I.inactive, lazy, slothful, idle, sluggish, listless, without spirit, cowardly, dastardly (syn.: iners, socors; opp.: strenuus, alacer, fortis).
I. Lit., of living beings (freq. and class.): “homines,” Plaut. Rud. 3, 5, 49: “si non fecero Ei male aliquo pacto, me esse dicito ignavissimum,” id. Bacch. 3, 6, 27: “quid ergo ille ignavissumus mi latitabat?” id. Trin. 4, 2, 82; 1, 2, 128; id. Poen. 4, 2, 24: “homo inertior, ignavior, magis vir inter mulieres proferri non potest,” Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 78, § 192: “ignavus miles ac timidus,” id. Tusc. 2, 23, 54; cf.: “compertum habeo, milites neque ex ignavo strenuum neque fortem ex timido exercitum oratione imperatoris fieri,” Sall. C. 58, 1: “feroces et inquieti inter socios, ignavi et imbelles inter hostes,” Liv. 26, 2, 11: “ignavissimus ac fugacissimus hostis,” id. 5, 28, 8: “ignavissimi homines (opp.: fortissimi viri),” Sall. C. 12 fin.: “canis Ignavus adversum lupos,” Hor. Epod. 6, 2: “(apes) Ignavaeque fame et contracto frigore pigrae,” Verg. G. 4, 259: “ignavum, fucos, pecus a praesepibus arcent,” id. A. 1, 435: “genus ignavum quod lecto gaudet,” Juv. 7, 105.— Subst.: “cedentibus ignavis et imbecillis,” Cic. Rep. 1, 32: “in bello poena ignavis ab imperatoribus constituitur,” id. Caecin. 16, 46: “in victoria vel ignavis gloriari licet, adversae res etiam bonos detractant,” Sall. J. 53 fin.; cf.: “gloriam, honorem, imperium bonus ignavus aeque sibi exoptant,” id. C. 11, 2: “favimus ignavo,” Ov. Am. 3, 2, 73.—
(β).
With gen.: “legiones operum et laboris ignavae,” Tac. A. 11, 18; cf.: “possis ignavus haberi et subiti casus improvidus, si, etc.,” Juv. 3, 272.
II. Transf.
A. Of inanim. and abstr. things (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose): “quae vitia non sunt senectutis, sed inertis, ignavae, somniculosae senectutis,” Cic. de Sen. 11, 36: “nemora,” i. e. unfruitful, Verg. G. 2, 208: “globus,” i. e. immovable, Plin. 2, 8, 6, § 33; cf. “gravitas,” Ov. M. 2, 821: “stagna jacentis aquae,” Luc. 5, 442: “ignavo stupuerunt verba palato,” i. e. speechless, Ov. Am. 2, 6, 47: “mora,” id. A. A. 1, 186: “anni,” spent in idleness, id. Am. 1, 15, 1; cf. “otia,” id. Tr. 1, 7, 25: “septima lux,” i. e. the Jewish Sabbath, Juv. 14, 106: ignavum conferunt stipendium, only money, not soldiers, arms, etc., Vell. 2, 39, 1: “sucus meconium vocatur, multum opio ignavior,” weaker, less efficacious, Plin. 20, 18, 76, § 202: quorundam flos tantum jucundus, reliquae partes ignavae, ut violae ac rosae, without smell, id. 21, 7, 18, § 37: “cornicula ante oculos ignava,” i. e. of no use, id. 11, 28, 34, § 100: “ignavum est rediturae parcere vitae,” Luc. 1, 492.—
B. Of things that produce inactivity or indolence, that renders slothful or inactive: nec nos impediet illa ignava ratio, quae dicitur: appellatur enim quidam a philosophis ἀργὸς λόγος, cui si pareamus, nihil omnino agamus in vita. Sic enim interrogant: “Si fatum tibi est, etc.... Recte genus hoc interrogationis ignavum et iners nominatum est, quod eadem ratione omnis e vita tolletur actio,” relaxing, Cic. Fat. 12, 28 sq.: “frigus,” Ov. M. 2, 763: “aestus,” id. ib. 7, 529: “dolor,” Plin. 11, 18, 20, § 64.—Hence, adv. in two forms, ignāvē and ignā-vĭter .
(α).
Ignave, sluggishly, slothfully, without spirit: “ne quid abjecte, ne quid timide, ne quid ignave, ne quid serviliter muliebriterve faciamus,” Cic. Tusc. 2, 23, 55: “dicere multa,” flatly, tamely, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 67.—
(β).
Ignaviter, lazily, sluggishly, tardily: ignaviter quaerere, Lucil. ap. Non. 513, 14; Quadrig. ap. Prisc. p. 1010 P.; Hirt. ap. Cic. Att. 15, 6, 2.—
b. Comp.: “carpere ignavius herbas,” Verg. G. 3, 465.
