I.to take out the nerves or sinews.
I. Prop. (rare and post-class.): “poplites securi,” App. M. 8, p. 215: “cerebella,” Apic. 4, 2; 7, 7: “enervatus Melampus,” i. e. unmanned, Claud. in Eutr. 1, 315.—
II. Transf., in gen., to enervate, weaken, render effeminate (class.; esp. freq. in the part. perf.): “non plane me enervavit senectus,” Cic. de Sen. 10, 32: “corpora animosque,” Liv. 23, 18: “artus undis,” Ov. M. 4, 286: “vires,” Hor. Epod. 8, 2: “animos (citharae),” Ov. R. Am. 753: “orationem compositione verborum,” Cic. Or. 68 fin.; cf.: “corpus orationis,” Petr. S. 2, 2: “incendium belli (with contundere),” Cic. Rep. 1, 1.—Hence, ēnervātus , a, um, P. a., unnerved, weakened, effeminate, weakly, unmanly: “enervati atque exsangues,” Cic. Sest. 10, 24; cf. id. Att. 2, 14; id. Pis. 33 fin.; 35, 12: “philosophus (with mollis and languidus),” id. de Or. 1, 52 fin.— Transf. of inanimate subjects: “ratio et oratio (with mollis),” id. Tusc. 4, 17, 38; cf.: “muliebrisque sententia,” id. ib. 2, 6: “vita (with ignava),” Gell. 19, 12 fin.: “felicitas,” Sen. Prov. 4 med.