litterā

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.

lĭno, lēvi (līvi), lĭtum, 3, and lĭnĭo, īvi, ītum. 4 (contr. form of the inf. perf. lisse for livisse. Spart. Hadr. 4: perf. livi, Cato, R. R. 69; Col. 12, 50, 17:

levi,

Hor. C. 1, 20, 3: lini for livi, acc. to Prisc. p. 898 P.), v. a. [Sanscr. root li-, to let go, pour; Gr. lib-, leibô; cf. Lat. libo; hence, littera, 2. limus], to daub, besmear, anoint, to spread or rub over.

Lit.:

cerā Spiramenta,

Verg. G. 4, 39:

spicula vipereo felle,

Ov. P. 1, 2, 18:

carmina linenda cedro,

Hor. A. P. 331:

Sabinum quod ego ipse testa Conditum levi (sc. pice),

which I have sealed with pitch, id. C. 1, 20, 3; cf. Liv. 21, 8, 10 Drak. N. cr.:

nam quis plura linit victuro dolia musto?

Juv. 9, 58:

picata opercula diligenter gypso linunt,

Col. 12, 16, 5:

faciem,

Juv. 6, 481:

sucis sagittas,

Sen. Med. 711: cum relego, scripsisse pudet, qui plurima cerno, Me quoque, qui feci, judice digna lini, that deserve to be rubbed out, erased (because the writing on a tablet was rubbed out with the broad end of the style), Ov. P. 1, 5, 15.—In the form linio, īre:

liquidā pice cum oleo linire,

Col. 6, 17; Pall. 4, 10, 29; Plin. 17, 28, 47, § 266:

tectoria luto cum liniuntur,

Vitr. 7, 3 fin. —

To rub over something: linere medicamenta per corpora, Ov. Med. fac. 81.—

Transf.

To overlay, cover: tecta auro, Ov. Med. fac. 7; Mart. 9, 62, 4.—

To bedaub, bemire:

linit ora luto,

Ov. F. 3, 760; Mart. 9, 22, 13.—

Trop., to befoul:

carmine foedo Splendida facta,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 237.

littĕrātus ( lītĕr-), a, um, adj. [littera], lettered, i. e.

Lit., marked with letters, branded:

ensiculus,

Plaut. Rud. 4, 4, 112:

securicula,

id. ib. 115:

urna,

id. ib. 2, 5, 21:

laminae,

App. M. 3, p. 137, 7:

laciniae auro litteratae,

id. ib. 6, 174, 28:

servus,

a branded slave, Plaut. Cas. 2, 6, 49; cf.:

homunculi frontes litterati,

App. M. 9, p. 222, 30.—

Transf.

Learned, liberally educated:

Canius nec infacetus et satis litteratus,

Cic. Off. 3, 14, 58:

et litteratus et disertus,

id. Brut. 21, 81; id. Mur. 7, 16:

servi,

id. Brut. 22, 87:

quibus ineptiis nec litteratior fit quisquam nec melior,

Sen. Q. N. 4, 13, 1.—Esp. of the learned expounders of the poets:

quem litteratissimum fuisse judico,

Cic. Fam. 9, 16, 4:

appellatio grammaticorum Graecā consuetudine invaluit: sed initio litterati vocabantur,

Suet. Gram. 4.—

Of or belonging to learning, learned:

quid est enim dulcius otio litterato,

learned leisure, Cic. Tusc. 5, 36, 105:

senectus,

id. Brut. 76, 265:

labor,

App. Mag. 4, p. 276, 8.—Hence, adv.: lit-tĕrātē.

With plain letters, in a clear hand:

rationes perscriptae scite et litterate,

Cic. Pis. 25, 61.—

Transf.

To the letter, literally:

litterate respondere,

Cic. Harusp. Resp. 8, 17.—

Learnedly, scientifically, elegantly, cleverly:

scriptorum veterum litterate peritus,

learnedly, critically skilled, Cic. Brut. 56, 205:

belle et litterate dicta,

clever sayings, id. de Or. 2, 62, 253.— Comp.:

litteratius Latine loqui,

Cic. Brut. 108, 28.