I. A wavering in opinion or judgment; a being uncertain, a doubting; uncertainty, doubt.
A. Prop.
1. In gen. (freq. and good prose).
(α).
Absol.: “nec tibi sollicitudinem ex dubitatione mea, nec spem ex affirmatione, afferre volui,” Cic. Fam. 9, 17 fin.: “cum res non conjecturā, sed oculis ac manibus teneretur, neque in causa ulla dubitatio posset esse,” id. Cluent. 7, 20: “in ea obscuritate ac dubitatione omnium,” id. ib. 27: “quod quamquam dubitationem non habet, tamen rationes afferendas puto, etc.,” id. Fin. 5, 10; cf. id. Agr. 1, 4, 11; Quint. 4, 3, 6: “dubitationem afferre,” Cic. Off. 1, 41, 147; cf. id. ib. 3, 4, 18: “eo sibi minus dubitationis dari, quod, etc.,” Caes. B. G. 1, 14, 1: “ad tollendam dubitationem sola non sufficiunt,” Quint. 5, 9, 8; cf. id. 5, 13, 51; Cic. Att. 12, 6 fin. al. So in Cicero a few times: sine ulla dubitatione, without any doubt, i. e. per litoten, most certainly (an emphatic sine dubio, v. dubius, I. B. 2. b. ε), Cic. Tusc. 3, 3, 5; id. Balb. 13, 31; Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 18, § 39; id. Cat. 4, 3, 5; “so too, sine dubitatione,” Col. 3, 6, 2 (but far more freq. in signif. II., v. infra).—
(β).
With gen.: omnem dubitationem adventus legionum expellere, Caes. B. G. 5, 48 fin.; cf. “juris (i. e. dubitatio, penes quem esset jus),” Cic. Caecin. 4, 9: “generum,” id. de Or. 2, 31, 134: “hujus utilitatis,” Quint. 1, 10, 28.—
(δ).
With rel. or interrog. clause: “si quando dubitatio accidit, quale sit id, etc.,” Cic. Off. 3, 4, 18; id. Cluent. 28, 76; id. Fam. 15, 21: “alterum potest habere dubitationem, adhibendumne fuerit hoc genus ... an, etc.,” id. Off. 3, 2, 9; id. Fam. 3, 5, 3; Quint. 11, 2, 44.—（ε) With quin: “cum hic locus nihil habeat dubitationis, quin, etc.,” Cic. Off. 2, 5, 17; cf. id. N. D. 2, 63, 158.—（ζ) With a subject acc. and inf.: “hoc a rustico factum extra dubitationem est,” Quint. 7, 1, 48.—
2. Esp., as a fig. of speech, i. q. Gr. διαπόρησις, i. e. hesitation, embarrassment of the speaker, because unable to do justice to the greatness of his theme (e. g. Cic. Rosc. Am. 11; id. de Or. 3, 56, § 214), Auct. Her. 4, 29, 40; cf. Ernest. Lex. Technol. Lat. p. 136.—
B. Meton. (dubito, I. B.), a doubt, question, considering: “indigna dubitatio homine!” Cic. Lael. 19, 67; so, “ad rem publicam adeundi,” id. Rep. 1, 7, 12.—
II. A wavering, hesitating in coming to a conclusion; hesitancy, irresolution, delay: “aestuabat dubitatione, versabat se in utramque partem non solum mente, verum etiam corpore,” Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 30; cf.: “qui timor! quae dubitatio! quanta haesitatio tractusque verborum!” id. de Or. 2, 50: “inter dubitationem et moras senati,” Sall. J. 30, 3; cf. id. ib. 62, 9: “aluit dubitatione bellum,” Tac. A. 3, 41 fin. et saep.: “(Caesar) nulla interposita dubitatione legiones ex castris educit,” without any hesitation, promptly, Caes. B. G. 7, 40, 1; “in this signif. very freq. in Cicero: sine ulla dubitatione,” Cic. Cluent. 28, 75; Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 12; id. Pis. 3; 21 fin.; id. N. D. 1, 1; id. de Or. 2, 28, 122; id. Fam. 1, 5, b. 2. et saep.; cf.: “absque ulla dubitatione,” Vulg. Ruth, 3, 13; “less freq. merely sine dubitatione,” without hesitation, unhesitatingly, Cic. Agr. 2, 9, 23; id. N. D. 3, 34, 84; id. Ac. 2, 29, 94; id. Top. 15 fin.; id. Att. 11, 16, 3; so Cic. Fil. Fam. 16, 21; Auct. B. Alex. 63, 2; Vulg. Act. 10, 29.
