incertus: Difference between revisions

|lshtext=<b>incertus</b>: a, um (archaic<br /><b>I</b> gen. plur. incertūm, Pac. ap. Non. 495, 27), adj. 2. [[incertus]]; [[hence]], acc. to [[certus]].<br /><b>I</b> Object., of things whose ([[external]] or [[internal]]) qualities are not [[firmly]] established, [[uncertain]], [[unsettled]], [[doubtful]], [[untrustworthy]], not [[fast]], not [[firm]] ([[class]].): [[amicus]] [[certus]] in re incerta cernitur, Enn. ap. Cic. Lael. 17, 64 (Trag. v. 428 Vahl.); cf. id. ap. Non. 166, 22 (Trag. v. 12 Vahl.): incerti socii an hostes essent, Liv. 30, 35, 9: [[incertus]] ([[infans]]) [[masculus]] an [[femina]] esset, id. 31, 12, 6; cf. Sall. J. 49, 5: cum incerta [[bellum]] an pax cum Celtiberis essent, Liv. 34, 19, 8 Weissenb.: spe incerta certum mihi laborem [[sustuli]], Ter. Hec. prol. alt. 9; id. And. 2, 3, 16: [[nuptiae]], id. ib. 5, 1, 11: [[aetas]] ([[puerilis]]) [[maxime]] lubrica [[atque]] incerta, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 52, § 137: itinera, Caes. B. G. 5, 37 fin.: [[dominatus]], Cic. Rep. 1, 17: [[status]], id. ib. 1, 26: [[sedes]], Sall. C. 6, 1: ambiguae [[testis]] incertaeque rei, Juv. 8, 81: comarum Anulus incertā non [[bene]] [[fixus]] acu, not [[fast]], Mart. 2, 66, 2: colligere incertos et in ordine ponere crines, [[dishevelled]], Ov. Am. 1, 11, 1: per incertam lunam sub [[luce]] maligna, not [[clearly]] [[visible]], [[dim]], Verg. A. 6, 270: soles, id. ib. 3, 203: [[securis]], [[that]] did not [[strike]] [[with]] a [[sure]] [[blow]], id. ib. 2, 224: [[vultus]], disturbed, [[uneasy]], Sall. J. 106, 2: [[ille]] vitam suam ad incertissimam spem reservavit, Cic. Sest. 22, 50: arbori incertae nullam [[prudentia]] cani Rectoris cum ferret opem, the [[ship]] [[uncertain]] in her [[course]], [[because]] no [[longer]] obeying the [[helm]], Juv. 12, 32 Halm. — In neutr. ellipt.: clauserant portas [[incertum]] vi an voluntate, Liv. 31, 41, 2; 31, 43, 7 al. — Neutr. as adv. ([[poet]].): [[incertum]] [[vigilans]], Ov. H. 10, 9; Stat. Th. 5, 212. —<br /><b>II</b> Subject., as respects one's perceptions or convictions, not [[firmly]] established, [[uncertain]], [[undetermined]], [[doubtful]], [[dubious]] (so [[most]] freq. in [[prose]] and [[poetry]]): [[nihil]] est incertius [[vulgo]], Cic. Mur. 17, 36: [[casus]], id. Or. 28, 98: ut [[alia]] certa, [[alia]] incerta esse dicunt, id. Off. 2, 2, 7; cf.: est [[igitur]] ridiculum, [[quod]] est dubium, id relinquere [[incertum]], id. Mur. 32, 68; and: incerta [[atque]] dubia, Plin. 17, 1, 1, § 9 fin.: ut incertis temporibus diversisque itineribus iretur, Caes. B. G. 7, 16 fin.; so, [[eventus]] reliqui temporis, Cic. Quint. 26, 83: [[exitus]] pugnarum, id. Mil. 21, 56: [[adulterium]], Quint. 7, 2, 52: [[auctor]], id. 5, 11, 41: cujus ora puellares faciunt incerta capilli, [[make]] the [[sex]] [[doubtful]], Juv. 15, 137: incerta [[persona]] [[heres]] institui non potest, Ulp. Fragm. 22, 4; Gai. Inst. 2, 242; cf. 2, 238.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>(b)</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With rel. or interrog.-[[clause]]: [[nunc]] mihi incertumst, abeam an maneam, Plaut. Aul. 4, 9, 19: moriendum [[certe]] est, et id [[incertum]], an hoc ipso [[die]], Cic. Sen. 20, 74; cf. Quint. 1, 6, 27: ([[Gallus]]) avem, an gentem, an [[nomen]], an fortunam corporis significet, [[incertum]] est, id. 7, 9, 2: [[confessus]] est [[quidem]] sed [[incertum]], [[utrum]] [[quia]] [[verum]] erat, an [[quia]], etc., Plin. Ep. 4, 11, 5: [[neque]] [[plane]] occultati humilitate arborum et [[tamen]] incerti, [[quidnam]] esset, Sall. J. 49, 5 Kritz.—Abl. absol.: multi annantes navibus [[incerto]] [[prae]] tenebris, [[quid]] aut peterent aut vitarent, [[foede]] interierunt, Liv. 28, 36, 12.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>2</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Subst.: incer-tum, i, n., an [[uncertainty]]: [[quicquid]] incerti mihi in [[animo]] [[prius]] aut ambiguum fuit, Nunc [[liquet]], [[nunc]] defaecatum est, Plaut. Ps. 2, 4, 69: ne cujus incerti vanique [[auctor]] esset, Liv. 4, 13, 9: incerta maris et tempestatum, Tac. A. 3, 54: incerta fortunae experiri, Plin. Ep. 3, 19, 4: incerta belli, Liv. 30, 2: bona, fortunae possessionesque omnium in dubium incertumque revocabuntur, Cic. Caecin. 27, 76; cf. id. ib. 13, 38: [[Minucius]] [[praefectus]] annonae in [[incertum]] creatus, for an [[indefinite]] [[time]], Liv. 4, 13, 7: [[postremo]] fugere an manere tutius foret, in [[incerto]] erat, Sall. J. 38, 5: [[Allobroges]] diu in [[incerto]] habuere, [[quidnam]] consilii caperent, id. C. 41, 1; cf. id. J. 46, 8: imperia ducum in [[incerto]] reliquerat, Tac. H. 2, 33 fin.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>B</b> Transf., of a [[person]] [[who]] is in a [[state]] of [[uncertainty]] [[respecting]] [[any]] [[thing]], [[uncertain]], in [[uncertainty]], [[hesitating]], [[doubtful]]: quo ego [[ope]] mea Pro incertis certos compotesque consili Dimitto, Enn. ap. Cic. de Or. 1, 45, 199 (Trag. v. 188 Vahl.): [[nolo]] suspensam et incertam plebem Romanam obscura spe et caeca exspectatione pendere, Cic. Agr. 2, 25, 66; so, [[varius]] incertusque agitabat, Sall. J. 74, 1; Plaut. Ep. 3, 4, 3: ego [[certe]] me [[incerto]] [[scio]] hoc daturum nemini homini, id. As. 2, 4, 60.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>(b)</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With rel.-[[clause]]: [[quid]] dicam hisce, [[incertus]] [[sum]], Ter. Hec. 3, 4, 36: cum [[incertus]] essem, ubi esses, Cic. Att. 1, 9, 1: incerti ignarique, [[quid]] potissimum facerent, Sall. J. 67, 1: incerti [[quidnam]] esset, id. ib. 49, 5: [[incertus]], [[quonam]] [[modo]] aciem instrueret, id. ib. 101, 2: incerti, quo fata ferant, ubi sistere detur, Verg. A. 3, 7: [[incertus]], Geniumne loci famulumne parentis Esse putet, id. ib. 5, 95: [[faber]], [[incertus]] [[scamnum]] faceretne Priapum, Hor. S. 1, 8, 2.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>(g)</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With gen. (not in Cic.): summarum rerum incerti, Enn. ap. Cic. de Or. 1, 45, 199 (Trag. v. 187 Vahl.): incertusque meae [[paene]] salutis eram, Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 4: sententiae, Liv. 4, 57, 3: veri, id. 4, 23, 3; 1, 27, 6: rerum, id. 24, 24, 9: ultionis, Tac. A. 2, 75: sui, Stat. Th. 5, 525: naves incertae locorum, Auct. B. Afr. 7: mox [[incertus]] animi, fesso corpore, etc., Tac. A. 6, 46; id. H. 3, 55 fin.: futurorum, Plin. Ep. 9, 13, 11: consilii, Curt. 8, 10, 27.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>(d)</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With abl.: incerti metu, Val. Fl. 3, 602.—（ε) With de and abl.: [[incertus]] de [[salute]] alicujus, Plin. Ep. 6, 20, 10.—Hence, adv. in [[two]] forms: incertē and [[incerto]] ([[both]] [[ante]]-[[class]].), uncertainly, not [[certainly]], [[dubiously]]: [[incerte]] errat [[animus]], Enn. ap. Gell. 19, 10, 12 (Trag. v. 259 Vahl.): vagat [[exsul]], Pac. ap. Non. 467, 25 (Trag. Rel. p. 87 Rib.): ubi Habitet dum [[incerto]] [[scio]], Plaut. Ep. 3, 4, 69: [[incerto]] [[scio]], id. Ps. 4, 2, 7: [[incerto]] [[autumo]], id. Ep. 4, 1, 18.