I.a., to shrink back from a thing, to shudder at, abhor.
I. Lit. (syn. aversor; rare but class.); constr. with ab or absol., sometimes with the acc. (not so in Cicero; cf. “Haase ad Reisig Vorles. p. 696): retro volgus abhorret ab hac,” shrinks back from, Lucr. 1, 945; 4, 20: “omnes aspernabantur, omnes abhorrebant, etc.,” Cic. Clu. 14, 41: “quid tam abhorret hilaritudo?” Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 56: “pumilos atque distortos,” Suet. Aug. 83; so id. Galb. 4; Vit. 10.
II. Transf., in gen.
A. To be averse or disinclined to a thing, not to wish it, usu. with ab: “a nuptiis,” Ter. Hec. 4, 4, 92: “ab re uxoriā,” id. And. 5, 1, 10; “and so often in Cic.: Caesaris a causā,” Cic. Sest. 33: “a caede,” id. ib. 63: “ab horum turpitudine, audaciā, sordibus,” id. ib. 52, 112: “a scribendo abhorret animus,” id. Att. 2, 6: “animo abhorruisse ab optimo statu civitatis,” id. Phil. 7, 2: “a ceterorum consilio,” Nep. Milt. 3, 5 al.
B. In a yet more general sense, to be remote from an object, i. e. to vary or differ from, to be inconsistent or not to agree with (freq. and class.): “temeritas tanta, ut non procul abhorreat ab insaniā,” Cic. Rosc. Am. 24, 68: “a vulgari genere orationis atque a consuetudine communis sensus,” id. de Or. 1, 3, 12: “oratio abhorrens a personā hominis gravissimi,” id. Rep. 1, 15: “ab opinione tuā,” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 20: Punicum abhorrens os ab Latinorum nominum prolatione, Liv. 22, 13; so id. 29, 6; 30, 44: “a fide,” to be incredible, id. 9, 36: “a tuo scelere,” is not connected with, Cic. Cat. 1, 7 al. —Hence, like dispar, with dat.: “tam pacatae profectioni abhorrens mos,” not accordant with, Liv. 2, 14.—
2. To be free from: “Caelius longe ab istā suspicione abhorrere debet,” Cic. Cael. 4.—
3. Absol.
(β).
To be unfit: “sin plane abhorrebit et erit absurdus,” Cic. de Or. 2, 20, 85; cf.: “absurdae atque abhorrentes lacrimae,” Liv. 30, 44, 6; and: “carmen abhorrens et inconditum,” id. 27, 37, 13.
