I.in a middle state between too much and too little, middling, moderate, tolerable, ordinary; sometimes also, not remarkable, indifferent, mediocre.
I. In gen. (class.).
A. Lit., of size, quantity, degree, etc., in material things: “castellum,” Sall. J. 92, 5: “spatium,” Caes. B. G. 5, 43: “agmen,” Hirt. B. G. 8, 9: “intervallum,” id. B. Alex. 30.—
B. Of mind, character, ability, acts, achievements, etc.: “C. L. Memmii fuerunt oratores mediocres,” Cic. Brut. 36, 136: “L. Cotta in mediocrium oratorum numero,” id. ib. 36, 137: “non mediocres viri, sed maximi et docti,” id. Rep. 3, 11, 19: “homines,” id. de Or. 1, 21, 94: “vir,” Just. 1, 4, 4: “poëta,” Hor. A. P. 372: “in mediocribus vel studiis vel officiis,” Cic. Rep. 1, 3, 4: “amicitia,” id. Lael. 6, 10: “malum,” id. Tusc. 3, 10, 22: “artes,” id. de Or. 1, 2, 6: “eloquentia,” id. ib. 1, 29, 133: “ingenium,” id. ib. 2, 27, 119: “excusare ... mediocris est animi,” narrow, small, Caes. B. C. 3, 20: “ut mediocris jacturae te mergat onus,” Juv. 13, 7.—
II. Esp.
A. Per litoten, with non (haud, nec), not insignificant, not common or trivial: “Jugurthae non mediocrem animum pollicitando accendebant,” i. e. ardent, ambitious, Sall. J. 8, 1: “non mediocris hominis haec sunt officia,” Ter. Ad. 5, 9, 9: “haud mediocris hic, ut ego quidem intellego, vir fuit,” Cic. Rep. 2, 31, 55: nec mediocre telum ad res gerendas, id. Lael. 17, 61: “non mediocrem sibi diligentiam adhibendam intellegebat,” uncommon, extraordinary, Caes. B. G. 3, 20: “praemium non mediocre,” Suet. Vesp. 18: “non mediocris dissensio,” Quint. 9, 1, 10 et saep.—*
B. With syllaba, common = anceps: “syllabarum longarum et brevium et mediocrium junctura,” Gell. 16, 18, 5.—Hence, adv.: mĕdĭō^crĭ-ter .
1. Moderately, tolerably, ordinarily, not particularly, not very, not remarkably, not much (class.): “ordo annalium mediocriter nos retinet,” Cic. Fam. 5, 12, 5: “corpus mediocriter aegrum,” id. Tusc. 3, 10, 22.—
(β).
By litotes, with haud, ne, non (cf.: “supra, mediocris, II. A.): flagitium, et damnum haud mediocriter,” Plaut. Merc. 2, 1, 13: “non mediocriter,” in no moderate degree, Caes. B. G. 1, 39: “reprehensus est non mediocriter,” i. e. greatly, exceedingly, very much, Quint. 11, 1, 17; so id. 8, 2, 2; 9; 11, 1, 57 al.—
2. With moderation, calmly, tranquilly = modice (rare, and perh. only in Cic.): “quod mihi non mediocriter ferendum videtur,” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 41, § 95.— Comp.: “hoc vellem mediocrius,” Cic. Att. 1, 20, 5.
