I. A making, fashioning, forming, formation (cf.: “confictio, figmentum): (animalis) fictio a capite sumit exordium,” Lact. Opif. D. 12: “hominis,” i. e. creation, id. 4, 4; 2, 9: “nominum fictio adjectis, detractis, mutatis litteris,” Quint. 6, 3, 53; 8, 3, 19; Ὀνοματοποιί̂α, id est fictio nominis, id. 8, 6, 31; 9, 1, 5: Furium, veterem poëtam, dedecorasse linguam Latinam hujuscemodi vocum fictionibus, quae, etc., Gell. 18, 11, 2. —
II. In partic.
A. A feigning, counterfeiting, disguising: “in figura totius voluntatis fictio est, apparens magis quam confessa,” Quint. 9, 2, 46: “poëtarum,” fictions, Lact. 1, 21 fin.: fictiones personarum, quae προσωποποιί̂αι dicuntur, Quint. 9, 2, 29: “personae,” id. 9, 3, 89; 11, 1, 39; Vulg. Sap. 7, 13.—
B. Rhet. t. t., an assumed or fictitious case, a supposition, fiction: “adhuc est subtilior illa ex simili translatio, cum, quod in alia re fieri solet, in aliam mutuantur. Ea dicatur sane fictio,” Quint. 6, 3, 61; cf.: duci argumenta non a confessis tantum, sed etiam a fictione, quod Graeci καθ̓ ὑπόθεσιν vocant, id. 5, 10, 95 Spald.: “est et illa ex ironia fictio, qua usus est C. Caesar, etc.,” id. 6, 3, 91.—
