I.to frighten, affright, put in fear or dread, to alarm, terrify.
I. Lit. (class. and very freq.): “nec me ista terrent,” Cic. Fam. 2, 16, 4: “adversarios,” id. de Or. 1, 20, 90: “qui urbem totam . . . caede incendiisque terreret,” id. Har. Resp. 4, 6: “eum hominem istis mortis aut exsilii minis,” id. Par. 2, 17: “suae malae cogitationes terrent,” id. Rosc. Am. 24, 67: “maris subita tempestas terret navigantes,” id. Tusc. 3, 22, 52: “milites . . . alii se abdere, pars territos confirmare,” Sall. J. 38, 5: “multum ad terrendos nostros valuit clamor,” Caes. B. G. 7, 84: “mortis metu territi,” Curt. 6, 7, 10; 9, 4, 16: “aliquem proscriptionis denuntiatione,” Cic. Planc. 35, 87: “metu poenāque,” id. Rep. 5, 4, 6: “ut in scenā videtis homines consceleratos impulsu deorum terreri Furiarum taedis ardentibus,” id. Pis. 20, 46: “terrere metu,” Liv. 36, 6, 10: “territus hoste novo,” Ov. M. 3, 115. — With ne and subj.: “Samnites maxime territi, ne ab altero exercitu integro intactoque fessi opprimerentur,” Liv. 10, 14, 20: “terruit urbem, Terruit gentes, grave ne rediret Saeculum Pyrrhae,” Hor. C. 1, 2, 4 sq.—With gen.: “territus animi,” Sall. H. Fragm. 4, 50 Dietsch; Liv. 7, 34, 4.—Absol.: “ut ultro territuri succlamationibus, concurrunt,” Liv. 28, 26, 12.—
II. Transf.
A. To drive away by terror, to frighten or scare away (poet.): “profugam per totum terruit orbem,” Ov. M. 1, 727: “fures vel falce vel inguine,” id. ib. 14, 640; cf.: “has (Nymphas) pastor fugatas terruit,” id. ib. 14, 518: “volucres (harundo),” Hor. S. 1, 8, 7: “saepe etiam audacem fugat hoc terretque poëtam,” id. Ep. 2, 1, 182: “terret ambustus Phaethon avaras Spes,” id. C. 4, 11, 25.—
B. To deter by terror, to scare, frighten from any action: “aliquem metu gravioris servitii a repetendā libertate,” Sall. H. 1, 41, 6 Dietsch: “ut, si nostros loco depulsos vidisset, quo minus libere hostes insequerentur, terreret,” Caes. B. G. 7, 49.—With ne, Tac. H. 2, 63; 3, 42: “memoria pessimi proximo bello exempli terrebat, ne rem committerent eo,” Liv. 2, 45, 1: “praesentiā tuā, ne auderent transitum, terruisti, Auct. Pan. ap. Constant. 22: non territus ire,” Manil. 5, 576: “inimicos loqui terrent amplitudine potestatis,” Amm. 27, 7, 9.
