vacillō

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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.

lăbo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. [from the same root as 1. labor], to totter, be ready to fall, begin to sink, to give way, be loosened (syn.: vacillo, titubo, nato).

Lit.: labat, labuntur saxa, caementae cadunt, Enn. ap. Non. 196, 3 (Trag. v. 142 Vahl.):

signum labat,

Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 43, 95:

si ex ictu... labant dentes,

Cels. 7, 12, 1:

labat ariete crebro Janua,

Verg. A. 2, 492:

labant curvae naves,

roll, Ov. M. 2, 163:

pressaeque labant sub gurgite turres,

id. ib. 1, 290:

(turris) qua summa labantis Juncturas tabulata dabant,

Verg. A. 2, 463:

littera labat,

written with a trembling hand, Ov. H. 10, 140:

labare sermone,

to stutter, speak indistinctly, Plin. 14, 22, 28, § 146:

si labat oculus et hac atque illac movetur,

is unsteady, Cels. 7, 7, 14:

tarda trementi genua labant,

sink, Verg. A. 5, 432; so,

pedes,

Ov. F. 6, 676:

vincla labant,

are loosed, id. A. A. 2, 85.— Poet., of dying persons:

inde labant populi,

fall, sink, Luc. 6, 93; cf.:

omnia tum vero vitaï claustra lababant,

Lucr. 6, 1153.—With Gr. acc.:

egressi labant vestigia prima,

Verg. A. 10, 283 Forbig. (Rib. egressisque).—

Trop.

To waver, to be unstable, undecided, to hesitate (in opinion, resolution, etc.):

si res labat, Itidem amici collabascunt,

Plaut. Stich. 4, 1, 16; cf.:

scito, labare meum consilium illud, quod satis jam fixum videbatur,

Cic. Att. 8, 14, 2:

labamus mutamusque sententiam,

id. Tusc. 1, 32, 78:

cum ei labare M. Antonius videretur,

id. Phil. 6, 4, 10:

animumque labantem inpulit,

Verg. A. 4, 22:

labantia corda,

id. ib. 12, 223:

socii labant,

waver in fidelity, Liv. 22, 61; cf.:

fides sociorum,

id. 32, 30, 9:

animus regis,

id. 40, 54; 2, 39:

quīs lababat fides,

whose fidelity was wavering, Sil. 2, 392:

mens,

Ov. M. 6, 629:

tu mente labantem dirige me,

Luc. 2, 244:

ex nimia matrem pietate labare sensit,

Ov. M. 6, 629:

memoria labat,

becomes weak, Liv. 5, 18; cf.:

mens in illis (phreneticis) labat, in hoc (cordiaco) constat,

Cels. 3, 19:

nec dubium habebatur labare hostes,

Tac. A. 2, 26:

labante jam Agrippina,

id. H. 14, 22:

labantem ordinem contirmare,

Suet. Caes. 14:

acies labantes restituere,

Tac. G. 8 init.:

sustinere labantem aciem,

id. H. 3, 23; 5, 18.—

To sink, fall to pieces, go to ruin:

quid non sic aliud ex alio nectitur, ut non, si unam litteram moveris, labent omnia?

Cic. Fin. 3, 22, 74:

omnes rei publicae partes aegras et labantes sanare et confirmare,

id. Mil. 25, 68; cf.:

sustinuisse labantem fortunam populi Romani,

Liv. 26, 41:

sicuti populo Romano sua fortuna labet,

id. 42, 50:

labante egregia quondam disciplina,

id. 36, 6:

cum res Trojana labaret,

Ov. M. 15, 437:

labantibus Vitellii rebus,

Tac. H. 2, 86:

si quid in moribus labaret,

id. A. 2, 33.

tĭtŭbo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. and a., to stagger, totter, reel.

Lit. (rare; cf.: vacillo, labo);

of drunken persons: Silenus titubans annisque meroque,

Ov. M. 11, 90:

mero somnoque gravis titubare videtur,

id. ib. 3, 608; 4, 26; 15, 331; cf.:

titubans pes,

Phaedr. 4, 14, 12:

vestigia titubata,

tottering, Verg. A. 5, 332:

titubat lingua,

stammers, stutters, Ov. A. A. 1, 598.—

Trop., to hesitate, falter, waver, be in suspense, be embarrassed or perplexed (class.):

Licinius titubans,

Cic. Cael. 28, 66:

cave ne titubes mandataque frangas, Hor Ep. 1, 13, 19 Orell. ad loc.: fac titubet blaeso subdola lingua sono,

Ov. A. A. 1, 598:

erubuisse, expalluisse, titubasse,

Auct. Her. 2, 5, 8:

testes, si verbo titubarint,

Cic. Fl. 10, 22:

at vide, ne titubes,

Plaut. Ps. 4, 1, 32; id. Mil. 2, 2, 93:

lacrumans titubanti animo, corde et pectore,

id. ib. 1, 1, 43:

hic omnibus titubantibus et de rebus summis desperantibus,

Nep. Eum. 9, 2:

quid agat, ne quid titubet,

Plaut. Ps. 2, 4, 75:

verum illa ne quid titubet,

Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 120; Quint. 5, 7, 11:

nihil,

Cic. Att. 2, 9, 2; cf. impers. pass.:

ne quid titubetur,

Plaut. Mil. 3, 3, 70:

si quid forte titubatum est, ut fit in bello,

Cic. Fam. 12, 10, 2:

versus debilitatur, in quācumque ejus sit parte titubatum,

id. de Or. 3, 50, 192.—Hence, tĭtŭbanter, adv., loosely, totteringly.

Lit.:

lapis, quem artifex titubanter aptaverat fundae,

Amm. 24, 4, 28. —

Trop., hesitatingly, falteringly:

titubanter et inconstanter loqui de aliquā re,

Auct. Her. 4, 41, 53:

titubanter et strictim,

Cic. Cael. 7, 15.