. In gen., a striving for one's favor or good-will; an excessive desire to please, flattery, adulation:

ambitione labi,

Cic. Brut. 69, 244:

sive aliquā suspitione sive ambitione adducti,

id. Clu. 28, 76:

in Scipione ambitio major, vita tristior,

id. Off. 1, 30, 108 Heus., Beier, and Gernh.: Dionysius Platonem magnā ambitione Syracusas perduxit, in an ostentatious manner, for the purpose of securing his favor, Nep. Dion, 2, 2 Br. and Dähn.:

ambitio (i.e. studium Fabiis placendi) obstabat,

Liv. 5, 36:

ambitione relegatā,

without flattery, Hor. S. 1, 10, 84: ambitionem scriptoris facile averseris, obtrectatio et livor pronis auribus accipiuntur, Tac. H. 1, 1:

nullo officii aut ambitionis genere omisso, i.e. nullis blanditiis,

Suet. Oth. 4:

coronas quam parcissime et sine ambitione tribuit,

id. Aug. 25 et saep.—Hence, also partiality:

jus sibi per ambitionem dictum non esse,

Liv. 3, 47.—

With the predom. idea of the purpose or end, a desire for honor, popularity, power, display, etc.; in bon. part., ambition; in mal. part., vanity. —So in Lucr. of the ambitious efforts of men:

Angustum per iter luctantes ambitionis,

struggling to press through the narrow way of ambition, Lucr. 5, 1132:

me ambitio quaedam ad honorum studium duxit,

Cic. Att. 1, 17:

Miserrima omnino est ambitio honorumque contentio,

id. Off. 1, 25:

a quo incepto studioque me ambitio mala detinuerat,

Sall. C. 4, 2:

aut ab avaritiā aut miserā ambitione laborat,

Hor. S. 1, 4, 26:

Vitā solutorum miserā ambitione gravique,

id. ib. 1, 6, 129; so id. ib. 2, 3, 78;

2, 6, 18: inanis,

id. Ep. 2, 2, 207:

levis,

Ov. F. 1, 103 al.:

licet ipsa vitium sit ambitio, tamen frequenter causa virtutum est,

Quint. 1, 2, 22:

perversa,

id. 10, 7, 20:

funerum nulla ambitio,

no display, pomp, Tac. G. 27.—

Great exertion:

cum admitti magnā ambitione aegre obtinuisset,

Just. 1, 3.—

That which surrounds (v. ambio, 2.;

postclass. for ambitus): vimineos alveos circumdant ambitione tergorum bubulorum,

with a wrapping of cowhide, Sol. 22:

fuliginem ambitio extimae cutis cohibet,

id. 35: ita assedimus, ut me ex tribus medium lateris ambitione protegerent, Min. Oct. 4.

mĕdĭō̆cris, e (ō usually; rarely ŏ), adj. [medius], in a middle state between too much and too little, middling, moderate, tolerable, ordinary; sometimes also, not remarkable, indifferent, mediocre.

In gen. (class.).

Lit., of size, quantity, degree, etc., in material things:

castellum,

Sall. J. 92, 5:

spatium,

Caes. B. G. 5, 43:

agmen,

Hirt. B. G. 8, 9:

intervallum,

id. B. Alex. 30.—

Of mind, character, ability, acts, achievements, etc.:

C. L. Memmii fuerunt oratores mediocres,

Cic. Brut. 36, 136:

L. Cotta in mediocrium oratorum numero,

id. ib. 36, 137:

non mediocres viri, sed maximi et docti,

id. Rep. 3, 11, 19:

homines,

id. de Or. 1, 21, 94:

vir,

Just. 1, 4, 4:

poëta,

Hor. A. P. 372:

in mediocribus vel studiis vel officiis,

Cic. Rep. 1, 3, 4:

amicitia,

id. Lael. 6, 10:

malum,

id. Tusc. 3, 10, 22:

artes,

id. de Or. 1, 2, 6:

eloquentia,

id. ib. 1, 29, 133:

ingenium,

id. ib. 2, 27, 119:

excusare... mediocris est animi,

narrow, small, Caes. B. C. 3, 20:

ut mediocris jacturae te mergat onus,

Juv. 13, 7.—

Esp.

Per litoten, with non (haud, nec), not insignificant, not common or trivial:

Jugurthae non mediocrem animum pollicitando accendebant,

i. e. ardent, ambitious, Sall. J. 8, 1:

non mediocris hominis haec sunt officia,

Ter. Ad. 5, 9, 9:

haud mediocris hic, ut ego quidem intellego, vir fuit,

Cic. Rep. 2, 31, 55: nec mediocre [p. 1124] telum ad res gerendas, id. Lael. 17, 61:

non mediocrem sibi diligentiam adhibendam intellegebat,

uncommon, extraordinary, Caes. B. G. 3, 20:

praemium non mediocre,

Suet. Vesp. 18:

non mediocris dissensio,

Quint. 9, 1, 10 et saep.—

With syllaba, common = anceps:

syllabarum longarum et brevium et mediocrium junctura,

Gell. 16, 18, 5.—Hence, adv.: mĕdĭō̆crĭter.

Moderately, tolerably, ordinarily, not particularly, not very, not remarkably, not much (class.):

ordo annalium mediocriter nos retinet,

Cic. Fam. 5, 12, 5:

corpus mediocriter aegrum,

id. Tusc. 3, 10, 22.—

By litotes, with haud, ne, non (cf.:

supra, mediocris, II. A.): flagitium, et damnum haud mediocriter,

Plaut. Merc. 2, 1, 13:

non mediocriter,

in no moderate degree, Caes. B. G. 1, 39:

reprehensus est non mediocriter,

i. e. greatly, exceedingly, very much, Quint. 11, 1, 17; so id. 8, 2, 2; 9; 11, 1, 57 al.—

Very little:

ne mediocriter quidem disertus,

not in the least, Cic. de Or. 1, 20, 91.—

With moderation, calmly, tranquilly = modice (rare, and perh. only in Cic.):

quod mihi non mediocriter ferendum videtur,

Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 41, § 95.— Comp.:

hoc vellem mediocrius,

Cic. Att. 1, 20, 5.