to+sit

ob-sĭdĕo, ēdi, essum, 2, v. n. and a. [sedeo].

Neutr., to sit, stay, remain, abide anywhere (only poet.):

servi ne obsideant, liberis ut sit locus,

Plaut. Poen. prol. 23:

domi obsidere,

Ter. Ad. 4, 6, 6:

in limine,

Val. Fl. 2, 237.—

Act., to sit at, on, or in, to remain on or in, to haunt, inhabit, frequent a place.

In gen.:

aram,

Plaut. Rud. 3, 3, 36:

ranae stagna et rivos obsident,

frequent marshes, Plin. 11, 18, 19, § 62:

obsedit limina bubo,

Sil. 8, 636:

Apollo umbilicum terrarum obsidet,

Cic. Div. 2, 56.—

In partic.

Milit. t. t., to sit down before, to hem in, beset, besiege, invest, blockade a place (cf. oppugno):

cum omnes aditus armati obsiderent,

Cic. Phil. 2, 35, 89:

Curio Uticam obsidere instituit,

Caes. B. C. 2, 36:

consiliis ab oppugnandā urbe ad obsidendam versis,

Liv. 2, 11:

propius inopiam erant obsidentes quam obsessi,

id. 25, 11:

ut Carthaginem crederent extemplo Scipionem obsessurum,

id. 30, 7:

totam Italiam,

Cic. Agr. 2, 28, 75:

vias,

Caes. B. G. 3, 23:

vallis obsessa,

Verg. A. 10, 120:

egregias Lateranorum aedīs,

Juv. 10, 17.—

To occupy, fill, possess:

corporibus omnis obsidetur locus,

is filled, Cic. N. D. 1, 23, 65:

senatum armis,

id. Phil. 7, 5, 15:

palus obsessa salictis,

full of osier-thickets, Ov. M. 11, 363:

Trachasque obsessa palude,

i. e. surrounded, id. ib. 15, 717.—

Trop., to occupy, possess, take possession of:

alicujus animum,

Just. 42, 4, 21:

qui meum tempus obsideret,

who took up my time, Cic. Verr. 1, 2, 6; id. Or. 62, 210:

cum obsideri aures a fratre cerneret,

that they were continually besieged by his brother, Liv. 40, 20 fin. —

To have one's eye upon, to watch closely, be on the look-out for:

jacere humi... ad obsidendum stuprum,

Cic. Cat. 1, 10, 26:

rostra,

id. Fl. 24, 57.

parvus, a, um, adj. (usual, irreg. comp. and sup.: mĭnor, mĭnĭmus.— Comp.:

volantum parviores,

Cael. Aur. Tard. 2, 1, 26.— Sup.: rictus parvissimus, Varr. ap. Non. 456, 10:

parvissima corpora,

Lucr. 1, 615; 621; 3, 199: minerrimus pro minimo dixerunt, Paul. ex Fest. p. 122 Müll.:

minimissimus,

Arn. 5, n. 8) [kindr. with paucus and Gr. pauros; cf., also, parum, parcus], little, small, petty, puny, inconsiderable (cf.: exiguus, minutus, brevis; in class. prose parvus is not used, like brevis, of stature, v. Auct. Her. 4, 33, 45).

Posit.:

in parvis aut mediocribus rebus,

Cic. de Or. 2, 20, 84:

quam parva sit terra, etc.,

id. Rep. 1, 17, 26; cf. id. ib. 6, 16, 16:

commoda parva ac mediocria,

id. Q. Fr. 3, 8, 1:

in parvum quendam et angustum locum concludi,

id. Leg. 1, 5, 17:

beneficium non parvum,

id. Caecin. 10, 26:

parvi pisciculi,

id. N. D. 2, 48, 123:

haec parva et infirma sunt,

id. Clu. 34, 94:

si parva licet componere magnis,

Verg. G. 4, 176:

merces,

Hor. S. 1, 6, 86:

sucus,

Plin. 21, 31, 105, § 178 et saep.:

liberi,

Cic. Rep. 2, 21, 37;

so of children: salutaria appetant parvi,

the little ones, id. Fin. 3, 5, 16:

parva soror,

Ter. Eun. 3, 3, 15; cf.:

memini quae plagosum mihi parvo Orbilium dictare,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 70:

operosa parvus Carmina fingo,

a little man, id. C. 4, 2, 31; Suet. Aug. 48:

a parvis didicimus: si in jus vocat, etc.,

when little, in childhood, Cic. Leg. 2, 4, 9:

puer in domo a parvo eductus,

from infancy, Liv. 1, 39 fin. —Of time, little, short, brief:

parvae consuetudinis Causa,

slight, short, Ter. And. 1, 1, 83; cf.:

in parvo tempore,

Lucr. 5, 106:

nox,

Luc. 4, 476:

vita,

id. 6, 806:

parvam fidem habere alicui,

Ter. Eun. 1, 2, 117:

hic onus horret, Ut parvis animis et parvo corpore majus,

Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 39:

homo parvo ingenio,

Plin. Ep. 6, 29:

parvum carmen,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 257:

hoc opus, hoc studium parvi properemus et ampli,

both small and great, id. ib. 1, 3, 28.—With ref. to value or consequence, little, small, low, mean, etc.:

meam erus esse operam deputat parvi pretii,

Ter. Hec. 5, 3, 1:

nil parvom aut humili modo, Nil mortale loquar,

Hor. C. 3, 25, 17:

et magnis parva mineris Falce recisurum simili te,

id. S. 1, 3, 122:

pretio parvo vendere,

Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 60, § 134:

parvi sunt foris arma, nisi est consilium domi,

of little value, id. Off. 1, 22, 76:

parvi refert abs te jus dici diligenter, nisi, etc.,

it matters little, id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 7, § 20.—Hence, parvi facere, aestimare, ducere, pendere, etc., to esteem lightly, care little for:

parvi ego illos facio,

Plaut. Mil. 4, 8, 41:

parvi aestimo, si ego hic peribo,

id. Capt. 3, 5, 24:

quia parvi id duceret,

Cic. Fin. 2, 8, 24: nequam hominis ego parvi pendo gratiam, Plaut. Bacch. 3, 6, 29.—So, in abl.:

signa abs te diligenter parvoque curata sunt,

Cic. Att. 1, 3, 2; so,

quanti emptus? parvo,

Hor. S. 2, 3, 156:

parvo stat magna potentia nobis,

Ov. M. 14, 493:

parvo contentus esse possum,

with little, Cic. Att. 12, 19, 1; cf.:

vivitur parvo bene,

Hor. C. 2, 16, 13:

possim contentus vivere parvo,

Tib. 1, 1, 25:

agricolae prisci, fortes parvoque beati,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 139:

necessarium est parvo assuescere,

Sen. Ep. 123, 3: parvo, as an abl. of measure, with comp. (rarely;

perh. not ante-Aug.): ita ut parvo admodum plures caperentur,

a very little more, Liv. 10, 45, 11:

parvo brevius,

Plin. 2, 67, 67, § 168:

haud parvo junior,

Gell. 13, 2, 2.—So in designating time:

parvo post,

Plin. 16, 25, 42, § 103:

parvo post tempore,

Vulg. 2 Macc. 11, 1.—Of stature (late Lat. for brevis):

Zacchaeus staturā parvus erat,

Aug. Serm. 113, 3; id. in Psa. 143, 1.

Comp.: mĭnor, us [cf. Gr. minus, minuthô], less, lesser, smaller, inferior:

quod in re majore valet, valeat in minore,

Cic. Top. 4, 23:

si ea pecunia non minor esset facta,

id. Leg. 2, 20, 51:

Hibernia dimidio minor quam Britannia,

Caes. B. G. 5, 13:

minus praedae quam speraverant fuit,

a smaller quantity, less, Liv. 4, 51:

sociis dimidio minus quam civibus datum,

id. 41, 13 fin.:

calceus... si minor (pede), uret,

Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 43:

neve minor, neu sit quinto productior actu Fabula,

less than five acts, id. A. P. 189:

genibus minor,

i. e. down upon his knees, on his bended knees, id. Ep. 1, 12, 28; cf.:

minor in certamine longo,

worsted, id. ib. 1, 10, 35:

numero plures, virtute et honore minores,

inferior, id. ib. 2, 1, 183.— Absol.: minor, inferior in rank:

praevalidi ad injurias minorum elati,

Tac. A. 15, 20; Ov. P. 4, 7, 49; cf.:

sapiens uno minor est Jove,

Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 106:

minor capitis, i. e. capiti deminutus,

Hor. C. 3, 5, 42: et sunt notitiā multa minora tuā, too trivial, = leviora, Ov. Tr. 2, 214:

dies sermone minor fuit,

too short for, id. P. 2, 10, 37:

infans Et minor igne rogi,

too young for, Juv. 15, 140.—With abl. of measure, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 45, § 117:

ut uno minus teste haberet?

id. ib. 2, 1, 57, §

149: bis sex Herculeis ceciderunt, me minus uno, Viribus,

i. e. eleven, Ov. M. 12, 554.—Of age:

qui minor est natu,

younger, Cic. Lael. 9, 32:

aliquot annis minor natu,

id. Ac. 2, 19, 61:

aetate minor,

Ov. M. 7, 499:

minor uno mense,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 40:

filia minor Ptolemaei regis,

the younger daughter, Caes. B. C. 3, 112:

minor viginti annis,

less than twenty years old, under twenty years of age, Dig. 30, 99, 1.— With gen.:

minor quam viginti quinque annorum natu, Praetor,

Dig. 4, 4, 1; id. ib. 50, 2, 6:

si pupilla minor quam viripotens nupserit,

id. ib. 36, 2, 30.—So, absol.: minor, a person under age (under five-and-twenty), a minor:

De minoribus,

Dig. 4, tit. 4:

si minor negotiis majoris intervenerit,

ib. 4, 4, 24:

si minor praetor vel consul jus dixerit, valebit,

ib. 42, 1, 57.— Poet., children, Sil. 2, 491.—Also, descendants, posterity, = posteri:

nunc fama, minores Italiam dixisse ducis de nomine gentem,

Verg. A. 1, 532; so id. ib. 733; Prop. 2, 15, 47; Sil. 16, 44:

minorum gentium, v. gens.—In specifications of value: vendo meum non pluris quam ceteri, fortasse etiam minoris,

cheaper, Cic. Off. 3, 12, 51:

minoris pallium addicere placuit,

Petr. 14: omnia minoris aestimare, Sulp. ap. Cic. Fam. 4, 5, 2:

(fidem suam) non minoris quam publicam ducebat,

Sall. J. 32, 5.—

Poet., with acc. respect.:

frontemque minor truncam amnis Acarnan,

Sil. 3, 42; Val. Fl. 1, 582.—

Poet., with inf.:

tanto certare minor,

Hor. S. 2, 3, 313:

heu Fatis Superi certare minores!

Sil. 5, 76.

Sup.: mĭnĭmus, a, um (whence a new sup.:

minimissimus digitorum,

Arn. 5, 160; 166; cf., in the Gr., elachistotatos, from elachistos), very small, very little; least, smallest, etc.:

cum sit nihil omnino in rerum naturā minimum, quod dividi nequeat,

Cic. Ac. 1, 7, 27:

minimae tenuissimaeque res,

id. de Or. 1, 37, 169:

minima pars temporis,

Caes. B. C. 1, 70:

quā minima altitudo fluminis erat,

id. B. G. 1, 8:

in maximā fortunā minima licentia est,

Sall. C. 51, 13:

vitia,

Hor. S. 1, 3, 69:

minimus digitulus,

the little finger, Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 15; so,

minimus digitus,

Plin. 11, 45, 103, § 251.—Of age: minimus natu horum omnium, the youngest, Cic. de Or. 2, 14, 58:

ex his omnibus natu minimus,

id. Clu. 38, 107:

Hiempsal, qui minimus ex illis erat,

Sall. J. 11, 3:

minimus filius,

Just. 42, 5, 6.—In specifications of value:

deos minimi facit,

Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 35: Pe. Quanti emi potest minimo? Ep. Ad quadraginta fortasse eam posse emi minimo minis, id. Ep. 2, 2, 110: Crispinus minimo me provocat, for a trifle (in a wager), Hor. S. 1, 4, 14 (minimo provocare dicuntur hi qui in responsione plus ipsi promittunt quam exigunt ab adversario, Schol.).—Prov.:

minima de malis,

of evils choose the least, Cic. Off. 3, 29, 105.—

With a negation emphatically: non minimo discrimine, i. e. maximo,

Suet. Aug. 25:

res non minimi periculi,

id. ib. 67:

ut nihil, ne pro minimis quidem, debeant,

Liv. 6, 41. —With gen.:

minimum firmitatis minimumque virium,

Cic. Lael. 13, 46:

minimum pedibus itineris confectum,

Liv. 44, 5:

unde minimum periculi erat,

id. 27, 15.— As adv. absol.:

praemia apud me minimum valent,

very little, Cic. Fam. 1, 9, 11; cf. Quint. 5, 10, 56:

minimum distantia miror,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 72:

dormiebat minimum,

Plin. Ep. 3, 5, 11:

medica secatur sexies per annos: cum minimum, quater,

at least, Plin. 18, 16, 43, § 146:

quam minimum credula postero (diei),

as little as possible, Hor. C. 1, 11, 8:

ita fiunt omnes partes minimum octoginta et una,

at least, Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 12:

quae (comprehensio) ex tribus minimum partibus constat,

Quint. 5, 10, 5:

in quo non minimum Aetolorum operā regii fugati atque in castra compulsi sunt,

chiefly, particularly, Liv. 33, 6, 6:

eae omnia novella sata corrumpunt, non minimum vites,

Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 18.—Hence, adv.

Posit.: parvē, a little, slightly (very rare), Vitr. 9, 6.—

Comp.: mĭnus, less:

aut ne quid faciam plus, quod post me minus fecisse satius sit,

too little... too much, Ter. Hec. 5, 1, 4:

ne quid plus minusve faxit,

id. Phorm. 3, 3, 21 (v. plus, under multus):

cum habeas plus, Pauperiem metuas minus,

Hor. S. 1, 1, 93:

ne mea oratio, si minus de aliquo dixero, ingrata: si satis de omnibus, infinita esse videatur,

Cic. Sest. 50, 108:

metus ipsi per se minus valerent, nisi, etc.,

id. Div. 2, 72, 150:

minus multi,

not so many, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 138:

minus multum et minus bonum vinum,

Varr. R. R. 1, 7, 2:

ita imperium semper ad optumum quemque a minus bono transfertur,

less good, not so good, Sall. C. 2, 6:

quia Libyes quam Gaetuli minus bellicosi,

Sall. J. 18, 12:

minus diu vivunt,

Plin. 14, 22, 28, § 141.—Rarely with comp.:

minus admirabilior,

Flor. 4, 2, 46 Duker: quare milites Metelli sauciabantur multo minus, Quadrig. ap. Gell. 9, 1, 1; cf. Ov. M. 12, 554:

civilem admodum inter initia ac paulo minus quam privatum egit,

little less so than, nearly as much so as, Suet. Tib. 26:

dimidio minus,

Varr. R. R. 1, 22, 3.—With quam:

nec illa minus aut plus quam tu sapiat,

Plaut. As. 4, 1, 28:

minus quam aequom erat feci,

id. Aul. 3, 2, 10:

respondebo tibi minus fortasse vehementer, quam abs te sum provocatus,

Cic. Planc. 30, 72.—With atque:

qui peccas minus atque ego?

Hor. S. 2, 7, 96.—And elliptically, without a particle of comparison:

minus quindecim dies sunt, quod, etc.,

less than fifteen days, not yet fifteen days, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 1:

madefactum iri minus XXX. diebus Graeciam sanguine,

Cic. Div. 1, 32, 68:

minus quinquennium est, quod prodiere,

Plin. 15, 25, 30, § 104:

cecidere duo milia haud minus peditum,

Liv. 42, 6:

cum centum et quinquaginta non minus adessent,

id. 42, 28; Varr. R. R. 2, 2 fin.:

ut ex suā cujusque parte ne minus dimidium ad Trebonium perveniret,

Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 47, § 123:

ut antequam baccae legantur, ne minus triduum serenum fuerit,

Col. 12, 38, 6.—

In partic.

Non (haud) minus quam (atque), not less than, no less than, quite as:

exanimatus evolat ex senatu, non minus perturbato animo atque vultu, quam si, etc.,

Cic. Sest. 12, 28:

existumans non minus me tibi quam liberos carum fore,

Sall. J. 10, 1:

non minus nobis jucundi atque illustres sunt ii dies, quibus conservamur quam illi quibus nascimur,

Cic. Cat. 3, 1, 2; Quint. 2, 4, 8; 3, 7, 20:

laudibus haud minus quam praemio gaudent militum animi,

Liv. 2, 60:

haud minus ac jussi faciunt,

Verg. A. 3, 561.—

Non (neque) minus, equally, and as well, also: haec res [p. 1311] non minus me male habet quam te, Ter. Hec. 4, 2, 30: quae hominibus non minus quam liberi cara esse debent, Sulp. ap. Cic. Fam. 4, 5, 3; Ov. H. 19, 86:

neque minus assiduis fessa choreis,

also, Prop. 1, 3, 3.—

Nihil minus, in replies, as a strong negation, by no means, Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 45: Py. At tu apud nos hic mane, Dum redeat ipsa. Ch. Nihil minus, id. ib. 3, 3, 29:

nihil profecto minus,

Cic. Off. 3, 20, 81; cf.: quid? a Tranione servo? Si. Multo id minus, Plaut. Most. 4, 3, 20.—

Minus minusque, minus et (ac) minus, less and less: mihi jam minus minusque obtemperat. Ter. Heaut. 3, 3, 33:

jam minus atque minus successu laetus equorum,

Verg. A. 12, 616; Hor. C. 1, 25, 6:

minus et minus,

Ov. P. 2, 8, 73; id. H. 2, 129:

minus ac minus,

Plin. 11, 10, 10, § 26.—

Transf., in a softened negation, not at all, by no means, not:

quod intellexi minus,

Ter. Eun. 4, 5, 11:

nonnumquam ea quae praedicta sunt, minus eveniunt,

Cic. Div. 1, 14, 24.—Esp.:

si minus: monebo, si quem meministi minus,

Plaut. Cas. 5, 4, 19:

Syracusis, si minus supplicio affici, at custodiri oportebat,

Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 27, § 69:

quod si assecutus sum, gaudeo: sin minus, hoc me tamen consolor quod, etc.,

id. Fam. 7, 1, 6 et saep.; so,

minus formido ne exedat,

Plaut. Curc. 1, 1, 45. —

Quo minus, also written as one word, quominus, that not, from, after verbs of hindering, preventing, as impedio, recuso, deterreo, etc., Ter. And. 1, 2, 26:

si te infirmitas valetudinis tenuit, quo minus ad ludos venires,

Cic. Fam. 7, 1, 1; 7, 1, 6:

hiemem credo prohibuisse, quo minus de te certum haberemus, quid ageres,

id. Fam. 12, 5, 1:

deterrere aliquem, quo minus, etc.,

id. Tusc. 1, 38, 91:

stetisse per Trebonium, quo minus oppido potirentur, videbatur,

Caes. B. C. 2, 13 fin.; Quint. 12, 1, 16;

v. also quo. —Ante-class. also in the reverse order, minus quo: ne vereatur, minus jam quo redeat domum,

Ter. Hec. 4, 4, 8.—

Sup., in two forms, parvissime (post-class.), and minime (class.), least, very little.

par-vissĭmē:

memorare aliquid,

very briefly, with very few words, Cael. Aur. Acut. 2, 38. —

mĭnĭmē, least of all, in the smallest degree, least, very little:

cum minime vellem, minimeque opus fuit,

Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 42:

cum minime videbamur, tum maxime philosophabamur,

Cic. N. D. 1, 3, 6; id. Or. 66, 222:

mihi placebat Pomponius maxime, vel dicam minime displicebat,

id. Brut. 57, 207:

quod in miserrimis rebus minime miserum putabis, id facies,

id. Fam. 14, 13:

quod minime ad eos mercatores saepe commeant,

very rarely, Caes. B. G. 1, 1, 3; Cic. de Or. 2, 79, 322.—Strengthened by quam:

si non decore, at quam minime dedecore facere possimus,

as little as possible, Cic. Off. 1, 31, 114; by omnium and gentium:

ad te minime omnium pertinebat,

id. Rosc. Am. 34, 96:

minime gentium,

Plaut. Poen. 3, 3, 77:

heus, inquit, puer, arcesse Pamphilam,... illa exclamat, Minime gentium,

not for any thing in the world, Ter. Eun. 4, 1, 11; id. Ad. 3, 2, 44.—

In partic.

For minimum, saltem, at least:

is morbus erit longissimus minimeque annuus,

Cels. 2, 8 fin. Targ.:

pedes decem vel minime novem,

Col. 1, 6, 6:

sed id minime bis anno arari debet,

id. 5, 9, 12; id. Arb. 16, 3.—

In replies, as an emphatic negative, by no means, not at all, not in the least, Plaut. Curc. 1, 3, 50: Ba. Sed cessas? Pa. Minime equidem:

nam hodie, etc.,

Ter. Hec. 5, 3, 16: M. An tu haec non credis? A. Minime vero, Cic. Tusc. 1, 6, 10: num igitur peccamus? Minime vos quidem. id. Att. 8, 9, 2:

minime, minime hercle vero!

Plaut. Trin. 3, 3, 23; so in discourse: minime multi (= quam paucissimi). Ter. Eun. prol. 2: minume irasci decet. Plaut. Stich. 1, 1, 27; Sall. C. 51, 13.—Strengthened by gentium (cf.supra): Nau. Meriton' hoc meo videtur factum? De. Minime gentium, Ter. Phorm. 5, 8, 44.

parvus, a, um, adj. (usual, irreg. comp. and sup.: mĭnor, mĭnĭmus.— Comp.:

volantum parviores,

Cael. Aur. Tard. 2, 1, 26.— Sup.: rictus parvissimus, Varr. ap. Non. 456, 10:

parvissima corpora,

Lucr. 1, 615; 621; 3, 199: minerrimus pro minimo dixerunt, Paul. ex Fest. p. 122 Müll.:

minimissimus,

Arn. 5, n. 8) [kindr. with paucus and Gr. pauros; cf., also, parum, parcus], little, small, petty, puny, inconsiderable (cf.: exiguus, minutus, brevis; in class. prose parvus is not used, like brevis, of stature, v. Auct. Her. 4, 33, 45).

Posit.:

in parvis aut mediocribus rebus,

Cic. de Or. 2, 20, 84:

quam parva sit terra, etc.,

id. Rep. 1, 17, 26; cf. id. ib. 6, 16, 16:

commoda parva ac mediocria,

id. Q. Fr. 3, 8, 1:

in parvum quendam et angustum locum concludi,

id. Leg. 1, 5, 17:

beneficium non parvum,

id. Caecin. 10, 26:

parvi pisciculi,

id. N. D. 2, 48, 123:

haec parva et infirma sunt,

id. Clu. 34, 94:

si parva licet componere magnis,

Verg. G. 4, 176:

merces,

Hor. S. 1, 6, 86:

sucus,

Plin. 21, 31, 105, § 178 et saep.:

liberi,

Cic. Rep. 2, 21, 37;

so of children: salutaria appetant parvi,

the little ones, id. Fin. 3, 5, 16:

parva soror,

Ter. Eun. 3, 3, 15; cf.:

memini quae plagosum mihi parvo Orbilium dictare,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 70:

operosa parvus Carmina fingo,

a little man, id. C. 4, 2, 31; Suet. Aug. 48:

a parvis didicimus: si in jus vocat, etc.,

when little, in childhood, Cic. Leg. 2, 4, 9:

puer in domo a parvo eductus,

from infancy, Liv. 1, 39 fin. —Of time, little, short, brief:

parvae consuetudinis Causa,

slight, short, Ter. And. 1, 1, 83; cf.:

in parvo tempore,

Lucr. 5, 106:

nox,

Luc. 4, 476:

vita,

id. 6, 806:

parvam fidem habere alicui,

Ter. Eun. 1, 2, 117:

hic onus horret, Ut parvis animis et parvo corpore majus,

Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 39:

homo parvo ingenio,

Plin. Ep. 6, 29:

parvum carmen,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 257:

hoc opus, hoc studium parvi properemus et ampli,

both small and great, id. ib. 1, 3, 28.—With ref. to value or consequence, little, small, low, mean, etc.:

meam erus esse operam deputat parvi pretii,

Ter. Hec. 5, 3, 1:

nil parvom aut humili modo, Nil mortale loquar,

Hor. C. 3, 25, 17:

et magnis parva mineris Falce recisurum simili te,

id. S. 1, 3, 122:

pretio parvo vendere,

Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 60, § 134:

parvi sunt foris arma, nisi est consilium domi,

of little value, id. Off. 1, 22, 76:

parvi refert abs te jus dici diligenter, nisi, etc.,

it matters little, id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 7, § 20.—Hence, parvi facere, aestimare, ducere, pendere, etc., to esteem lightly, care little for:

parvi ego illos facio,

Plaut. Mil. 4, 8, 41:

parvi aestimo, si ego hic peribo,

id. Capt. 3, 5, 24:

quia parvi id duceret,

Cic. Fin. 2, 8, 24: nequam hominis ego parvi pendo gratiam, Plaut. Bacch. 3, 6, 29.—So, in abl.:

signa abs te diligenter parvoque curata sunt,

Cic. Att. 1, 3, 2; so,

quanti emptus? parvo,

Hor. S. 2, 3, 156:

parvo stat magna potentia nobis,

Ov. M. 14, 493:

parvo contentus esse possum,

with little, Cic. Att. 12, 19, 1; cf.:

vivitur parvo bene,

Hor. C. 2, 16, 13:

possim contentus vivere parvo,

Tib. 1, 1, 25:

agricolae prisci, fortes parvoque beati,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 139:

necessarium est parvo assuescere,

Sen. Ep. 123, 3: parvo, as an abl. of measure, with comp. (rarely;

perh. not ante-Aug.): ita ut parvo admodum plures caperentur,

a very little more, Liv. 10, 45, 11:

parvo brevius,

Plin. 2, 67, 67, § 168:

haud parvo junior,

Gell. 13, 2, 2.—So in designating time:

parvo post,

Plin. 16, 25, 42, § 103:

parvo post tempore,

Vulg. 2 Macc. 11, 1.—Of stature (late Lat. for brevis):

Zacchaeus staturā parvus erat,

Aug. Serm. 113, 3; id. in Psa. 143, 1.

Comp.: mĭnor, us [cf. Gr. minus, minuthô], less, lesser, smaller, inferior:

quod in re majore valet, valeat in minore,

Cic. Top. 4, 23:

si ea pecunia non minor esset facta,

id. Leg. 2, 20, 51:

Hibernia dimidio minor quam Britannia,

Caes. B. G. 5, 13:

minus praedae quam speraverant fuit,

a smaller quantity, less, Liv. 4, 51:

sociis dimidio minus quam civibus datum,

id. 41, 13 fin.:

calceus... si minor (pede), uret,

Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 43:

neve minor, neu sit quinto productior actu Fabula,

less than five acts, id. A. P. 189:

genibus minor,

i. e. down upon his knees, on his bended knees, id. Ep. 1, 12, 28; cf.:

minor in certamine longo,

worsted, id. ib. 1, 10, 35:

numero plures, virtute et honore minores,

inferior, id. ib. 2, 1, 183.— Absol.: minor, inferior in rank:

praevalidi ad injurias minorum elati,

Tac. A. 15, 20; Ov. P. 4, 7, 49; cf.:

sapiens uno minor est Jove,

Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 106:

minor capitis, i. e. capiti deminutus,

Hor. C. 3, 5, 42: et sunt notitiā multa minora tuā, too trivial, = leviora, Ov. Tr. 2, 214:

dies sermone minor fuit,

too short for, id. P. 2, 10, 37:

infans Et minor igne rogi,

too young for, Juv. 15, 140.—With abl. of measure, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 45, § 117:

ut uno minus teste haberet?

id. ib. 2, 1, 57, §

149: bis sex Herculeis ceciderunt, me minus uno, Viribus,

i. e. eleven, Ov. M. 12, 554.—Of age:

qui minor est natu,

younger, Cic. Lael. 9, 32:

aliquot annis minor natu,

id. Ac. 2, 19, 61:

aetate minor,

Ov. M. 7, 499:

minor uno mense,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 40:

filia minor Ptolemaei regis,

the younger daughter, Caes. B. C. 3, 112:

minor viginti annis,

less than twenty years old, under twenty years of age, Dig. 30, 99, 1.— With gen.:

minor quam viginti quinque annorum natu, Praetor,

Dig. 4, 4, 1; id. ib. 50, 2, 6:

si pupilla minor quam viripotens nupserit,

id. ib. 36, 2, 30.—So, absol.: minor, a person under age (under five-and-twenty), a minor:

De minoribus,

Dig. 4, tit. 4:

si minor negotiis majoris intervenerit,

ib. 4, 4, 24:

si minor praetor vel consul jus dixerit, valebit,

ib. 42, 1, 57.— Poet., children, Sil. 2, 491.—Also, descendants, posterity, = posteri:

nunc fama, minores Italiam dixisse ducis de nomine gentem,

Verg. A. 1, 532; so id. ib. 733; Prop. 2, 15, 47; Sil. 16, 44:

minorum gentium, v. gens.—In specifications of value: vendo meum non pluris quam ceteri, fortasse etiam minoris,

cheaper, Cic. Off. 3, 12, 51:

minoris pallium addicere placuit,

Petr. 14: omnia minoris aestimare, Sulp. ap. Cic. Fam. 4, 5, 2:

(fidem suam) non minoris quam publicam ducebat,

Sall. J. 32, 5.—

Poet., with acc. respect.:

frontemque minor truncam amnis Acarnan,

Sil. 3, 42; Val. Fl. 1, 582.—

Poet., with inf.:

tanto certare minor,

Hor. S. 2, 3, 313:

heu Fatis Superi certare minores!

Sil. 5, 76.

Sup.: mĭnĭmus, a, um (whence a new sup.:

minimissimus digitorum,

Arn. 5, 160; 166; cf., in the Gr., elachistotatos, from elachistos), very small, very little; least, smallest, etc.:

cum sit nihil omnino in rerum naturā minimum, quod dividi nequeat,

Cic. Ac. 1, 7, 27:

minimae tenuissimaeque res,

id. de Or. 1, 37, 169:

minima pars temporis,

Caes. B. C. 1, 70:

quā minima altitudo fluminis erat,

id. B. G. 1, 8:

in maximā fortunā minima licentia est,

Sall. C. 51, 13:

vitia,

Hor. S. 1, 3, 69:

minimus digitulus,

the little finger, Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 15; so,

minimus digitus,

Plin. 11, 45, 103, § 251.—Of age: minimus natu horum omnium, the youngest, Cic. de Or. 2, 14, 58:

ex his omnibus natu minimus,

id. Clu. 38, 107:

Hiempsal, qui minimus ex illis erat,

Sall. J. 11, 3:

minimus filius,

Just. 42, 5, 6.—In specifications of value:

deos minimi facit,

Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 35: Pe. Quanti emi potest minimo? Ep. Ad quadraginta fortasse eam posse emi minimo minis, id. Ep. 2, 2, 110: Crispinus minimo me provocat, for a trifle (in a wager), Hor. S. 1, 4, 14 (minimo provocare dicuntur hi qui in responsione plus ipsi promittunt quam exigunt ab adversario, Schol.).—Prov.:

minima de malis,

of evils choose the least, Cic. Off. 3, 29, 105.—

With a negation emphatically: non minimo discrimine, i. e. maximo,

Suet. Aug. 25:

res non minimi periculi,

id. ib. 67:

ut nihil, ne pro minimis quidem, debeant,

Liv. 6, 41. —With gen.:

minimum firmitatis minimumque virium,

Cic. Lael. 13, 46:

minimum pedibus itineris confectum,

Liv. 44, 5:

unde minimum periculi erat,

id. 27, 15.— As adv. absol.:

praemia apud me minimum valent,

very little, Cic. Fam. 1, 9, 11; cf. Quint. 5, 10, 56:

minimum distantia miror,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 72:

dormiebat minimum,

Plin. Ep. 3, 5, 11:

medica secatur sexies per annos: cum minimum, quater,

at least, Plin. 18, 16, 43, § 146:

quam minimum credula postero (diei),

as little as possible, Hor. C. 1, 11, 8:

ita fiunt omnes partes minimum octoginta et una,

at least, Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 12:

quae (comprehensio) ex tribus minimum partibus constat,

Quint. 5, 10, 5:

in quo non minimum Aetolorum operā regii fugati atque in castra compulsi sunt,

chiefly, particularly, Liv. 33, 6, 6:

eae omnia novella sata corrumpunt, non minimum vites,

Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 18.—Hence, adv.

Posit.: parvē, a little, slightly (very rare), Vitr. 9, 6.—

Comp.: mĭnus, less:

aut ne quid faciam plus, quod post me minus fecisse satius sit,

too little... too much, Ter. Hec. 5, 1, 4:

ne quid plus minusve faxit,

id. Phorm. 3, 3, 21 (v. plus, under multus):

cum habeas plus, Pauperiem metuas minus,

Hor. S. 1, 1, 93:

ne mea oratio, si minus de aliquo dixero, ingrata: si satis de omnibus, infinita esse videatur,

Cic. Sest. 50, 108:

metus ipsi per se minus valerent, nisi, etc.,

id. Div. 2, 72, 150:

minus multi,

not so many, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 138:

minus multum et minus bonum vinum,

Varr. R. R. 1, 7, 2:

ita imperium semper ad optumum quemque a minus bono transfertur,

less good, not so good, Sall. C. 2, 6:

quia Libyes quam Gaetuli minus bellicosi,

Sall. J. 18, 12:

minus diu vivunt,

Plin. 14, 22, 28, § 141.—Rarely with comp.:

minus admirabilior,

Flor. 4, 2, 46 Duker: quare milites Metelli sauciabantur multo minus, Quadrig. ap. Gell. 9, 1, 1; cf. Ov. M. 12, 554:

civilem admodum inter initia ac paulo minus quam privatum egit,

little less so than, nearly as much so as, Suet. Tib. 26:

dimidio minus,

Varr. R. R. 1, 22, 3.—With quam:

nec illa minus aut plus quam tu sapiat,

Plaut. As. 4, 1, 28:

minus quam aequom erat feci,

id. Aul. 3, 2, 10:

respondebo tibi minus fortasse vehementer, quam abs te sum provocatus,

Cic. Planc. 30, 72.—With atque:

qui peccas minus atque ego?

Hor. S. 2, 7, 96.—And elliptically, without a particle of comparison:

minus quindecim dies sunt, quod, etc.,

less than fifteen days, not yet fifteen days, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 1:

madefactum iri minus XXX. diebus Graeciam sanguine,

Cic. Div. 1, 32, 68:

minus quinquennium est, quod prodiere,

Plin. 15, 25, 30, § 104:

cecidere duo milia haud minus peditum,

Liv. 42, 6:

cum centum et quinquaginta non minus adessent,

id. 42, 28; Varr. R. R. 2, 2 fin.:

ut ex suā cujusque parte ne minus dimidium ad Trebonium perveniret,

Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 47, § 123:

ut antequam baccae legantur, ne minus triduum serenum fuerit,

Col. 12, 38, 6.—

In partic.

Non (haud) minus quam (atque), not less than, no less than, quite as:

exanimatus evolat ex senatu, non minus perturbato animo atque vultu, quam si, etc.,

Cic. Sest. 12, 28:

existumans non minus me tibi quam liberos carum fore,

Sall. J. 10, 1:

non minus nobis jucundi atque illustres sunt ii dies, quibus conservamur quam illi quibus nascimur,

Cic. Cat. 3, 1, 2; Quint. 2, 4, 8; 3, 7, 20:

laudibus haud minus quam praemio gaudent militum animi,

Liv. 2, 60:

haud minus ac jussi faciunt,

Verg. A. 3, 561.—

Non (neque) minus, equally, and as well, also: haec res [p. 1311] non minus me male habet quam te, Ter. Hec. 4, 2, 30: quae hominibus non minus quam liberi cara esse debent, Sulp. ap. Cic. Fam. 4, 5, 3; Ov. H. 19, 86:

neque minus assiduis fessa choreis,

also, Prop. 1, 3, 3.—

Nihil minus, in replies, as a strong negation, by no means, Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 45: Py. At tu apud nos hic mane, Dum redeat ipsa. Ch. Nihil minus, id. ib. 3, 3, 29:

nihil profecto minus,

Cic. Off. 3, 20, 81; cf.: quid? a Tranione servo? Si. Multo id minus, Plaut. Most. 4, 3, 20.—

Minus minusque, minus et (ac) minus, less and less: mihi jam minus minusque obtemperat. Ter. Heaut. 3, 3, 33:

jam minus atque minus successu laetus equorum,

Verg. A. 12, 616; Hor. C. 1, 25, 6:

minus et minus,

Ov. P. 2, 8, 73; id. H. 2, 129:

minus ac minus,

Plin. 11, 10, 10, § 26.—

Transf., in a softened negation, not at all, by no means, not:

quod intellexi minus,

Ter. Eun. 4, 5, 11:

nonnumquam ea quae praedicta sunt, minus eveniunt,

Cic. Div. 1, 14, 24.—Esp.:

si minus: monebo, si quem meministi minus,

Plaut. Cas. 5, 4, 19:

Syracusis, si minus supplicio affici, at custodiri oportebat,

Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 27, § 69:

quod si assecutus sum, gaudeo: sin minus, hoc me tamen consolor quod, etc.,

id. Fam. 7, 1, 6 et saep.; so,

minus formido ne exedat,

Plaut. Curc. 1, 1, 45. —

Quo minus, also written as one word, quominus, that not, from, after verbs of hindering, preventing, as impedio, recuso, deterreo, etc., Ter. And. 1, 2, 26:

si te infirmitas valetudinis tenuit, quo minus ad ludos venires,

Cic. Fam. 7, 1, 1; 7, 1, 6:

hiemem credo prohibuisse, quo minus de te certum haberemus, quid ageres,

id. Fam. 12, 5, 1:

deterrere aliquem, quo minus, etc.,

id. Tusc. 1, 38, 91:

stetisse per Trebonium, quo minus oppido potirentur, videbatur,

Caes. B. C. 2, 13 fin.; Quint. 12, 1, 16;

v. also quo. —Ante-class. also in the reverse order, minus quo: ne vereatur, minus jam quo redeat domum,

Ter. Hec. 4, 4, 8.—

Sup., in two forms, parvissime (post-class.), and minime (class.), least, very little.

par-vissĭmē:

memorare aliquid,

very briefly, with very few words, Cael. Aur. Acut. 2, 38. —

mĭnĭmē, least of all, in the smallest degree, least, very little:

cum minime vellem, minimeque opus fuit,

Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 42:

cum minime videbamur, tum maxime philosophabamur,

Cic. N. D. 1, 3, 6; id. Or. 66, 222:

mihi placebat Pomponius maxime, vel dicam minime displicebat,

id. Brut. 57, 207:

quod in miserrimis rebus minime miserum putabis, id facies,

id. Fam. 14, 13:

quod minime ad eos mercatores saepe commeant,

very rarely, Caes. B. G. 1, 1, 3; Cic. de Or. 2, 79, 322.—Strengthened by quam:

si non decore, at quam minime dedecore facere possimus,

as little as possible, Cic. Off. 1, 31, 114; by omnium and gentium:

ad te minime omnium pertinebat,

id. Rosc. Am. 34, 96:

minime gentium,

Plaut. Poen. 3, 3, 77:

heus, inquit, puer, arcesse Pamphilam,... illa exclamat, Minime gentium,

not for any thing in the world, Ter. Eun. 4, 1, 11; id. Ad. 3, 2, 44.—

In partic.

For minimum, saltem, at least:

is morbus erit longissimus minimeque annuus,

Cels. 2, 8 fin. Targ.:

pedes decem vel minime novem,

Col. 1, 6, 6:

sed id minime bis anno arari debet,

id. 5, 9, 12; id. Arb. 16, 3.—

In replies, as an emphatic negative, by no means, not at all, not in the least, Plaut. Curc. 1, 3, 50: Ba. Sed cessas? Pa. Minime equidem:

nam hodie, etc.,

Ter. Hec. 5, 3, 16: M. An tu haec non credis? A. Minime vero, Cic. Tusc. 1, 6, 10: num igitur peccamus? Minime vos quidem. id. Att. 8, 9, 2:

minime, minime hercle vero!

Plaut. Trin. 3, 3, 23; so in discourse: minime multi (= quam paucissimi). Ter. Eun. prol. 2: minume irasci decet. Plaut. Stich. 1, 1, 27; Sall. C. 51, 13.—Strengthened by gentium (cf.supra): Nau. Meriton' hoc meo videtur factum? De. Minime gentium, Ter. Phorm. 5, 8, 44.

multus (old form moltus), a, um; comp. plus; sup. plurimus (v. at the end of this art.), adj. [etym. dub.], much, great, many, of things corporeal and incorporeal.

In gen.: multi mortales, Cato ap. Gell. 10, 3, 17: multi suam rem [p. 1173] bene gessere: multi qui, etc., Enn. ap. Cic. Fam. 7, 6, 1 (Trag. v. 295 sq. Vahl.):

multi fortissimi viri,

Cic. Fam. 5, 17, 3:

rationes,

id. de Or. 1, 51, 222. tam multis verbis scribere, at such length, id. Fam. 3, 8, 1:

beneficia. Cato ap. Fest. s. v. ratissima, p. 286 Mull.: multi alii,

Ter. And. 5, 4, 28.—When used with another adjective it is usually connected with it by a conjunction:

multae et magnae contentiones,

many great conlests, Cic. Phil. 2, 3, 7; 3, 10, 26:

O multas et graves offensiones,

id. Att. 11, 7, 3:

multi et graves dolores,

id. Verr. 2, 5, 45, § 119:

multi et varii timores,

Liv. 3, 16, 3:

multae bonaeque artes animi,

Sall. J. 28, 5:

multa et clara facinora,

Tac. A. 12, 31.—But when the second adjective is used substantively the conjunction is omitted:

multi improbi,

Cic. Off. 2, 8, 28; 2, 19, 65:

multi boni, docti, prudentes,

id. Fl. 4, 8:

multi nobiles,

id. Planc. 20, 50:

multa acerba habuit ille annus,

id. Sest. 27, 58; 66, 139:

multa infanda,

Liv. 28, 12, 5:

multa falsa,

id. 35, 23, 2.—Also, when the second adjective forms with its substantive a single conception:

multa secunda proelia,

victories, Liv. 9, 42, 5; 35, 1, 3; 41, 17, 1:

multa libera capita,

freemen, id. 42, 41, 11:

multae liberae civitates,

republics, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 30, § 68:

multos fortes viros,

id. Cat. 3, 2, 7; id. Mur. 8, 17:

multi clari viri,

noblemen, id. Leg. 1, 5, 17:

multi primarii viri,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 61, § 149.—Similarly, et is omitted between multi and adjectives which form with their substantives familiar phrases:

multi clarissimi viri,

Cic. Phil. 11, 10, 24:

multi amplissimi viri,

id. Fin. 2, 17, 55; id. Deiot. 14, 39; id. Fam. 10, 25, 2; id. Att. 10, 8, 7; 16, 16, 11; id. Verr. 1, 7, 19:

multi honestissimi homines,

id. Fam. 15, 15, 3:

multi peritissimi homines,

id. Caecin. 24, 69:

multi summi homines,

id. Arch. 12, 30; id. Har. Resp. 26, 56:

multi clarissimi et sapientissimi viri,

id. Planc. 4, 11; id. Cael. 18, 43.—Et is also omitted when the substantive stands between the two adjectives:

in veteribus patronis multis,

Cic. Div. in Caecil. 1, 2:

multa praeterea bella gravia,

id. Agr. 2, 33, 90:

multis suppliciis justis,

id. Cat. 1, 8, 20:

multa majores nostri magna et gravia bella gesserunt,

id. Imp. Pomp. 2, 6:

plurima signa pulcherrima,

id. Verr. 2, 1, 23, § 61.—When both adjectives follow the substantive, et is sometimes inserted:

virtutes animi multae et magnae,

Cic. Imp. Pomp. 22, 64:

causas ille multas et graves habuit,

id. Clu. 30, 82;

and is sometimes omitted, the emphasis then falling on the second adjective: utebatur hominibus improbis, multis,

id. Cael. 5, 12:

prodigia multa, foeda,

Liv. 40, 29, 1.—With a partitive gen.:

multi hominum,

Plin. 16, 25, 40, § 96:

multae silvestrium arborum,

id. 16, 31, 56, § 128.—In neutr. plur.: multa, orum, many things, much:

nimium multa,

Cic. Fam. 4, 14, 3:

nimis multa,

id. Fin. 2, 18, 57:

insulae non ita multae,

not so many, not so very many, Plin. 5, 7, 7, § 41:

parum multa scire,

too few, Auct. Her. 1, 1, 1: bene multi, a good many, Asin. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 33, 4:

quam minime multa vestigia servitutis,

as few as possible, Nep. Tim. 3, 3:

minime multi remiges,

exceedingly few, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 34, § 88:

in multas pecunias alienissimorum hominum invasit,

id. Phil. 2, 16, 41; id. Verr. 2, 5, 19, § 48:

multae pecuniae variis ex causis a privatis detinentur,

Plin. Ep. 10, 17, 3.—Sometimes multi stands for multi alii, many others:

nam certe Pompeio, et a Curionibus patre et filio, et a multis exprobratum est,

Suet. Caes. 50.—The sing. also is used poet. for the plur., many a:

aut trudit acres hinc et hinc multa cane Apros in obstantes plagas,

with many dogs, Hor. Epod. 2, 31:

multa prece prosequi,

id. C. 4, 5, 33:

multa victima,

Verg. E. 1, 34: agna. Ov. F. 4, 772:

avis,

id. Am. 3, 5, 4:

tabella,

Tib. 1, 3, 28; so of persons: multus sua vulnera puppi Affixit moriens, many a one, for multi affixerunt, Luc. 3, 707.—In sing., to denote quantity, much, great, abundant: multum aurum et argentum. Plaut. Rud. 5, 2, 8; 22:

exstructa mensa multa carne rancida,

Cic. Pis. 27, 67:

multo labore quaerere aliquid,

with much labor, great exertion, Cic. Sull. 26, 73:

cura,

Sall. J. 7, 4:

sol,

much sun, Plin. 31, 7, 39, § 81: sermo, much conversalion, Brut. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 20, 1: stilus tuus multi sudoris est. Cic. de Or. 1, 60, 257: multo cibo et potione completi, id. Tusc. 5, 35, 100:

multo sanguine ea Poenis victoria stetit,

Liv. 23, 30, 2:

multum sanguinem haurire,

Curt. 4, 14, 17; 8, 14, 32:

multam harenam mare evomit,

id. 4, 6, 8:

arbor,

id. 7, 4, 26:

silva,

id. 8, 10, 14:

multae vestis injectu opprimi,

Tac. A. 6, 50:

multa et lauta supellex,

Cic. Phil. 2, 27, 66:

aurum,

Sall. J. 13, 6; Tac. A. 6, 33; Liv. 26, 11, 9; Curt. 3, 3, 12:

libertas,

Hor. S. 1, 4, 5:

multam salutem dicere alicui,

to greet heartily, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 194:

cum auro et argento multo,

Sall. J. 13, 6.—Of time:

Itaque multum diei processerat,

a great part of the day, Sall. J. 51, 2:

ad multum diem,

till far in the day, Cic. Att. 13, 9, 1:

multo adhuc die,

when much of the day was still remaining, when it was still high day, Tac. H. 2, 44:

multo denique die,

when the day was far spent, Caes. B. G. 1, 22:

multa nocte,

late at night, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 9, 2:

multo mane,

very early, id. Att. 5, 4, 1:

multa opinio, for multorum,

the general opinion, Gell. 3, 16, 1:

velut multa pace,

as in a general peace, as if there were peace everywhere, Tac. H. 4, 35:

multus homo,

one who gives himself up to the lusts of many, Cat. 112, 1.— multi, orum, m., the many, the common mass, the multitude: probis probatus potius, quam multis forem, Att. ap. Non. 519, 9:

video ego te, mulier, more multarum utier,

id. ib. —Esp.: unus e (or de) multis, one of the multitude, a man of no distinction:

tenuis L. Virginius unusque e multis,

Cic. Fin. 2, 20, 62:

unus de multis esse,

id. Off. 1, 30, 109: M. Calidius non fuit orator unus e multis;

potius inter multos prope singularis fuit,

id. Brut. 79, 274:

numerarer in multis,

among the herd of orators, id. ib. 97, 333:

e multis una sit tibi,

no better than others, Ov. R. Am. 682:

multum est,

it is of importance, Verg. G. 2, 272.—In neutr. absol.: ne multa, or ne multis, not to be prolix, in short:

ne multa: perquiritur a coactoribus,

Cic. Clu. 64, 181:

ne multis: Diogenes emitur,

id. ib. 16, 47:

quid multis moror?

Ter. And. 1, 1, 87.—Sometimes multa is used (particularly by the poets) adverbially, much, greatly, very:

multa reluctari,

Verg. G. 4, 301:

gemens,

id. ib. 3, 226; id. A. 5, 869:

deos testatus,

id. ib. 7, 593:

invehi,

Nep. Ep. 6, 1 (cf. nonnulla invehi, id. Tim. 5, 3):

haud multa moratus,

Verg. A. 3, 610.—Rarely in multum:

in multum velociores,

by far, Plin. 10, 36, 52, § 108.—

In partic.

Too much, overmuch, excessive:

supellex modica, non multa,

Nep. Att. 13, 5.—

In speech, much-speaking, diffuse, prolix:

qui in aliquo genere aut inconcinnus aut multus est,

Cic. de Or. 2, 4, 17:

ne in re nota et pervulgata multus et insolens sim,

id. ib. 2, 87, 358:

nolo in stellarum ratione multus vobis videri,

id. N. D. 2, 46, 119.—

Frequent, frequently present:

in operibus, in agmine, atque ad vigilias multus adesse,

Sall. J. 96, 3:

multus in eo proelio Caesar fuit,

was in many places, Flor. 4, 2, 50:

hen hercle hominem multum et odiosum mihi!

troublesome, tedious, Plaut. Men. 2, 2, 41:

instare,

Sall. J. 84, 1.—Hence, adv., in two forms.

multum, much, very much, greatly, very, often, frequently, far, etc. (class.):

salve multum, gnate mi,

Plaut. Trin. 5, 2, 56:

multum vale,

farewell, id. Stich. 3, 2, 40:

hominem ineptum multum et odiosum mihi,

id. Men. 2, 2, 42:

opinor, Cassium uti non ita multum sorore,

not very much, Cic. Fam. 7, 23, 3:

multum mecum municipales homines loquuntur,

often, id. Att. 8, 13, 2:

non multum ille quidem nec saepe dicebat,

id. Brut. 34, 128:

non multum confidere,

not very much, not particularly, Caes. B. G. 3, 25:

sunt in venationibus,

often, frequently, id. ib. 4, 1:

in eodem genere causarum multum erat T. Juventius,

Cic. Brut. 48, 178:

multum fuisse cum aliquo,

to have had much intercourse with, id. Rep. 1, 10, 16:

sum multum equidem cum Phaedro in Epicuri hortis,

id. Fin. 5, 1, 3:

gratia valere,

to be in great favor, Nep. Con. 2, 1:

res multum et saepe quaesita,

Cic. Leg. 3, 15, 33:

longe omnes multumque superabit,

id. Verr. 2, 5, 44, § 115:

multum et diu cogitans,

id. Div. 2, 1, 1:

diu multumque scriptitare,

id. de Or. 1, 33, 152.—With an adj.:

multum loquaces,

very talkative, Plaut. Aul. 2, 1, 5:

mepti labores,

very, Plin. Ep. 1, 9.— Poet. also with comp.:

multum improbiores sunt quam a primo credidi,

much, far, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 139:

multum robustior illo,

Juv. 19, 197:

majora,

Sil. 13, 708.— So with infra, post:

haud multum infra viam,

Liv. 5, 37, 7; Plin. 98, 7, § 20:

haud multum post mortem ejus,

Tac. A. 5, 3:

ut multum,

at most, Mart. 10, 11, 6; Vop. Aur. 46.—

multō by much, much, a great deal, far, by far (class.).

With comparatives and verbs which imply comparison:

multo tanto carior,

Plaut. Bacch. 2, 3, 76:

pauciores oratores,

Cic. de Or. 1, 3, 11:

facilius atque expeditius iter,

Caes. B. G. 1, 6.—With verbs:

virtutem omnibus rebus multo anteponentes,

Cic. Fin. 4, 18, 49:

multo ceteros anteibant,

Tac. H. 4, 13:

multo praestat beneficii, quam maleficii immemorem esse,

Sall. J. 31, 28.—With malle:

multo mavolo,

Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 88; id. Ps. 2, 4, 38:

meo judicio multo stare malo, quam, etc.,

Cic. Att. 12, 21, 1.—

With sup. (rare but class.), by far, by much:

quae tibi mulier videtur multo sapientissuma,

Plaut. Stich. 1, 2, 66; id. Am. 2, 2, 150: multo optimus hostis, by far, Lucil. ap. Non. 4, 413:

simulacrum multo antiquissimum,

Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 49, § 109; 2, 4, 23, § 50; id. Cat. 4, 8, 17:

maxima pars,

id. Imp. Pomp. 18, 54; cf. Hor. S. 2, 3, 82:

multo id bellum maximum fuit,

Liv. 1, 11, 5:

pars multo maxima,

id. 30, 18, 14: multo molestissima, Cic. Div. in. Caecil. 11, 36:

multo gratissima lux,

Hor. S. 1, 5, 39:

foedissimum,

Quint. 9, 4, 72:

optimum,

id. ib. 26:

pulcherrimum,

id. 1, 2, 24:

utilissima,

id. 2, 10, 1:

maxime,

Auct. Her. 4, 44, 58:

multo maxime miserabile,

Sall. C. 36, 4:

multo maxime ingenio validus,

id. J. 6, 1.—

With particles denoting a difference, far, greatly, very:

multo aliter,

Ter. And. prol. 4:

multo aliter ac sperabat,

far otherwise than, Nep. Ham. 2:

quod non multo secus fieret, si,

not far otherwise, not very different, Cic. Fam. 4, 9, 1: multo infra Cyrenaicum. Plin. 19, 3, 15, § 40. —

In specifications of time, before ante and post, long, much:

non multo ante urbem captam,

Cic. Div. 1, 45, 101:

non multo ante,

not long before, Nep. Eum. 3, 3:

multo ante,

Cic. Fam. 4, 1, 1:

non multo post, quam, etc.,

not long after, id. Att. 12, 49, 9:

haud multo ante solis occasum,

Liv. 5, 39, 2:

multo ante noctem,

id. 27, 42, 13.—

Very rarely with the positive for multum:

maligna multo,

very, Ter. Hec. 1, 2, 83 Umpf.—

Doubled, multo multoque, with comparatives:

multo multoque longior,

far, very much, Front. ad M. Caes. 2, 5:

multo multoque operosius est,

Val. Max. 4, 1, 2: multo multoque magis, Front. Laud. Negl. § 3.

Comp.: plūs, pluris; in the plur., plures, plura (in sing. anciently written plous; three times in the S. C. de Bacch. Here perh. belongs, in the plur., pleores and pleoris, for plures, in the Song of the Arval Brothers.—For the class. neuter of the plur., plura, the form pluria was used in ante-class. Latinity. Gellius cites M. Cato, Q. Claudius, Valerius Antias, L. AElius, P. Nigidius, and M. Varro as authorities for this form, Gell. 5, 21, 6; yet Plautus and Terence have only plura; and the earlier reading pluria, in Lucr. 1, 877; 2, 1135; 4, 1085, is now supplanted by the critically certain plura and plurima.—The gen. plur. plurium, however, has remained the predominant form, e. g. Quint. 7, 1, 1; 8, 4, 27; 9, 4, 66 et saep.) [from the root ple; Gr. pleon, pimplêmi; cf. plenus, plera, compleo, etc.; also locu-ples, plebes, populus, etc.], more.

In the sing. (used both substantively and adverbially): LIBRAS FARRIS ENDO DIES DATO. SI VOLET PLVS DATO, Fragm. XII. Tab. in Gell. 20, 1, 45: SI PLVS MINVSVE SECVERVNT, SE FRAVDE ESTO, ib.;

so (perh. in imitation of this legal phrase): ebeu, cur ego plus minusve feci quam aequom fuit!

Plaut. Capt. 5, 3, 18; Ter. Phorm. 3, 3, 21:

ne plus minusve loqueretur,

Suet. Aug. 84; cf. Plaut. Men. 4, 2, 27; and in the signif. of circiter, about: septingenti sunt paulo plus aut minus anni... postquam, etc., Enn. ap. Varr. R. R. 3, 1, 2 (Ann. v. 493 Vahl.);

so. non longius abesse plus minus octo milibus,

Hirt. B. G. 8, 20, 1 Oud.; cf.:

speranti plures... venerunt plusve minusve duae,

Mart. 8, 71, 4:

aut ne quid faciam plus, quod post me minus fecisse satius sit,

too much... too little, Ter. Hec. 5, 1, 4:

tantum et plus etiam ipse mihi deberet,

Cic. Att. 7, 3, 7:

vos et decem numero, et, quod plus est, Romani estis,

and what is more, Liv. 9, 24, 8:

verbane plus an sententia valere debeat,

Cic. Top. 25, 96: [p. 1174] cf.:

apud me argumenta plus quam testes valent,

id. Rep. 1, 38, 59:

valet enim salus plus quam libido,

id. ib. 1, 40, 63.—

With a partitive gen.:

vultis pecuniae plus habere,

Cic. Inv. 1, 47, 88; cf.:

nostri casus plus honoris habuerunt quam laboris,

id. Rep. 1, 4, 7; so,

plus virium,

id. Leg. 1, 2, 6:

plus hostium,

Liv. 2, 42:

plus dapis et rixae multo minus invidiaeque,

Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 51:

in hac causa eo plus auctoritatis habent, quia, etc.,

Cic. Rep. 3, 16, 26; cf.:

plus ingenii,

id. ib. 1, 14, 22:

Albano non plus animi erat quam fidei,

as little courage as fidelity, Liv. 1, 27, 5.—

With quam (some examples of which have already been given above):

non plus quam semel,

Cic. Off. 3, 15, 61:

confiteor eos... plus quam sicarios esse,

id. Phil. 2, 13, 31:

ne plus reddat quam acceperit,

id. Lael. 16, 58 et saep.:

non plus quam in tres partis posse distribui putaverunt,

into not more than, id. Inv. 1, 34, 57:

plus quam decem dies abesse,

id. Phil. 2, 13, 31:

nulla (navis) plus quam triginta remis agatur,

with more than, Liv. 38, 38, 8.—

Without quam:

HOMINES PLOVS V. OINVORSEI VIREI ATQVE MVLIERES, S. C. de Bacch. 19 (Wordsw. Fragm. and Spec. p. 173): plus mille capti,

Liv. 24, 44:

plus milies audivi,

Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 32: plus semel, Varr. ap. Plin. 14, 14, 17, § 96:

plus quingentos colaphos infregit mihi,

Ter. Ad. 2, 1, 46:

ferre plus dimidiati mensis cibaria,

Cic. Tusc. 2, 16, 37:

non plus mille quingentos aeris,

id. Rep. 2, 22, 40:

paulo plus ducentos passus a castris,

Liv. 31, 34:

cum plus annum aeger fuisset,

id. 40, 2:

parte plus dimidia rem auctam,

id. 29, 25.—

With a compar. or adverbial abl., or with an abl. of measure:

VIREI PLOVS DVOBVS, S. C. de Bacch. 20 (Wordsw. Fragm. and Spec. p. 173): de paupertate tacentes Plus poscente ferent,

more than the importunate, Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 44:

ex his alius alio plus habet virium,

Cic. Leg. 1, 2, 6: cave putes hoc tempore plus me quemquam cruciari, Balb. ap. Cic. Att. 8, 15, A, 2:

alterum certe non potest, ut plus una vera sit,

Cic. N. D. 1, 2, 5; cf.:

in columba plures videri colores, nec esse plus uno,

id. Ac. 2, 25, 79: HOC PLVS NE FACITO, more than this, Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Cic. Leg. 2, 23, 59:

annos sexaginta natus es Aut plus eo,

or more than that, Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 11:

plus aequo,

Cic. Lael. 16, 58:

plus paulo,

Ter. Heaut. 2, 1, 8:

paulo plus,

Liv. 31, 34: multo plus, Anton. ap. Cic. Att. 10, 8, A, 1:

plus nimio,

overmuch, Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 30: quam molestum est uno digito plus habere, too much by a finger, i. e. a finger too much, Cic. N. D. 1, 35, 99:

uno plus Etruscorum cecidisse in acie,

one man more, Liv. 2, 7, 2.—

In the gen. pretii, pluris, of more value, of a higher price, for more, higher, dearer:

ut plus reddant musti et olei, et pretii pluris,

of greater value, Varr. R. R. 1, 7, 4:

ager multo pluris est,

is worth much more, Cic. Rosc. Com. 12, 33; cf.:

quo pluris sint nostra oliveta,

id. Rep. 3, 9, 16:

pluris emere,

dearer, id. Fam. 7, 2, 1; so,

vendere,

id. Off. 3, 12, 51; id. Verr. 2, 3, 19, § 48; Hor. S. 2, 3, 300:

aedificare,

Col. 1, 4, 7:

pluris est oculatus testis quam auriti decem,

of more value, Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 8:

mea mihi conscientia pluris est, quam omnium sermo,

Cic. Att. 12, 28, 2:

facio pluris omnium hominem neminem,

id. ib. 8, 2, 4:

facere aliquem pluris,

make more of one, esteem him more highly, id. Fam. 3, 4, 2:

pluris habere,

id. Phil. 6, 4, 10:

aestimare,

id. Par. 6, 2, 48:

ducere,

id. Att. 7, 3, 5:

putare,

id. Off. 3, 4, 18 et saep.—

Rarely, instead of the genitive, in the abl. pretii: plure vendunt, Lucil. ap. Charis. 2, p. 189 P.: plure altero tanto, quanto ejus fundus est, velim, Plaut. ib.: plure venit, Cic. ib.—

Plus plusque, more and more: quem mehercule plus plusque in dies diligo. Cic. Att. 6, 2, 10.—

Like magis, with an adj.:

plus formosus, for formosior,

Nemes. Ecl. 4, 72.—

In the plur.

Comparatively, more in number:

omnes qui aere alieno premantur, quos plures esse intellego quam putaram,

Cic. Att. 7, 3, 5; id. Rep. 2, 22, 40:

nemini ego plura acerba esse credo ex amore homini umquam oblata quam mihi,

Ter. Hec. 3, 1, 1:

ne plura insignia essent imperii in libero populo quam in regno fuissent,

Cic. Rep. 2, 31, 55:

multo plura,

many more things, Quint. 3, 6, 28.—

In gen., of a great number, many: qui plus fore dicant in pluribus consilii quam in uno. Cic. Rep. 1, 35, 55: cf.: quid quaeso interest inter unum et plures, si justitia est in pluribus? id. ib. 1, 39, 61;

1, 34, 52: non possunt una in civitate multi rem ac fortunas amittere, ut non plures secum in eandem trahant calamitatem,

id. Imp. Pomp. 7, 19:

quod pluribus praesentibus eas res jactari nolebat,

Caes. B. G. 1, 18:

plura castella Pompeius tentaverat,

id. B. C. 3, 52:

summus dolor plures dies manere non potest,

Cic. Fin. 2, 28, 93:

pluribus diebus, Quint. prooem. § 7: illic plurium rerum est congeries,

id. 8, 4, 27:

quae consuetudo sit, pluribus verbis docere,

Cic. Clu. 41, 115:

eum pluribus verbis rogat, ut, etc.,

id. Verr. 2, 4, 28, § 64;

without verba: quid ego plura dicam?

id. de Or. 1, 5, 18:

pluribus haec exsecutus sum,

Phaedr. 3, 10, 59;

also elliptically, quid plura? and, ne plura, like quid multa? and ne multa: hic sacra, hic genus, hic majorum multa vestigia. Quid plura? hanc vides villam, etc.,

what need of many words? in short, Cic. Leg. 2, 1, 3:

sed—ne plura—dicendum enim aliquando est—Pomponium Atticum sic amo, ut alterum fratrem,

id. Fam. 13, 1, 5.—

Esp.: plures.

The mass, the multitude, opp. pauciores, = hoi oligoi, Plaut. Trin. 1, 1, 13.—

Euphemistically, acc. to the Gr. hoi pleiones, the dead:

quin prius Me ad plures penetravi?

Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 14.—

The greater number, the majority:

plures nesciebant qua ex causa convenissent,

Vulg. Act. 19, 32.

Sup.: plūrĭmus (archaic form, plisima plurima, Paul. ex Fest. p. 204 and 205 Mull.: PLIOIRVME (I), Epit. of Scipio), a, um [from root ple; whence also plus, q. v., ploirumus for ploisumus; and thence the predominant form plurimus], most, very much, or many (as an adj. in good prose mostly in the plur., except the standing formula of greeting: salutem plurimam dicere alicui; v. infra):

hujus sunt plurima simulacra,

Caes. B. G. 6, 17:

nos plurimis ignotissimi gentibus,

Cic. Rep. 1, 17, 26:

plurimae et maximae partes,

id. ib. 1, 4, 8:

plurimorum seculorum memoria,

id. ib. 3, 9, 14:

haec plurimis a me verbis dicta sunt,

id. ib. 1, 7, 12 et saep.—In sing.:

me plurima praeda onustum,

Plaut. Rud. 4, 2, 4:

sermo,

Quint. 2, 2, 5:

risus,

id. 6, 3, 85:

res,

id. 6, 1, 51:

exercitatio,

id. 8 prooem. §

28: mons,

very large, Verg. A. 1, 419:

cervix,

id. G. 3, 52:

Aetna,

Ov. Ib. 600.—Of a greeting: impertit salutem plurimam, Lucil. ap. Non. 472. 16; and esp. freq.: salutem plurimam dicit (commonly abbrev. S. P. D.) at the beginning of letters; v. salus.— Poet.:

medio cum plurimus orbe Sol erat,

very powerful, oppressive, Ov. M. 14, 53: plurima qua silva est. thickest, id. ib. 14, 361:

coma plurima,

very thick, id. ib. 13, 844:

sed plurima nantis in ore Alcyone conjux,

mostly, chiefly, id. ib. 11, 562.—And collect.:

plurimus in Junonis honorem Aptum dicet equis Argos,

many a one, very many, Hor. C. 1, 7, 8; so,

oleaster plurimus,

Verg. G. 2, 183:

qua plurima mittitur ales,

Mart. 9, 56, 1:

plurima lecta rosa est,

Ov. F. 4, 441.— In neutr. absol. (substant. or adverb.):

ut haberet quam plurimum,

as much as possible, Cic. Rab. Post. 14, 39:

caput autem est, quam plurimum scribere,

id. de Or. 1, 33, 150:

ut in quoque oratore plurimum esset,

id. Rep. 1, 27, 123.— Adv.: plūrĭmum:

et is valebat in suffragio plurimum, cujus plurimum intererat, esse in optimo statu civitatem,

Cic. Rep. 2, 22, 40:

auspiciis plurimum obsecutus est Romulus,

id. ib. 2, 9, 16:

si vero populus plurimum potest,

id. ib. 3, 14, 23; cf.:

qui apud me dignitate plurimum possunt,

id. Rosc. Am. 1, 4:

plurimum aliis praestare,

id. Inv. 2, 1, 1:

ut te plurimum diligam,

id. Fam. 1, 7, 1; id. Tusc. 5, 27, 78:

hoc ego utor uno omnium plurimum,

id. Fam. 11, 16, 2:

quantum (al. quanto) plurimum possunt,

Quint. 11, 3, 120: plurimum quantum also signifies very much indeed, exceedingly (post-class.):

plurimum quantum veritati nocuere,

Min. Fel. Oct. 22:

gratulor,

id. ib. 40:

(elleborum) ex aqua datur plurimum drachma,

at the most, Plin. 25, 5, 22, § 54; 9, 36, 60, § 125; 30, 6, 16, § 48; so,

cum plurimum,

id. 2, 17, 15, § 78 (opp. to cum minimum); 18, 7, 10, § 60: nec tam numerosa differentia; tribus ut plurimum bonitatibus distat, for the most part, commonly, usually, = plerumque, Plin. 15, 3, 4, § 18.—

In neutr. with a partit. gen.: sententiarum et gravitatis plurimum, Cic. Inv. 1, 18, 25:

artis,

Quint. 10, 5, 3:

auctoritatis et ponderis,

id. 9, 4, 91:

ut laboris sic utilitatis etiam longe plurimum,

id. 10, 3, 1:

virtutum,

id. 12, 1, 20 plurimum quantum favoris partibus dabat fratermtas ducum, Flor. 4, 2, 74.—

In the gen. pretii:

plurimi: immo unice unum plurimi pendit,

values very highly, esteems very much, Plaut. Bacch. 2, 2, 29:

quem unum Alexander plurimi fecerat,

Nep. Eum. 2, 2:

ut quisque quod plurimi est possidet,

Cic. Par. 6, 2, 48.

pŏtis (in the positive rarely declined, and in the neutr. pŏte), adj. ( comp. pŏ-tĭor, ius; sup. pŏtissĭmus, a, um; class. only in the comp.) [Sanscr. patis, lord; Gr. posis, husband; des-potês, lord; Lat. compotis (compos) potiri].

Posit., able, capable; possible (mostly ante-class. and poet.): divi qui potes pro illo quod Samothraces theoi dunatoi, Varr L. L. 5, § 58 Müll.; Macr. S. 3, 4:

nisi qui colaphos perpeti Potis parasitus,

Plaut. Capt. 1, 1, 21.—Usually in the connection potis or pote est, he, she, or it is able, may, or can:

at ea supterfugere potis es pauca,

Plaut. Capt. 5, 2, 17: neque sanguis ullo potis est pacto profluens consistere, old poet ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 16, 38: istam non potis est vis saeva exstinguere venti, Poët. ap. Gell. 19, 9, 12:

at non Evandrum potis est vis ulla tenere,

Verg. A. 11, 148:

quod nunquam potis est sejungi,

Lucr. 1, 452:

nec potis est cerni,

id. 5, 719; Cat. 76, 24:

qui potis est?

how is it possible? id. 72, 7.—With plur.: si speres quicquam prodesse potis sunt, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 333 Müll. (Ann. v. 410 Vahl.):

duae plus satis dare potis sunt,

Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 17:

quid pastores potis sint,

Varr. R. R. 2, 2.—Without est: quis potis ingentes oras evolvere belli? Enn. ap. Diom. p. 381 P. (Ann. v. 178 Vahl.); Verg. A. 3, 671; Hor. C. 3, 17, 13.—Form pote:

si non aliud pote est,

Cat. 43, 16. Without est:

nec devitari letum pote,

Lucr. 3, 1079: viget, veget, utpote plurimum, Varr. ap Non. 2, 876:

nec non emptor pote ex empto vendito illum damnare,

id. R. R. 2, 2:

nec eniti remis pote,

Val. Fl. 4, 680; Prop. 2, 1, 46:

qui pote? vis dicam? nugaris,

Pers. 1, 56:

in te dici pote, Id, quod,

Cat. 98, 1:

nec peccatum a me quisquam pote dicere quicquam,

id. 67, 11:

hoc facito, sive id non pote sive pote,

be it impossible or possible, id. 76, 16:

quid pote simplicius?

what can be more simple? Mart. 9, 16, 2:

nihil pote supra,

nothing could exceed it, Ter. Ad. 2, 3, 11; Auct. ap. Cic. Brut. 46, 172; Cic. Att. 13, 38, 1:

quantum pote,

as soon as possible, id. ib. 4, 13, 1: quam pote, as much as possible (post-class.):

aufugiamus istinc quam pote longissime,

App. M. 1, p. 107, 9; 2, p. 119, 33.—

Comp.: pŏtĭor, us, that may be preferred, preferred; better, preferable (class.).

Of persons:

numquam edepol erit ille potior Harpax, quam ego,

Plaut. Ps. 4, 1, 17; 1, 3, 95:

quem aequiust potiorem habere quam te?

id. Stich. 1, 2, 40: qui plus pollet potiorque est patre, old poet ap. Cic. Tusc. 4, 32, 69; id. Fam. 10, 3, 2:

itaque cives potiores quam peregrini,

id. Lael. 5, 19:

Sosim et Moericum quibus tantam crederem rem, potiores habui,

Liv. 26, 31, 4:

at tu, qui potior nunc es,

happier in love, preferred, Tib. 1, 6, 33 (5, 69):

ut in judicio possessionis potior esset,

Dig. 18, 1, 34.—

Of things, better, stronger, preferable, more useful or important:

nulla potior serenda,

Varr. R. R. 1, 15:

sucus,

Plin. 36, 22, 43, § 158:

novistine locum potiorem rure beato?

Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 14:

sententia,

id. Epod. 16, 17:

mors civibus Romanis semper fuit servitute potior,

Cic. Phil. 10, 9, 19:

illi turpis vita integrā famā potior fuit,

Sall. J. 67, 3:

nihil mihi potius fuit quam ut Massinissam convenirem,

I had nothing more important, nothing more urgent to do, Cic. Rep. 6, 9, 9:

illa semper potiora duxisti, quae, etc.,

id. de Or. 3, 22, 82:

semper se rei publicae commoda privatis necessitatibus habuisse potiora,

Caes. B. C. 1, 8.— Subst.:

ut probetis potiora,

Vulg. Phil. 1, 10: hem, mater mea, tibi rem potiorem video (sc. verbis), I see a fact stronger than words, i. e. a clearer proof, Plaut. Aul. 4, 7, 12.—

Sup.: pŏtissĭmus, a, um, the chief, principal, most prominent, most important.

Of persons ( poet. and in post-Aug. prose):

item huic ultro fit, ut Meret, potissimus nostrae domi ut sit,

Plaut. Men. 2, 3, 9:

tantis potissimus umbris,

Stat. Th. 4, 627:

potissimos libertorum veneno interficere,

Tac. A. 14, 65.—

Of things (class.):

utrum potius, aut quid potissimum sit, quaeritur,

Cic. Inv. 1, 12, 17:

cura,

Stat. S. 4, 4, 20:

nobilitas,

Plin. 14, 2, 4, § 25:

opusculum,

Plin. Ep. 4, 14, 10:

causa,

Tac. A. 4, 16.—Hence, adv., only in the comp. and sup.

Comp.: pŏtĭus, rather, preferably, more (class.; cf.: satius, prius): quo nos vocabis nomine? Ar. Libortos. Le. Non patronos? Ar. Id potius, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 62:

sed scin', quid volo potius, sodes, facias?

Ter. Hec. 5, 1, 27; id. And. 5, 3, 2:

nec vero imperia expetenda: ac potius non accipienda interdum,

Cic. Off. 1, 20, 68.— With quam, Plaut. Aul. 4, 2, 11:

Galliam potius esse Ariovisti quam populi Romani,

Caes. B. G. 1, 45.—When the predicates are compared, the verb in the following clause is always in the subj.:

perpessus est omnia potius quam conscios indicaret,

rather than, Cic. Tusc. 2, 22, 52:

in oratione non vis potius quam delectatio postulatur,

Cic. de Or. 2, 78, 317:

privabo potius illum debito testimonio quam id cum meā laude communicem,

id. Ac. 2, 1, 3:

scribam aliquid potius, quam committam ut litterae non reddantur,

id. Att. 5, 6, 2:

nos potius nostro delicto plectemur, quam res publica nostra peccata luat,

Liv. 8, 7, 17:

per interregem comitia habenda potius, quam consulum alter a bello avocaretur,

id. 22, 23, 10; 9, 14, 16.— So with quam ut:

se miliens morituros potius quam ut tantum dedecoris admitti patiantur,

Liv. 4, 2, 8: audeo dicere hoc malo domitos ipsos potius cultores agrorum fore, quam ut armati, etc., id. 2, 34, 11; 6, 28, 8; 9, 14, 7.—But after verbs of willing, wishing (sometimes of declaring), the inf. is used:

dictatore obstinato tollere potius totum e re publicā consulatum, quam promiscuum facere,

Liv. 7, 21, 1; 23, 9, 8; 21, 13, 8: v. Weissenb. ad Liv. 2, 15, 2; Fest. s. v. olivitam, p. 202 Müll.; v. Muuml;ll. ad. loc. p. 203, a. —In an inverted order:

quam potius,

Verg. Copa, 5: quid mihi negotii est eum istis nugacibus, quam potius potamus mulsum? C. Titius ap. Macr. S. 2, 12.—Sometimes potius is to be supplied:

tacita, bona est mulier semper, quam loquens,

Plaut. Rud. 4, 4, 70; id. Men. 5, 1, 26:

tamen statuit congredi, quam cum tantis copiis refugere,

Nep. Dat. 8, 1.—Pleon., with words which already express comparison.— Comp., Ter. Hec. 4, 1, 19:

Uticae potius quam Romae esse malle,

Cic. Lig. 2, 5:

favorabiliores rei potius, quam actores habentur,

Dig. 50, 17, 167.—

Esp., introducing a repetition of a thought in a corrected or strengthened form: aut potius, vel potius, or rather, or I may better say, etc.:

efficiet enim ratio ut... mors aut malum non sit, aut sit bonum potius,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 11, 23:

quam fuit imbecillus P. Africani filius, quam tenui aut nullā potius valetudine,

id. Sen. 11, 35:

erravit aut potius insanivit Apronius?

id. Verr. 2, 3, 48, § 113:

Cato magnus hercule homo, vel potius summus et singularis vir,

id. Brut. 85, 293; Dig. 1, 5, 16.—

Sup.: pŏtissĭmē ( pŏtissŭ-), and more freq. pŏtissĭmum ( pŏtissŭ-), chiefly, principally, especially, in preference to all others, above all, most of all (class.).—Form potissime, Cels. 3, 6.—Form potissimum:

responde, quo leto censes me ut peream potissimum?

Plaut. Merc. 2, 4, 15; Ter. And. 2, 6, 23:

exsistat aliquis et potissimum Caecus ille,

Cic. Cael. 14, 33; id. Mur. 2, 4:

nos id potissimum consecuti sumus,

id. Tusc. 5, 4, 11:

tanta erat contentio, qui potissimum ex magno numero conscenderent, ut,

Caes. B. C. 2, 43:

quid agam? aut quo potissimum infelix accedam?

Sall. J. 14, 15; Auct. Her. 3, 2, 2; Lact. 2, 18, 3.

pŏtis (in the positive rarely declined, and in the neutr. pŏte), adj. ( comp. pŏ-tĭor, ius; sup. pŏtissĭmus, a, um; class. only in the comp.) [Sanscr. patis, lord; Gr. posis, husband; des-potês, lord; Lat. compotis (compos) potiri].

Posit., able, capable; possible (mostly ante-class. and poet.): divi qui potes pro illo quod Samothraces theoi dunatoi, Varr L. L. 5, § 58 Müll.; Macr. S. 3, 4:

nisi qui colaphos perpeti Potis parasitus,

Plaut. Capt. 1, 1, 21.—Usually in the connection potis or pote est, he, she, or it is able, may, or can:

at ea supterfugere potis es pauca,

Plaut. Capt. 5, 2, 17: neque sanguis ullo potis est pacto profluens consistere, old poet ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 16, 38: istam non potis est vis saeva exstinguere venti, Poët. ap. Gell. 19, 9, 12:

at non Evandrum potis est vis ulla tenere,

Verg. A. 11, 148:

quod nunquam potis est sejungi,

Lucr. 1, 452:

nec potis est cerni,

id. 5, 719; Cat. 76, 24:

qui potis est?

how is it possible? id. 72, 7.—With plur.: si speres quicquam prodesse potis sunt, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 333 Müll. (Ann. v. 410 Vahl.):

duae plus satis dare potis sunt,

Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 17:

quid pastores potis sint,

Varr. R. R. 2, 2.—Without est: quis potis ingentes oras evolvere belli? Enn. ap. Diom. p. 381 P. (Ann. v. 178 Vahl.); Verg. A. 3, 671; Hor. C. 3, 17, 13.—Form pote:

si non aliud pote est,

Cat. 43, 16. Without est:

nec devitari letum pote,

Lucr. 3, 1079: viget, veget, utpote plurimum, Varr. ap Non. 2, 876:

nec non emptor pote ex empto vendito illum damnare,

id. R. R. 2, 2:

nec eniti remis pote,

Val. Fl. 4, 680; Prop. 2, 1, 46:

qui pote? vis dicam? nugaris,

Pers. 1, 56:

in te dici pote, Id, quod,

Cat. 98, 1:

nec peccatum a me quisquam pote dicere quicquam,

id. 67, 11:

hoc facito, sive id non pote sive pote,

be it impossible or possible, id. 76, 16:

quid pote simplicius?

what can be more simple? Mart. 9, 16, 2:

nihil pote supra,

nothing could exceed it, Ter. Ad. 2, 3, 11; Auct. ap. Cic. Brut. 46, 172; Cic. Att. 13, 38, 1:

quantum pote,

as soon as possible, id. ib. 4, 13, 1: quam pote, as much as possible (post-class.):

aufugiamus istinc quam pote longissime,

App. M. 1, p. 107, 9; 2, p. 119, 33.—

Comp.: pŏtĭor, us, that may be preferred, preferred; better, preferable (class.).

Of persons:

numquam edepol erit ille potior Harpax, quam ego,

Plaut. Ps. 4, 1, 17; 1, 3, 95:

quem aequiust potiorem habere quam te?

id. Stich. 1, 2, 40: qui plus pollet potiorque est patre, old poet ap. Cic. Tusc. 4, 32, 69; id. Fam. 10, 3, 2:

itaque cives potiores quam peregrini,

id. Lael. 5, 19:

Sosim et Moericum quibus tantam crederem rem, potiores habui,

Liv. 26, 31, 4:

at tu, qui potior nunc es,

happier in love, preferred, Tib. 1, 6, 33 (5, 69):

ut in judicio possessionis potior esset,

Dig. 18, 1, 34.—

Of things, better, stronger, preferable, more useful or important:

nulla potior serenda,

Varr. R. R. 1, 15:

sucus,

Plin. 36, 22, 43, § 158:

novistine locum potiorem rure beato?

Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 14:

sententia,

id. Epod. 16, 17:

mors civibus Romanis semper fuit servitute potior,

Cic. Phil. 10, 9, 19:

illi turpis vita integrā famā potior fuit,

Sall. J. 67, 3:

nihil mihi potius fuit quam ut Massinissam convenirem,

I had nothing more important, nothing more urgent to do, Cic. Rep. 6, 9, 9:

illa semper potiora duxisti, quae, etc.,

id. de Or. 3, 22, 82:

semper se rei publicae commoda privatis necessitatibus habuisse potiora,

Caes. B. C. 1, 8.— Subst.:

ut probetis potiora,

Vulg. Phil. 1, 10: hem, mater mea, tibi rem potiorem video (sc. verbis), I see a fact stronger than words, i. e. a clearer proof, Plaut. Aul. 4, 7, 12.—

Sup.: pŏtissĭmus, a, um, the chief, principal, most prominent, most important.

Of persons ( poet. and in post-Aug. prose):

item huic ultro fit, ut Meret, potissimus nostrae domi ut sit,

Plaut. Men. 2, 3, 9:

tantis potissimus umbris,

Stat. Th. 4, 627:

potissimos libertorum veneno interficere,

Tac. A. 14, 65.—

Of things (class.):

utrum potius, aut quid potissimum sit, quaeritur,

Cic. Inv. 1, 12, 17:

cura,

Stat. S. 4, 4, 20:

nobilitas,

Plin. 14, 2, 4, § 25:

opusculum,

Plin. Ep. 4, 14, 10:

causa,

Tac. A. 4, 16.—Hence, adv., only in the comp. and sup.

Comp.: pŏtĭus, rather, preferably, more (class.; cf.: satius, prius): quo nos vocabis nomine? Ar. Libortos. Le. Non patronos? Ar. Id potius, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 62:

sed scin', quid volo potius, sodes, facias?

Ter. Hec. 5, 1, 27; id. And. 5, 3, 2:

nec vero imperia expetenda: ac potius non accipienda interdum,

Cic. Off. 1, 20, 68.— With quam, Plaut. Aul. 4, 2, 11:

Galliam potius esse Ariovisti quam populi Romani,

Caes. B. G. 1, 45.—When the predicates are compared, the verb in the following clause is always in the subj.:

perpessus est omnia potius quam conscios indicaret,

rather than, Cic. Tusc. 2, 22, 52:

in oratione non vis potius quam delectatio postulatur,

Cic. de Or. 2, 78, 317:

privabo potius illum debito testimonio quam id cum meā laude communicem,

id. Ac. 2, 1, 3:

scribam aliquid potius, quam committam ut litterae non reddantur,

id. Att. 5, 6, 2:

nos potius nostro delicto plectemur, quam res publica nostra peccata luat,

Liv. 8, 7, 17:

per interregem comitia habenda potius, quam consulum alter a bello avocaretur,

id. 22, 23, 10; 9, 14, 16.— So with quam ut:

se miliens morituros potius quam ut tantum dedecoris admitti patiantur,

Liv. 4, 2, 8: audeo dicere hoc malo domitos ipsos potius cultores agrorum fore, quam ut armati, etc., id. 2, 34, 11; 6, 28, 8; 9, 14, 7.—But after verbs of willing, wishing (sometimes of declaring), the inf. is used:

dictatore obstinato tollere potius totum e re publicā consulatum, quam promiscuum facere,

Liv. 7, 21, 1; 23, 9, 8; 21, 13, 8: v. Weissenb. ad Liv. 2, 15, 2; Fest. s. v. olivitam, p. 202 Müll.; v. Muuml;ll. ad. loc. p. 203, a. —In an inverted order:

quam potius,

Verg. Copa, 5: quid mihi negotii est eum istis nugacibus, quam potius potamus mulsum? C. Titius ap. Macr. S. 2, 12.—Sometimes potius is to be supplied:

tacita, bona est mulier semper, quam loquens,

Plaut. Rud. 4, 4, 70; id. Men. 5, 1, 26:

tamen statuit congredi, quam cum tantis copiis refugere,

Nep. Dat. 8, 1.—Pleon., with words which already express comparison.— Comp., Ter. Hec. 4, 1, 19:

Uticae potius quam Romae esse malle,

Cic. Lig. 2, 5:

favorabiliores rei potius, quam actores habentur,

Dig. 50, 17, 167.—

Esp., introducing a repetition of a thought in a corrected or strengthened form: aut potius, vel potius, or rather, or I may better say, etc.:

efficiet enim ratio ut... mors aut malum non sit, aut sit bonum potius,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 11, 23:

quam fuit imbecillus P. Africani filius, quam tenui aut nullā potius valetudine,

id. Sen. 11, 35:

erravit aut potius insanivit Apronius?

id. Verr. 2, 3, 48, § 113:

Cato magnus hercule homo, vel potius summus et singularis vir,

id. Brut. 85, 293; Dig. 1, 5, 16.—

Sup.: pŏtissĭmē ( pŏtissŭ-), and more freq. pŏtissĭmum ( pŏtissŭ-), chiefly, principally, especially, in preference to all others, above all, most of all (class.).—Form potissime, Cels. 3, 6.—Form potissimum:

responde, quo leto censes me ut peream potissimum?

Plaut. Merc. 2, 4, 15; Ter. And. 2, 6, 23:

exsistat aliquis et potissimum Caecus ille,

Cic. Cael. 14, 33; id. Mur. 2, 4:

nos id potissimum consecuti sumus,

id. Tusc. 5, 4, 11:

tanta erat contentio, qui potissimum ex magno numero conscenderent, ut,

Caes. B. C. 2, 43:

quid agam? aut quo potissimum infelix accedam?

Sall. J. 14, 15; Auct. Her. 3, 2, 2; Lact. 2, 18, 3.

pŏtis (in the positive rarely declined, and in the neutr. pŏte), adj. ( comp. pŏ-tĭor, ius; sup. pŏtissĭmus, a, um; class. only in the comp.) [Sanscr. patis, lord; Gr. posis, husband; des-potês, lord; Lat. compotis (compos) potiri].

Posit., able, capable; possible (mostly ante-class. and poet.): divi qui potes pro illo quod Samothraces theoi dunatoi, Varr L. L. 5, § 58 Müll.; Macr. S. 3, 4:

nisi qui colaphos perpeti Potis parasitus,

Plaut. Capt. 1, 1, 21.—Usually in the connection potis or pote est, he, she, or it is able, may, or can:

at ea supterfugere potis es pauca,

Plaut. Capt. 5, 2, 17: neque sanguis ullo potis est pacto profluens consistere, old poet ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 16, 38: istam non potis est vis saeva exstinguere venti, Poët. ap. Gell. 19, 9, 12:

at non Evandrum potis est vis ulla tenere,

Verg. A. 11, 148:

quod nunquam potis est sejungi,

Lucr. 1, 452:

nec potis est cerni,

id. 5, 719; Cat. 76, 24:

qui potis est?

how is it possible? id. 72, 7.—With plur.: si speres quicquam prodesse potis sunt, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 333 Müll. (Ann. v. 410 Vahl.):

duae plus satis dare potis sunt,

Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 17:

quid pastores potis sint,

Varr. R. R. 2, 2.—Without est: quis potis ingentes oras evolvere belli? Enn. ap. Diom. p. 381 P. (Ann. v. 178 Vahl.); Verg. A. 3, 671; Hor. C. 3, 17, 13.—Form pote:

si non aliud pote est,

Cat. 43, 16. Without est:

nec devitari letum pote,

Lucr. 3, 1079: viget, veget, utpote plurimum, Varr. ap Non. 2, 876:

nec non emptor pote ex empto vendito illum damnare,

id. R. R. 2, 2:

nec eniti remis pote,

Val. Fl. 4, 680; Prop. 2, 1, 46:

qui pote? vis dicam? nugaris,

Pers. 1, 56:

in te dici pote, Id, quod,

Cat. 98, 1:

nec peccatum a me quisquam pote dicere quicquam,

id. 67, 11:

hoc facito, sive id non pote sive pote,

be it impossible or possible, id. 76, 16:

quid pote simplicius?

what can be more simple? Mart. 9, 16, 2:

nihil pote supra,

nothing could exceed it, Ter. Ad. 2, 3, 11; Auct. ap. Cic. Brut. 46, 172; Cic. Att. 13, 38, 1:

quantum pote,

as soon as possible, id. ib. 4, 13, 1: quam pote, as much as possible (post-class.):

aufugiamus istinc quam pote longissime,

App. M. 1, p. 107, 9; 2, p. 119, 33.—

Comp.: pŏtĭor, us, that may be preferred, preferred; better, preferable (class.).

Of persons:

numquam edepol erit ille potior Harpax, quam ego,

Plaut. Ps. 4, 1, 17; 1, 3, 95:

quem aequiust potiorem habere quam te?

id. Stich. 1, 2, 40: qui plus pollet potiorque est patre, old poet ap. Cic. Tusc. 4, 32, 69; id. Fam. 10, 3, 2:

itaque cives potiores quam peregrini,

id. Lael. 5, 19:

Sosim et Moericum quibus tantam crederem rem, potiores habui,

Liv. 26, 31, 4:

at tu, qui potior nunc es,

happier in love, preferred, Tib. 1, 6, 33 (5, 69):

ut in judicio possessionis potior esset,

Dig. 18, 1, 34.—

Of things, better, stronger, preferable, more useful or important:

nulla potior serenda,

Varr. R. R. 1, 15:

sucus,

Plin. 36, 22, 43, § 158:

novistine locum potiorem rure beato?

Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 14:

sententia,

id. Epod. 16, 17:

mors civibus Romanis semper fuit servitute potior,

Cic. Phil. 10, 9, 19:

illi turpis vita integrā famā potior fuit,

Sall. J. 67, 3:

nihil mihi potius fuit quam ut Massinissam convenirem,

I had nothing more important, nothing more urgent to do, Cic. Rep. 6, 9, 9:

illa semper potiora duxisti, quae, etc.,

id. de Or. 3, 22, 82:

semper se rei publicae commoda privatis necessitatibus habuisse potiora,

Caes. B. C. 1, 8.— Subst.:

ut probetis potiora,

Vulg. Phil. 1, 10: hem, mater mea, tibi rem potiorem video (sc. verbis), I see a fact stronger than words, i. e. a clearer proof, Plaut. Aul. 4, 7, 12.—

Sup.: pŏtissĭmus, a, um, the chief, principal, most prominent, most important.

Of persons ( poet. and in post-Aug. prose):

item huic ultro fit, ut Meret, potissimus nostrae domi ut sit,

Plaut. Men. 2, 3, 9:

tantis potissimus umbris,

Stat. Th. 4, 627:

potissimos libertorum veneno interficere,

Tac. A. 14, 65.—

Of things (class.):

utrum potius, aut quid potissimum sit, quaeritur,

Cic. Inv. 1, 12, 17:

cura,

Stat. S. 4, 4, 20:

nobilitas,

Plin. 14, 2, 4, § 25:

opusculum,

Plin. Ep. 4, 14, 10:

causa,

Tac. A. 4, 16.—Hence, adv., only in the comp. and sup.

Comp.: pŏtĭus, rather, preferably, more (class.; cf.: satius, prius): quo nos vocabis nomine? Ar. Libortos. Le. Non patronos? Ar. Id potius, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 62:

sed scin', quid volo potius, sodes, facias?

Ter. Hec. 5, 1, 27; id. And. 5, 3, 2:

nec vero imperia expetenda: ac potius non accipienda interdum,

Cic. Off. 1, 20, 68.— With quam, Plaut. Aul. 4, 2, 11:

Galliam potius esse Ariovisti quam populi Romani,

Caes. B. G. 1, 45.—When the predicates are compared, the verb in the following clause is always in the subj.:

perpessus est omnia potius quam conscios indicaret,

rather than, Cic. Tusc. 2, 22, 52:

in oratione non vis potius quam delectatio postulatur,

Cic. de Or. 2, 78, 317:

privabo potius illum debito testimonio quam id cum meā laude communicem,

id. Ac. 2, 1, 3:

scribam aliquid potius, quam committam ut litterae non reddantur,

id. Att. 5, 6, 2:

nos potius nostro delicto plectemur, quam res publica nostra peccata luat,

Liv. 8, 7, 17:

per interregem comitia habenda potius, quam consulum alter a bello avocaretur,

id. 22, 23, 10; 9, 14, 16.— So with quam ut:

se miliens morituros potius quam ut tantum dedecoris admitti patiantur,

Liv. 4, 2, 8: audeo dicere hoc malo domitos ipsos potius cultores agrorum fore, quam ut armati, etc., id. 2, 34, 11; 6, 28, 8; 9, 14, 7.—But after verbs of willing, wishing (sometimes of declaring), the inf. is used:

dictatore obstinato tollere potius totum e re publicā consulatum, quam promiscuum facere,

Liv. 7, 21, 1; 23, 9, 8; 21, 13, 8: v. Weissenb. ad Liv. 2, 15, 2; Fest. s. v. olivitam, p. 202 Müll.; v. Muuml;ll. ad. loc. p. 203, a. —In an inverted order:

quam potius,

Verg. Copa, 5: quid mihi negotii est eum istis nugacibus, quam potius potamus mulsum? C. Titius ap. Macr. S. 2, 12.—Sometimes potius is to be supplied:

tacita, bona est mulier semper, quam loquens,

Plaut. Rud. 4, 4, 70; id. Men. 5, 1, 26:

tamen statuit congredi, quam cum tantis copiis refugere,

Nep. Dat. 8, 1.—Pleon., with words which already express comparison.— Comp., Ter. Hec. 4, 1, 19:

Uticae potius quam Romae esse malle,

Cic. Lig. 2, 5:

favorabiliores rei potius, quam actores habentur,

Dig. 50, 17, 167.—

Esp., introducing a repetition of a thought in a corrected or strengthened form: aut potius, vel potius, or rather, or I may better say, etc.:

efficiet enim ratio ut... mors aut malum non sit, aut sit bonum potius,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 11, 23:

quam fuit imbecillus P. Africani filius, quam tenui aut nullā potius valetudine,

id. Sen. 11, 35:

erravit aut potius insanivit Apronius?

id. Verr. 2, 3, 48, § 113:

Cato magnus hercule homo, vel potius summus et singularis vir,

id. Brut. 85, 293; Dig. 1, 5, 16.—

Sup.: pŏtissĭmē ( pŏtissŭ-), and more freq. pŏtissĭmum ( pŏtissŭ-), chiefly, principally, especially, in preference to all others, above all, most of all (class.).—Form potissime, Cels. 3, 6.—Form potissimum:

responde, quo leto censes me ut peream potissimum?

Plaut. Merc. 2, 4, 15; Ter. And. 2, 6, 23:

exsistat aliquis et potissimum Caecus ille,

Cic. Cael. 14, 33; id. Mur. 2, 4:

nos id potissimum consecuti sumus,

id. Tusc. 5, 4, 11:

tanta erat contentio, qui potissimum ex magno numero conscenderent, ut,

Caes. B. C. 2, 43:

quid agam? aut quo potissimum infelix accedam?

Sall. J. 14, 15; Auct. Her. 3, 2, 2; Lact. 2, 18, 3.

pŏtis (in the positive rarely declined, and in the neutr. pŏte), adj. ( comp. pŏ-tĭor, ius; sup. pŏtissĭmus, a, um; class. only in the comp.) [Sanscr. patis, lord; Gr. posis, husband; des-potês, lord; Lat. compotis (compos) potiri].

Posit., able, capable; possible (mostly ante-class. and poet.): divi qui potes pro illo quod Samothraces theoi dunatoi, Varr L. L. 5, § 58 Müll.; Macr. S. 3, 4:

nisi qui colaphos perpeti Potis parasitus,

Plaut. Capt. 1, 1, 21.—Usually in the connection potis or pote est, he, she, or it is able, may, or can:

at ea supterfugere potis es pauca,

Plaut. Capt. 5, 2, 17: neque sanguis ullo potis est pacto profluens consistere, old poet ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 16, 38: istam non potis est vis saeva exstinguere venti, Poët. ap. Gell. 19, 9, 12:

at non Evandrum potis est vis ulla tenere,

Verg. A. 11, 148:

quod nunquam potis est sejungi,

Lucr. 1, 452:

nec potis est cerni,

id. 5, 719; Cat. 76, 24:

qui potis est?

how is it possible? id. 72, 7.—With plur.: si speres quicquam prodesse potis sunt, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 333 Müll. (Ann. v. 410 Vahl.):

duae plus satis dare potis sunt,

Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 17:

quid pastores potis sint,

Varr. R. R. 2, 2.—Without est: quis potis ingentes oras evolvere belli? Enn. ap. Diom. p. 381 P. (Ann. v. 178 Vahl.); Verg. A. 3, 671; Hor. C. 3, 17, 13.—Form pote:

si non aliud pote est,

Cat. 43, 16. Without est:

nec devitari letum pote,

Lucr. 3, 1079: viget, veget, utpote plurimum, Varr. ap Non. 2, 876:

nec non emptor pote ex empto vendito illum damnare,

id. R. R. 2, 2:

nec eniti remis pote,

Val. Fl. 4, 680; Prop. 2, 1, 46:

qui pote? vis dicam? nugaris,

Pers. 1, 56:

in te dici pote, Id, quod,

Cat. 98, 1:

nec peccatum a me quisquam pote dicere quicquam,

id. 67, 11:

hoc facito, sive id non pote sive pote,

be it impossible or possible, id. 76, 16:

quid pote simplicius?

what can be more simple? Mart. 9, 16, 2:

nihil pote supra,

nothing could exceed it, Ter. Ad. 2, 3, 11; Auct. ap. Cic. Brut. 46, 172; Cic. Att. 13, 38, 1:

quantum pote,

as soon as possible, id. ib. 4, 13, 1: quam pote, as much as possible (post-class.):

aufugiamus istinc quam pote longissime,

App. M. 1, p. 107, 9; 2, p. 119, 33.—

Comp.: pŏtĭor, us, that may be preferred, preferred; better, preferable (class.).

Of persons:

numquam edepol erit ille potior Harpax, quam ego,

Plaut. Ps. 4, 1, 17; 1, 3, 95:

quem aequiust potiorem habere quam te?

id. Stich. 1, 2, 40: qui plus pollet potiorque est patre, old poet ap. Cic. Tusc. 4, 32, 69; id. Fam. 10, 3, 2:

itaque cives potiores quam peregrini,

id. Lael. 5, 19:

Sosim et Moericum quibus tantam crederem rem, potiores habui,

Liv. 26, 31, 4:

at tu, qui potior nunc es,

happier in love, preferred, Tib. 1, 6, 33 (5, 69):

ut in judicio possessionis potior esset,

Dig. 18, 1, 34.—

Of things, better, stronger, preferable, more useful or important:

nulla potior serenda,

Varr. R. R. 1, 15:

sucus,

Plin. 36, 22, 43, § 158:

novistine locum potiorem rure beato?

Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 14:

sententia,

id. Epod. 16, 17:

mors civibus Romanis semper fuit servitute potior,

Cic. Phil. 10, 9, 19:

illi turpis vita integrā famā potior fuit,

Sall. J. 67, 3:

nihil mihi potius fuit quam ut Massinissam convenirem,

I had nothing more important, nothing more urgent to do, Cic. Rep. 6, 9, 9:

illa semper potiora duxisti, quae, etc.,

id. de Or. 3, 22, 82:

semper se rei publicae commoda privatis necessitatibus habuisse potiora,

Caes. B. C. 1, 8.— Subst.:

ut probetis potiora,

Vulg. Phil. 1, 10: hem, mater mea, tibi rem potiorem video (sc. verbis), I see a fact stronger than words, i. e. a clearer proof, Plaut. Aul. 4, 7, 12.—

Sup.: pŏtissĭmus, a, um, the chief, principal, most prominent, most important.

Of persons ( poet. and in post-Aug. prose):

item huic ultro fit, ut Meret, potissimus nostrae domi ut sit,

Plaut. Men. 2, 3, 9:

tantis potissimus umbris,

Stat. Th. 4, 627:

potissimos libertorum veneno interficere,

Tac. A. 14, 65.—

Of things (class.):

utrum potius, aut quid potissimum sit, quaeritur,

Cic. Inv. 1, 12, 17:

cura,

Stat. S. 4, 4, 20:

nobilitas,

Plin. 14, 2, 4, § 25:

opusculum,

Plin. Ep. 4, 14, 10:

causa,

Tac. A. 4, 16.—Hence, adv., only in the comp. and sup.

Comp.: pŏtĭus, rather, preferably, more (class.; cf.: satius, prius): quo nos vocabis nomine? Ar. Libortos. Le. Non patronos? Ar. Id potius, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 62:

sed scin', quid volo potius, sodes, facias?

Ter. Hec. 5, 1, 27; id. And. 5, 3, 2:

nec vero imperia expetenda: ac potius non accipienda interdum,

Cic. Off. 1, 20, 68.— With quam, Plaut. Aul. 4, 2, 11:

Galliam potius esse Ariovisti quam populi Romani,

Caes. B. G. 1, 45.—When the predicates are compared, the verb in the following clause is always in the subj.:

perpessus est omnia potius quam conscios indicaret,

rather than, Cic. Tusc. 2, 22, 52:

in oratione non vis potius quam delectatio postulatur,

Cic. de Or. 2, 78, 317:

privabo potius illum debito testimonio quam id cum meā laude communicem,

id. Ac. 2, 1, 3:

scribam aliquid potius, quam committam ut litterae non reddantur,

id. Att. 5, 6, 2:

nos potius nostro delicto plectemur, quam res publica nostra peccata luat,

Liv. 8, 7, 17:

per interregem comitia habenda potius, quam consulum alter a bello avocaretur,

id. 22, 23, 10; 9, 14, 16.— So with quam ut:

se miliens morituros potius quam ut tantum dedecoris admitti patiantur,

Liv. 4, 2, 8: audeo dicere hoc malo domitos ipsos potius cultores agrorum fore, quam ut armati, etc., id. 2, 34, 11; 6, 28, 8; 9, 14, 7.—But after verbs of willing, wishing (sometimes of declaring), the inf. is used:

dictatore obstinato tollere potius totum e re publicā consulatum, quam promiscuum facere,

Liv. 7, 21, 1; 23, 9, 8; 21, 13, 8: v. Weissenb. ad Liv. 2, 15, 2; Fest. s. v. olivitam, p. 202 Müll.; v. Muuml;ll. ad. loc. p. 203, a. —In an inverted order:

quam potius,

Verg. Copa, 5: quid mihi negotii est eum istis nugacibus, quam potius potamus mulsum? C. Titius ap. Macr. S. 2, 12.—Sometimes potius is to be supplied:

tacita, bona est mulier semper, quam loquens,

Plaut. Rud. 4, 4, 70; id. Men. 5, 1, 26:

tamen statuit congredi, quam cum tantis copiis refugere,

Nep. Dat. 8, 1.—Pleon., with words which already express comparison.— Comp., Ter. Hec. 4, 1, 19:

Uticae potius quam Romae esse malle,

Cic. Lig. 2, 5:

favorabiliores rei potius, quam actores habentur,

Dig. 50, 17, 167.—

Esp., introducing a repetition of a thought in a corrected or strengthened form: aut potius, vel potius, or rather, or I may better say, etc.:

efficiet enim ratio ut... mors aut malum non sit, aut sit bonum potius,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 11, 23:

quam fuit imbecillus P. Africani filius, quam tenui aut nullā potius valetudine,

id. Sen. 11, 35:

erravit aut potius insanivit Apronius?

id. Verr. 2, 3, 48, § 113:

Cato magnus hercule homo, vel potius summus et singularis vir,

id. Brut. 85, 293; Dig. 1, 5, 16.—

Sup.: pŏtissĭmē ( pŏtissŭ-), and more freq. pŏtissĭmum ( pŏtissŭ-), chiefly, principally, especially, in preference to all others, above all, most of all (class.).—Form potissime, Cels. 3, 6.—Form potissimum:

responde, quo leto censes me ut peream potissimum?

Plaut. Merc. 2, 4, 15; Ter. And. 2, 6, 23:

exsistat aliquis et potissimum Caecus ille,

Cic. Cael. 14, 33; id. Mur. 2, 4:

nos id potissimum consecuti sumus,

id. Tusc. 5, 4, 11:

tanta erat contentio, qui potissimum ex magno numero conscenderent, ut,

Caes. B. C. 2, 43:

quid agam? aut quo potissimum infelix accedam?

Sall. J. 14, 15; Auct. Her. 3, 2, 2; Lact. 2, 18, 3.