View source for flecto

{{Lewis
|lshtext=<b>flecto</b>: xi, xum, 3, v. a. and n. [[root]] in Gr. [[φολκός]], [[bandy]]-legged; [[φάλκης]], the [[bent]] [[rib]] of a [[ship]]; L. [[falx]]; [[falco]], so called from the [[curve]] of its claws or [[beak]]; cf. Germ. Falke; Engl. [[falcon]].<br /><b>I</b> Act., to [[bend]], [[bow]], [[curve]], [[turn]], [[turn]] [[round]] (freq. and [[class]].; syn.: [[plecto]], [[plico]], [[curvo]]).<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>A</b> Lit.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>1</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In gen.: [[animal]] omne membra [[quocumque]] vult, flectit, contorquet, porrigit, contrahit, Cic. Div. 1, 53, 120: ora [[retro]], Ov. M. 3, 188: [[vultus]] ad illum, id. ib. 4, 265; 10, 236: lumina a gurgite in nullam partem, id. ib. 8, 367: geminas [[acies]] huc, to [[turn]], [[direct]], Verg. A. 6, 789; cf. oculos, id. ib. 8, 698: equos brevi moderari ac flectere, Caes. B. G. 4, 33 fin.: equum, Hor. C. 3, 7, 25: currum de [[foro]] in [[Capitolium]], Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 30, § 77: [[plaustrum]], Ov. M. 10, 447: navem, Auct. B. Alex. 64 fin.: habenas, Ov. M. 2, 169: [[cursus]] in orbem, id. ib. 6, 225; cf.: [[cursus]] in laevum, id. Tr. 1, 10, 17: [[iter]] ad [[Privernum]], Liv. 8, 19, 13 Drak. N. cr.: [[iter]] Demetriadem, id. 35, 31, 3: tu (Bacche) flectis amnes, tu [[mare]] [[barbarum]], Hor. C. 2, 19, 17: [[arcus]], to [[bend]], Ov. M. 4, 303; cf.: flexos incurvant viribus [[arcus]], Verg. A. 5, 500: flexum [[genu]], Ov. M. 4, 340: [[artus]], Liv. 21, 58, 9: flexi crines, curled, Mart. 3, 63, 3; 10, 65, 6; Juv. 6, 493: flexum [[mare]], i.e. a [[bay]], Tac. A. 14, 4: flexi fractique [[motus]], [[contorted]], Cic. Fin. 5, 12, 35: [[hinc]] ([[silva]]) se flectit [[sinistrorsus]], Caes. B. G. 6, 25, 3.—Mid.: [[quasi]] [[amnis]] celeris rapit, sed [[tamen]] inflexu flectitur, Naev. ap. Non. 191, 34 (Trag. Rel. v. 42 Rib.): (milvus) flectitur in gyrum, wheels, Ov. M. 2, 718: [[modo]] flector in anguem, I [[bend]], [[wind]] [[myself]] [[into]] a [[snake]], id. ib. 8, 883: sol ab ea (Cancri) [[meta]] incipit flecti, Plin. 18, 28, 68, § 264: [[Euphrates]] ad meridiem flectitur, id. 6, 26, 30, § 125.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>2</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In partic., naut. t. t., to go [[round]] or [[double]] a [[promontory]]: cum in flectendis promontoriis ventorum mutationes maximas [[saepe]] sentiant, Cic. Div. 2, 45, 94: Leucaten flectere molestum videbatur, id. Att. 5, 9, 1.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>B</b> Trop.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>1</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In gen., to [[bend]], [[turn]], [[direct]]: ducere [[multimodis]] voces et flectere [[cantus]], Lucr. 5, 1406: vocem, Ov. Am. 2, 4, 25: qui teneros et rudes cum acceperunt, inficiunt et flectunt, ut volunt, Cic. Leg. 1, 17, 47; cf.: imbecillitatem animorum torquere et flectere, id. ib. 1, 10, 29: suam naturam huc et [[illuc]] torquere ac flectere, id. Cael. 6, 13: vitam flectere fingereque, id. Sull. 28, 79: mentes suas ad [[nostrum]] [[imperium]] nomenque, id. Balb. 17, 39: aliquem a proposito, Liv. 28, 22, 11: scribentis animum a [[vero]], id. 1 praef. 5: [[animus]] ab [[aliqua]] opinione flectendus, Quint. 4, 2, 80: animos ad publica carmina, Ov. Tr. 5, 1, 23: quo [[vobis]] mentes ... dementes [[sese]] flexere viaï? Enn. ap. Cic. de Sen. 6, 16 (Ann. v. 209 ed. Vahl.): est viri et ducis oblata casu flectere ad [[consilium]], Liv. 28, 44, 8: juvenis [[cereus]] in [[vitium]] flecti, Hor. A. P. 163: [[quod]] [[procul]] a nobis flectat Fortuna gubernans, [[turn]] [[aside]], [[avert]], Lucr. 5, 108.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>2</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In partic.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>a</b> To [[bend]] (in [[opinion]] or in [[will]]), to [[move]], [[persuade]], [[prevail]] [[upon]], [[overcome]], [[soften]], [[appease]] (cf.: [[moveo]], [[afficio]]): quibus rebus ita flectebar [[animo]] [[atque]] frangebar, ut, etc., Cic. Sull. 6, 18: sed [[quid]] te oratione flectam? ... [[qua]] re flecte te, [[quaeso]], id. Phil. 1, 14, 35: [[facile]] Achivos flexeris, Enn. ap. Gell. 11, 4, 3 (Trag. v. 229 ed. Vahl.): judices, Quint. 6, 1, 9: flectere mollibus jam durum imperiis, Hor. C. 4, 1, 6: precibus si flecteris ullis, Verg. A. 2, 689: flectere si [[nequeo]] Superos, Acheronta movebo, id. ib. 7, 312; cf.: [[nisi]] dii immortales suo numine [[prope]] fata ipsa flexissent, Cic. Cat. 3, 8, 19: desine fata deum flecti sperare precando, Verg. A. 6, 376: animos commutare [[atque]] omni ratione flectere, Cic. de Or. 2, 52 fin.: [[ingenium]] alicujus aversum, Sall. J. 102, 3: si quem a proposito [[spes]] mollitiave animi flexisset, [[divert]], [[dissuade]], Liv. 28, 22, 11: dictis nostris [[sententia]] flexa est, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 257 Müll. (Ann. v. 264 ed. Vahl.): si flectitur ira deorum, Ov. M. 1, 378: cf. id. Tr. 3, 5, 41: hortaturque [[simul]] flectitque labores, soothes, Stat. S. 5, 1, 119: ad deditionem primos, Liv. 5, 43, 1.—Mid.: plurimum valet [[miseratio]], quae judicem flecti non [[tantum]] cogit, sed, etc., to [[let]] [[himself]] be moved, Quint. 6, 1, 23: flexi in misericordiam, Amm. 12, 27.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>b</b> (Acc. to I. A. 2.) To [[turn]] [[aside]] from, to [[avoid]] a [[thing]]: ut eam (viam) flectas, te [[rogo]], Cic. Att. 11, 18, 2 ([[but]] B. and K. ex conj. C. F. Hermann [[read]] ira, v. a. [[sup]].); cf.: flexit viam, Liv. 1, 60, 1: [[dolo]] a se flexos imputavit [[civilis]], Tac. H. 5, 24.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>c</b> To [[refer]] to or [[apply]] to [[any]] one: [[versus]] qui in Tiberium flecterentur, Tac. A. 6, 29: [[Augustus]] quaedam ex horrida [[illa]] antiquitate ad praesentem usum flexisset, id. ib. 4, 16.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>d</b> In [[grammar]].<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>(a)</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; To form a [[word]] from [[another]] [[language]]: verba derivare, flectere, conjungere, Quint. 8, 3, 36: hoc [[vocabulum]] ([[pollex]]) de Graeco flexum est, Gell. 4, 3 fin. —<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>(b)</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; To [[decline]], conjugate, inflect, Varr. L. L. 10, 2, 29 al.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>(g)</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Flectere syllabam, to [[mark]] [[with]] the circumflex [[accent]], and [[hence]], to [[lengthen]], Quint. 1, 5, 23 Spald. and Zumpt.<br /><b>II</b> Neutr., to [[turn]], go, or [[march]] in [[any]] [[direction]] ([[post]]-Aug.).<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>A</b> Lit.: cum [[procul]] hos laevo flectentes limite cernunt, Verg. A. 9, 372: ex Gabino in Tusculanos flexere colles, Liv. 3, 8, 6; [[Hasdrubal]] ad Oceanum flectit, id. 28, 16, 3: [[inde]] [[Vitellius]] Cremonam flexit, Tac. H. 2, 70: in [[Capitolium]], Suet. Tib. 20.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>B</b> Trop., of [[thought]] or [[speech]], to [[turn]] in [[any]] [[direction]]: ad providentiam sapientiamque, Tac. A. 13, 3: in ambitionem, id. ib. 4, 37: a veneratione Augusti [[orsus]] flexit ad victorias Tiberii, id. ib. 1, 34.—Hence, [[flexus]], a, um, P. a.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>A</b> Lit., [[bent]], [[winding]]: [[error]], Ov. M. 8, 160: [[zodiacus]] [[circa]] Cancrum Capricornumque flexior, Mart. Cap. 8, § 878.—In neutr. plur. subst.: collium flexa, Minuc. Fel. Octav. 17.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>B</b> Trop., of tones, lengthened: infinito [[magis]] [[illa]] flexa et circumducta sunt, Quint. 11, 3, 172.
}}