to restrain one's rashness in believing from leading him into error

lapsus, a, um, Part., from 1. labor.

lapsus, ūs, m. [1. labor], a falling, fall; a slipping, sliding, gliding, running, flowing, flying, flight, etc. (class.).

Lit.:

ac celeri ferme percurrunt fulmina lapsu,

Lucr. 6, 324:

atque ea, quae lapsu tandem cecidere vetusto, Cic. poët. Div. 1, 11, 19: infrenis equi lapsu jacens,

Verg. A. 10, 750:

tum quassao nutant turres, lapsumque minantur,

Luc. 6, 136:

horrere lapsus tectorum assiduos,

Juv. 3, 8.—Of a landslide:

locus recenti lapsu terrae abruptus,

Liv. 21, 36, 2:

lapsu scalarum exanimatus,

by falling down stairs, Plin. 7, 37, 37, § 124:

ut neque sustinere se a lapsu possent,

Liv. 21, 35 fin.:

puerilium dentium,

the shedding, Sen. Ben. 4, 6, 6:

si lacus emissus lapsu et cursu suo ad mare profluxisset,

Cic. Div. 1, 44, 100:

(stellae) certo lapsu spatioque feruntur,

course, id. ib. 1, 11, 17; cf.:

medio volvuntur sidera lapsu,

Verg. A. 4, 524:

molli zephyros descendere lapsu adspiciunt,

Val. Fl. 1, 686:

accepere deae, celerique per aethera lapsu, periere, etc.,

id. 1, 91:

volucrum lapsus,

flight, Cic. N. D. 2, 39, 99; cf.: facili lapsu ad deos pervolare, id. Fragm. ap. Lact. 3, 18 (19), 6:

gemini lapsu delubra ad summa dracones Effugiunt,

Verg. A. 2, 225:

vitis serpens multiplici lapsu et erratico,

Cic. de Sen. 15, 52:

rotarum,

i. e. rolling wheels, Verg. A, 2, 236 (cf. trochôn baseis, Soph. Elect. 718;

and remigium alarum = alae,

Verg. A. 1, 301): arte materna rapidos morantem Fluminum [p. 1036] lapsus, i. e. flumina, Hor. C. 1, 12, 10. —

Transf., of the effects of a fall; in plur.: contra ulcera, rupta, lapsusque, bruises, contusions received in falling, Plin. 22, 17, 20, § 43.—

Trop., a failing, error, fault (rare but class.):

amor lapsum animi ludificat,

Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 11:

ab omni lapsu continere temeritatem,

to restrain one's rashness in believing from leading him into error, Cic. Ac. 1, 12, 45:

cum sint populares multi variique lapsus,

of losing popularity, id. de Or. 2, 83, 339:

haud alius fidei pronior lapsus, quam ubi, etc.,

Plin. 5, 1, 1, § 12.