nuto

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nūto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. freq. n. [nuo (of re-nuo, ab-nuo); Gr. neuô; cf. numen, nutus], to nod with the head.

Lit.:

neque illa ulli homini nutet, nictet, annuat,

Plaut. As. 4, 1, 39; id. Merc. 2, 3, 72:

capite nutat,

id. Mil. 2, 2, 52: crebro capitis motu nutans. Suet. Calig. 38:

nutans. Distorquens oculos,

Hor. S. 1, 9, 64.—

Esp., to command by a nod or sign:

nutat ne loquar,

Plaut. Men. 4, 2, 48.—

In gen., to sway to and fro, to totter, shake, stagger.

Lit.:

nutant circumspectantibus galeae, et incerti trepidant,

Liv. 4, 37:

ornus,

Verg. A. 2, 629; 9, 682:

percutiens nutanti pectora mento,

Ov. M. 11, 620:

nutans machinamentum,

Tac. H. 4, 30:

nutantem vulnere civem,

Juv. 15, 156:

rami pondere,

Ov. A. A. 2, 263:

cristae,

Sil. 1, 501:

turres,

Luc. 6, 136:

plaustra,

Juv. 3, 256.—

Trop.

To waver in one's opinion or judgment; to doubt, hesitate:

etiam Democritus nutare videtur in naturā Deorum,

Cic. N. D. 1, 43, 120:

sic animus vario labefactus vulnere nutat,

Ov. M. 10, 375; cf. Stat. Th. 8, 614; 4, 197.—

To falter in one's fidelity, to be faithless:

ac primo Festūs nutabat, palam Vitellium, occultis nuntiis Vespasianum fovens,

Tac. H. 2, 98; Suet. Caes. 4.—

To be ready to fall or give way; to totter, to waver, fail, be weak, falter:

fortuna nutabit,

Liv. 21, 44:

tanto discrimine urbs nutabat, ut, etc.,

Tac. H. 4, 52:

nutantem aciem victor equitatus incursat,

id. ib. 3, 18;

4, 49: rempublicam,

Suet. Vesp. 8; cf.:

moenia nutantia Romae,

Sil. 10, 590:

nutantem hostem praevenire,

Tac. H. 3, 40; cf. Flor. 3, 10, 4:

mundi nutante ruinā,

Luc. 4, 493.

nūtus, ūs, m. [nuo, ĕre (of abnuo, etc.); cf. nuto], a nodding, a nod.

Lit.:

Scipio nutu finire disceptationem potuisset,

Liv. 34, 62:

nutu tremefecit Olympum,

Verg. A. 9, 106:

digitisque saepe est nutuque locutus,

Ov. Tr. 2, 453:

signaque dat nutu,

id. F. 1, 418:

nutus conferre loquaces,

Tib. 1, 2, 21:

digiti,

i.e. a beckoning, Tert. adv. Herm. 27:

membrorum,

Plin. 6, 30, 35, § 188: uno meo [p. 1231] nutu jugulari utrumque vestrum posse, Suet. Calig. 32:

nutibus oculorum,

winks, Vulg. Isa. 3, 16.—

Transf., a downward tendency or motion, gravity:

terrena suopte nutu et suo pondere in terram ferri,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 17, 40:

terra suā vi nutuque tenetur,

id. de Or. 3, 45, 178; so in plur., id. N. D. 2, 39, 98.—

Trop., command, will, pleasure:

ad eorum arbitrium et nutum totos se fingunt,

Cic. Or. 8, 24:

jura omnia praetoris nutu atque arbitrio meretriculae gubernari,

id. Verr. 2, 5, 13, § 34:

ad alicujus voluntatem nutumque convertere,

id. Fam. 3, 10, 10:

omnia deorum nutu atque potestate administrari,

id. Cat. 3, 9, 21:

auctoritate nutuque iegum domitas habere libidines,

id. de Or. 1, 43, 194:

paratum esse ad nutum,

id. Phil. 7, 6, 18:

ad nutum praesto esse,

id. Verr. 2, 1, 31, § 78:

respirare contra nutum dicionemque alicujus,

id. Quint. 30, 94:

alterius sub nutu degitur aetas,

Lucr. 4, 1122:

saevae nutu Junonis eunt res,

Verg. A. 7, 592.

văcillo ( a scanned long, Lucr. 3, 502), āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. [cf. Sanscr. vak-, to roll; vank-, to shake], to sway to and fro; to waddle, stagger, reel, totter, waver, vacillate (class.; a favorite word with Cic.; cf.: nuto, titubo).

Lit., of drunken persons: quosdam ex vino vacillantes, quosdam hesternā potatione oscitantes, Cic. Fragm. ap. Quint. 8, 3, 66:

videre quosdam ex vino vacillantis,

Quint. 11, 3, 165:

praepediuntur crure vacillanti,

Lucr. 3, 479; cf. Ruhnk. ad Rutil. Lup. 2, 7, p. 164 Frotsch.:

in utramque partem toto corpore vacillans,

Cic. Brut. 60, 216:

arbor ventis pulsa vacillans aestuat,

Lucr. 5, 1096; so,

ambusta,

id. 1, 806:

vacillant omnia tecta,

id. 6, 575:

sub pedibus tellus cum tota vacillat,

id. 5, 1236:

accepi tuam epistulam vacillantibus litterulis,

Cic. Fam. 16, 15, 2.—

Trop., to waver, hesitate, stagger, be untrustworthy, to vacillate:

tota res vacillat et claudicat,

Cic. N. D. 1, 38, 107:

Erotem ad ista expedienda factum mihi videbar reliquisse, cujus non sine magnā culpā vacillarunt,

have fallen into confusion, id. Att. 14, 18, 2:

justitia vacillat vel jacet potius,

id. Off. 3, 33, 118:

stabilitas amicitiae vacillat,

id. Fin. 1, 20, 66:

legio vacillans,

wavering in fidelity, id. Phil. 3, 12, 31: gerontikôteron est memoriola vacillare, id. Att. 12, 1, 2:

partim sumptibus in vetere aere alieno vacillant,

are staggering beneath a load of old debts, id. Cat. 2, 10, 21:

aegrotat fama vacillans,

Lucr. 4, 1124:

gentes vacillantes,

Vell. 2, 130, 3:

cum animus paulum vacillavit,

Sen. Ep. 114, 22:

testes, qui adversus fidem testationis suae vacillant, audiendi non sunt,

Dig. 22, 5, 2:

cujus (testis) ita anceps fides vacillat,

ib. 48, 10, 27.