I.silly, empty, trifling, frivolous; pitiful, sorry, worthless (mostly post-Aug.; perh. not in Cic.; cf. futtilis).
I. Adj.: “frivolus hic quidem jam et illiberalis est sermo,” Auct. Her. 4, 11, 16: “levibus aut frivolis aut manifesto falsis reum incessere (shortly after: quia, qui vana congerit),” Quint. 7, 2, 34; Vop. Aur. 3, 1: “colligitis lexidia, res taetras et inanes et frivolas,” Gell. 18, 7, 3: “frivola et inanis argutiola,” id. 2, 7, 9: “quaedam dicit futtilia et frivola,” id. 16, 12, 1: “jocus,” Plin. 28, 19, 79, § 260: “auspicium,” Suet. Ner. 41: “aura,” Phaedr. 5, 8, 1: “insolentia,” id. 3, 6, 8: “jactantia in parvis,” Quint. 1, 6, 20: “opus,” Plin. 22, 6, 7, § 15: “labor,” Sen. Ep. 31: “cura,” Plin. 25, 3, 7, § 22: “origo superbissimi animalium (i. e. hominis),” id. 7, 7, 5, § 43: “ratione morientes,” id. 11, 29, 35, § 102: “flunt in litterarum ostentatione inepti et frivoli,” Gell. 15, 30, 2; so, “in cognoscendo ac decernendo nonnumquam frivolus amentique similis,” Suet. Claud. 15: “quin etiam, quod est imprimis frivolum ac scaenicum, verbum petant (declamatores), quo incipiant,” Quint. 10, 7, 21: “frivolum dictu,” Plin. 7, 53, 54, § 186: “frivolum videatur, non tamen omittendum,” id. 28, 12, 50, § 184: “huic misit qui nescio quid frivoli ducentis milibus traderet,” some worthless thing, trifle, Suet. Calig. 39 fin.—
II. Subst.: frīvŏla , ōrum, n. plur., wretched furniture, paltry things, trifles: “inter frivola mea,” Sen. Tranq. 1; Dig. 13, 7, 11, § 5: “jam poscit aquam: jam frivola transfert Ucalegon,” Juv. 3, 198; 5, 59; Suet. Calig. 39; Dig. 13, 7, 11, § 5; cf.: frivola σκευάρια εὐτελῆ πάνυ, Gloss. Philox.—Hence, adv.: frī-vŏlē , in a silly manner, triflingly: “aliqui mentiuntur,” Hier. in Mich. II. 7, 8.
