I.acc. sing. hebem, Enn. and Caecil. ap. Charis. p. 107 P.; abl. hebeti; “but hebete,” Cels. 7, 3), adj. hebeo, blunt, dull, in opp. to pointed or sharp (class.; esp. freq. in the trop. sense).
I. Lit.: cujus (lunae) et nascentis et insenescentis alias hebetiora alias acutiora videntur cornua, Cic. Fragm. ap. Non. 122, 1: “tela leviora atque hebetiora,” id. Har. Resp. 1, 2: “quo latiora (ossa) quaque parte sunt, hoc hebetiora,” Cels. 8, 1, 66: “ponite jam gladios hebetes, pugnetur acutis,” Ov. A. A. 3, 589: “machaera,” Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 53; cf.: “hebeti mucrone,” Lucr. 5, 1274, and hebeti ictu, which does not penetrate, Ov. M. 12, 85: “oryx hebeti ferro caeditur,” Juv. 11, 140: “secures,” id. 8, 137: “angulus,” obtuse, Front. de Form. Agr. p. 32 Goes.—As subst.: hĕbĕtĭa , ium, n., blunt tools, Quint. 2, 12, 18.—
B. Transf., of sight, hearing, smell, taste, dull, dim, faint: “utroque oculo natura hebete,” Plin. 9, 15, 20: “color,” Ov. F. 5, 365; cf.: “(orbem solis) adhuc hebetem vicina nocte,” Stat. Ach. 2, 289: “carbunculi hebetiores,” Plin. 37, 7, 26, § 98: “postea quam sensi populi Romani aures hebetiores, oculos autem esse acres atque acutos,” Cic. Planc. 27, 66; cf. id. Rep. 6, 18: “uva gustu hebes,” tasteless, insipid, Col. 3, 2, 24: genus croci, without smell (opp. odoratum), Plin. 21, 11, 39, § 67: “os hebes est, positaeque movent fastidia mensae,” without appetite, Ov. P. 1, 10, 7: “caro,” without feeling, dead, Cels. 7, 6, 8; 7, 13, 1: “ossa gingivarum,” id. 6, 15, 17: “qui torpet hebes locus ille,” Ov. A. A. 3, 799. —
II. Trop., dull, obtuse, sluggish, heavy, doltish, stupid (syn.: “bardus, stupidus, ineptus, absurdus, stultus, fatuus, stolidus, brutus, etc.): sensus omnes hebetes et tardos esse arbitrabantur,” Cic. Ac. 1, 8, 31: “puer incessu tardus, sensu hebes,” Plin. 7, 16, 17, § 76: “tanta solertia animalium hebetissimis quoque est,” id. 9, 30, 48: “Epicurus, quem hebetem et rudem dicere solent Stoici,” Cic. Div. 2, 50, 103; cf.: “omnium ceterarum rerum oratio ludus est homini non hebeti neque inexercitato neque communium litterarum et politioris humanitatis experti,” id. de Or. 2, 17, 71: “memoria,” id. ib. 2, 87, 357: “me hebetem molestiae reddiderunt,” id. Att. 9, 17, 2: “nisi qui sit plane hebes,” Quint. 7, 1, 48: “nisi forte tam hebes futurus est judex, ut, etc.,” id. 4, 2, 66: hebes ad aliquid, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 13, 1; cf.: “quis adeo hebes inveniretur, ut crederet? etc.,” Tac. A. 14, 11: exercitus hebes infirmusque, raw, undisciplined,=rudis, Sall. J. 54, 3: hebes ad sustinendum laborem miles, sluggish, slow, tardy, Tac. H. 2, 99; Ov. M. 13, 135: “adulescentia bruta et hebes,” Sen. Ben. 3, 37, 3: “spondeus quod est e longis duabus, hebetior videtur et tardior,” Cic. Or. 64, 216: sed hac rhetorica philosophorum, non nostra illa forensi, quam necesse est, cum populariter loquatur, esse interdum paulo hebetiorem, i. e. more superficial, common (opp. to philosophical acuteness, nicety), id. Fin. 2, 6, 17: “dolor,” id. Att. 8, 3, 4: “hoc Pansa aut non videt (hebeti enim ingenio est) aut negligit,” id. Phil. 10, 8, 17; cf.: “hebetiora hominum ingenia,” id. N. D. 2, 6, 17: “ratio,” Plin. 2, 47, 46, § 119: “quaedam hebes, sordida, jejuna oratio,” Quint. 8, 3, 49: “quasdam (litteras) velut acriores parum efficimus et aliis non dissimilibus sed quasi hebetioribus permutamus,” id. 1, 11, 4.—Of a speaker: hebes lingua, magis malus quam callidus ingenio, Ps.-Sall. de Rep. 2, 9, 1.
