I.to wonder at, to be astonished at, to regard with admiration, to admire, to be in a state of mind in which something pleases us by its extraordinary greatness, its sublimity, or perfection; while mirari signifies to be surprised at, to have the feeling of the new, singular, unusual.
I. In gen.: “quorum ego copiam non modo non contemno, sed etiam vehementer admiror,” Cic. de Or. 1, 51: “ingenium tuum, Crasse, vehementer admirans,” id. ib. 1, 20 fin.: “res gestas,” id. Brut. 94, 323: “quem et admiror et diligo,” id. Ac. 2, 36; so id. Scaur. 1, 4: “magnitudinem animi,” id. Fam. 1, 7; Nep. Dion. 2; id. Alcib. 11: “illum,” Verg. G. 4, 215 (cf. mirari in Hor. C. 4, 14, 43, and the Gr. θαυμάζειν, Eurip. Med. 1144).—
II. Esp.
A. To gaze at passionately, to strive after a thing from admiration of it, to desire to obtain it: “nihil hominem nisi quod honestum decorumque sit, aut admirari aut optare aut expetere oportere,” Cic. Off. 1, 20: nil admirari prope res est una, Numici, Solaque quae possit facere et servare beatum, not to be brought by any thing into an impassioned state of mind, or into a state of desire or longing (as in the Gr. μὴ θαυμάζειν; “acc. to Pythagoras the limit of all philos. effort),” Hor. Ep. 1, 6, 1.—
B. More freq., to fall into a state of wonder or astonishment at a thing, to wonder at, be astonished at.—Constr. with acc., acc. with inf., de, super aliquam rem, with a relat. clause, quod, cur, etc.: “quid admirati estis?” why are you so surprised? Plaut. Am. prol. 99: “admiratus sum brevitatem epistulae,” Cic. Att. 6, 9: “hoc maxime admiratus sum, mentionem te hereditatum ausum esse facere,” id. Phil. 2, 16 fin.; so Nep. Alcib. 1; id. Epam. 6, 3: “de diplomate admiraris, quasi, etc.,” Cic. Att. 10, 17: “de Dionysio sum admiratus, qui, etc.,” id. ib. 9, 12; so id. Mur. 19: “super quae admiratus pater,” Vulg. Tob. 5, 10; ib. Act. 13, 12: “cave quidquam admiratus sis, quā causā id fiat,” Ter. Heaut. 4, 6, 22: “admirantium, unde hoc studium exstitisset,” Cic. N. D. 1, 3: “admiratur quidnam Vettius dicturus sit,” Cic. Verr. 3, 167: “admiror, quo pacto, etc.,” Hor. S. 1, 4, 99: “admiratus sum, quod, etc.,” Cic. Att. 6, 9: “ne quis sit admiratus, cur, etc.,” id. Off. 2, 10, 35. !*? Pass.: Propter venustatem vestimentorum admirari, to be admired, Canutius ap. Prisc. 792 P.—Part. fut. pass.: admīrandus , a, um, to be admired; admirable, wonderful: “suspicienda et admiranda,” Cic. Div. 2, 72, 148: “quo magis pravitas eorum admiranda est,” Sall. J. 2, 4. —Hence also adj., = admirabilis: “patiens admirandum in modum,” Nep. Ep. 3: exposuit quae in Italia viderentur admiranda, id. Cat. fin.: “admiranda spectacula,” Verg. G. 4, 3: “vir subtilis et in plurimis admirandus,” Quint. 3, 11, 22.—Comp. and adv. not used.—Sup. is found in Salv. Ep. 8: admirandissimi juvenes; cf. Barth, Adv. 35, 9.
