I.leaning or supported on something, in a good or bad sense; relying or depending upon, trusting to; daring (class.; cf.: fultus, nixus).—Constr. with abl., rarely with dat., with inf. (poet.), and with objectclause.
(α).
With abl.: omnes mortales dis sunt freti, Plaut. Cas. 2, 5, 38 sq.: “magnanimi viri freti virtute et viribus,” id. Am. 1, 1, 56: “ingenio ejus,” id. Capt. 2, 2, 100: “dote,” id. Men. 5, 2, 17: “vobis,” Ter. Eun. 5, 8, 33: “vobis fretus,” Cic. Planc. 42, 103: “fretus intellegentiā vestrā,” id. N. D. 1, 19, 49: “fretus conscientiā officii mei,” id. Fam. 3, 7, 6: “gratiā Bruti,” id. Att. 5, 21, 12: “ingenio,” id. de Or. 2, 24, 103: “juventā,” Verg. A. 5, 430 al.: “amicitiis,” Q. Cic. Petit. Cons. 7, 25: “pondere enim fretae (res) stant,” Lucr. 6, 1058: “ferro et animis,” Liv. 9, 40, 4: “malitiā suā,” Ter. Phorm. 2, 1, 43: “multitudine solā,” Liv. 9, 35, 3.—
(β).
With dat. (only in Liv.; “v. Zumpt, Gram. § 413): multitudo hostium, nulli rei praeterquam numero freta,” Liv. 6, 13, 1; cf.: “tamquam constantissimae rei, fortunae,” id. 4, 37, 6; so, “discordiae hostium,” id. 6, 31, 6: “haec civitas Samnitium infidae adversus Romanos societati freta,” id. 8, 22, 7.—