previous next
incertus , a, um (archaic
I.gen. plur. incertūm, Pac. ap. Non. 495, 27), adj. 2. incertus; hence, acc. to certus.
I. Object., of things whose (external or internal) qualities are not firmly established, uncertain, unsettled, doubtful, untrustworthy, not fast, not firm (class.): amicus certus in re incerta cernitur, Enn. ap. Cic. Lael. 17, 64 (Trag. v. 428 Vahl.); cf. id. ap. Non. 166, 22 (Trag. v. 12 Vahl.): “incerti socii an hostes essent,Liv. 30, 35, 9: “incertus (infans) masculus an femina esset,id. 31, 12, 6; cf. Sall. J. 49, 5: “cum incerta bellum an pax cum Celtiberis essent,Liv. 34, 19, 8 Weissenb.: spe incerta certum mihi laborem sustuli, Ter. Hec. prol. alt. 9; id. And. 2, 3, 16: “nuptiae,id. ib. 5, 1, 11: “aetas (puerilis) maxime lubrica atque incerta,Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 52, § 137: “itinera,Caes. B. G. 5, 37 fin.: “dominatus,Cic. Rep. 1, 17: “status,id. ib. 1, 26: “sedes,Sall. C. 6, 1: “ambiguae testis incertaeque rei,Juv. 8, 81: “comarum Anulus incertā non bene fixus acu,not fast, Mart. 2, 66, 2: “colligere incertos et in ordine ponere crines,dishevelled, Ov. Am. 1, 11, 1: “per incertam lunam sub luce maligna,not clearly visible, dim, Verg. A. 6, 270: “soles,id. ib. 3, 203: “securis,that did not strike with a sure blow, id. ib. 2, 224: “vultus,disturbed, uneasy, Sall. J. 106, 2: “ille vitam suam ad incertissimam spem reservavit,Cic. Sest. 22, 50: arbori incertae nullam prudentia cani Rectoris cum ferret opem, the ship uncertain in her course, because no longer obeying the helm, Juv. 12, 32 Halm. — In neutr. ellipt.: “clauserant portas incertum vi an voluntate,Liv. 31, 41, 2; 31, 43, 7 al.Neutr. as adv. (poet.): “incertum vigilans,Ov. H. 10, 9; Stat. Th. 5, 212. —
II. Subject., as respects one's perceptions or convictions, not firmly established, uncertain, undetermined, doubtful, dubious (so most freq. in prose and poetry): “nihil est incertius vulgo,Cic. Mur. 17, 36: “casus,id. Or. 28, 98: “ut alia certa, alia incerta esse dicunt,id. Off. 2, 2, 7; cf.: est igitur ridiculum, quod est dubium, id relinquere incertum, id. Mur. 32, 68; and: “incerta atque dubia,Plin. 17, 1, 1, § 9 fin.: “ut incertis temporibus diversisque itineribus iretur,Caes. B. G. 7, 16 fin.; so, “eventus reliqui temporis,Cic. Quint. 26, 83: “exitus pugnarum,id. Mil. 21, 56: “adulterium,Quint. 7, 2, 52: “auctor,id. 5, 11, 41: “cujus ora puellares faciunt incerta capilli,make the sex doubtful, Juv. 15, 137: “incerta persona heres institui non potest,Ulp. Fragm. 22, 4; Gai. Inst. 2, 242; cf. 2, 238.—
B. Transf., of a person who is in a state of uncertainty respecting any thing, uncertain, in uncertainty, hesitating, doubtful: quo ego ope mea Pro incertis certos compotesque consili Dimitto, Enn. ap. Cic. de Or. 1, 45, 199 (Trag. v. 188 Vahl.): “nolo suspensam et incertam plebem Romanam obscura spe et caeca exspectatione pendere,Cic. Agr. 2, 25, 66; so, “varius incertusque agitabat,Sall. J. 74, 1; Plaut. Ep. 3, 4, 3: “ego certe me incerto scio hoc daturum nemini homini,id. As. 2, 4, 60.—
(δ). With abl.: “incerti metu,Val. Fl. 3, 602.—(ε) With de and abl.: “incertus de salute alicujus,Plin. Ep. 6, 20, 10.—Hence, adv. in two forms: incertē and incerto (both ante-class.), uncertainly, not certainly, dubiously: incerte errat animus, Enn. ap. Gell. 19, 10, 12 (Trag. v. 259 Vahl.): vagat exsul, Pac. ap. Non. 467, 25 (Trag. Rel. p. 87 Rib.): “ubi Habitet dum incerto scio,Plaut. Ep. 3, 4, 69: “incerto scio,id. Ps. 4, 2, 7: “incerto autumo,id. Ep. 4, 1, 18.
hide Dictionary Entry Lookup
Use this tool to search for dictionary entries in all lexica.
Search for in
hide References (64 total)
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (64):
    • Cicero, Letters to Atticus, 1.9.1
    • Caesar, Gallic War, 5.37
    • Caesar, Gallic War, 7.16
    • Cicero, For Milo, 21.56
    • Cicero, On the Agrarian Law, 2.25.66
    • Cicero, For Aulus Caecina, 27.76
    • Cicero, Against Verres, 2.5.137
    • Cicero, For Lucius Murena, 17.36
    • Cicero, For Sestius, 22.50
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 1, 27.6
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 4, 23.3
    • Plautus, Epidicus, 4.1
    • Plautus, Pseudolus, 2.4
    • Plautus, Pseudolus, 4.2
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 3.7
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 6.270
    • Tacitus, Annales, 2.75
    • Tacitus, Annales, 3.54
    • Tacitus, Annales, 6.46
    • Tacitus, Historiae, 2.33
    • Tacitus, Historiae, 3.55
    • Plautus, Asinaria, 2.4
    • Plautus, Aulularia, 4.9
    • Plautus, Epidicus, 3.4
    • Cicero, On Oratory, 1.45
    • Sallust, Catilinae Coniuratio, 41
    • Sallust, Bellum Iugurthinum, 49
    • Sallust, Bellum Iugurthinum, 67
    • Sallust, Bellum Iugurthinum, 74
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 17.9
    • Pliny the Younger, Epistulae, 3.19.4
    • Pliny the Younger, Epistulae, 4.11.5
    • Pliny the Younger, Epistulae, 6.20.10
    • Pliny the Younger, Epistulae, 9.13.11
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 30, 2
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 24, 24
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 28, 36.12
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 31, 41
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 34, 19.8
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 4, 13.7
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 4, 57.3
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 31, 12
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 4, 13.9
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 30, 35.9
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 31, 43
    • Cicero, De Republica, 1.17
    • Cicero, De Senectute, 20
    • Cicero, De Amicitia, 17
    • Cicero, De Officiis, 2.2
    • C. Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica, 3.602
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 1, 6.27
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 5, 11.41
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 7, 2.52
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 7, 9.2
    • Gellius, Noctes Atticae, 19.10.12
    • Sallust, Catilinae Coniuratio, 6
    • Sallust, Bellum Iugurthinum, 101
    • Sallust, Bellum Iugurthinum, 106
    • Sallust, Bellum Iugurthinum, 38
    • Sallust, Bellum Iugurthinum, 46
    • Ovid, Tristia, 3.3
    • Statius, Thebias, 5
    • Curtius, Historiarum Alexandri Magni, 8.10.27
    • Cicero, Orator, 28.98
hide Display Preferences
Greek Display:
Arabic Display:
View by Default:
Browse Bar: