I.“nimis ante metutum,” Lucr. 5, 1140), 3, v. a. and n. metus, to fear, be afraid of a person or thing; to hesitate, not to venture, not to wish (syn.: vereor, formido, timeo); with inf., with ne, to fear lest; with ui or ne non, to fear that not; also of inanimate things, with acc., to fear, revere, reverence one; as a v. n., to fear, be afraid, be in fear, be apprehensive, esp. as the effect of the idea of threatening evil (whereas timere usually denotes the effect of some external cause of terror); to dread, apprehend; with an indirect interrogation: non metuo quin, for non dubito quin, I doubt not but; to be anxious about any one; with dat. (class.).
I. Act.: quem metuont oderunt, Enn. ap. Cic. Off. 2, 7, 23 (Trag. v. 403 Vahl.): “deos et amo et metuo,” Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 73: “male ego metuo milvos,” id. ib. 5, 5, 13: “metuebant (senem) servi, verebantur liberi,” Cic. Sen. 11, 37: “tu, qui crimen ais te metuisse,” Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 30, § 78: nec pol istae metuunt Deos, Ter. Hec. 5, 2, 6: “absentem patrem,” id. Phorm. 1, 2, 68: “nec metuit quemquam,” id. Ad. 1, 2, 5.—With ab: “quid a nobis metuit?” Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 12: “a me insidias,” Cic. Fam. 5, 6, 2: “supplicia a vobis metuere debent,” to fear from you, id. Rosc. Am. 3, 8: “a quo (Ajace) sibi non injuriā summum periculum metuebat,” Auct. Her. 2, 19, 29: “a quo domino sibi metuebat graves cruciatus,” Aug. Lib. Arbitr. 1, 4, 9; Gregor. M. Homil. 1, 14, 2; Aug. cont. Acad. 2, 8.—With ex: “si periculum ex illis metuit,” Sall. C. 52, 16.—With de: “de lanificio neminem metuo, una aetate quae sit,” i. e. no one's competition in spinning, Plaut. Merc. 3, 1, 22.—Of inanim. subjects: “quae res cotidie videntur, minus metuunt furem,” Varr. R. R. 1, 22.—
(β).
With inf.: “metuont credere omnes,” Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 70: “ut tentare spem certaminis metuunt,” Liv. 32, 31: “nil metuunt jurare,” Cat. 64, 146: “reddere soldum,” not to wish, be averse to, Hor. S. 2, 5, 65: “praebere,” id. Ep. 1, 18, 1.—Of nonpersonal subjects: “illum aget pennā metuente solvi Fama superstes,” Hor. C. 2, 2, 7. —
(γ).
With ne: “nimis metuebam male, ne abiisses,” Plaut. Ps. 4, 1, 8: “male metuo ne ... morbus aggravescat,” Ter. Hec. 3, 2, 2: “fratrem, ne intus sit (Gr. construction),” id. Eun. 3, 5, 62.—
(δ).
With ut: “ornamenta, quae locavi, metuo, ut possim recipere,” Plaut. Curc. 4, 1, 3: “metuo ut hodie possim emolirier,” id. Bacch. 4, 5, 2: “metuo ut substet hospes,” Ter. And. 5, 4, 11: “ut sis vitalis,” Hor. S. 2, 1, 61.—（ε) With ne non: “metuo ne non sit surda,” Plaut. Cas. 3, 3, 12; id. Pers. 4, 6, 4: “metuis ne non, quom velis, convincas esse illum tuom?” Ter. Heaut. 5, 3, 15.—（ξ) With quin: “non metuo meae quin uxori latae suppetiae sient,” Plaut. Am. 5, 1, 54.—（η) With object-clause, to await with fear, anxiety; to be in apprehension, concerned about: “metuo, patres quot fuerint,” Plaut. Truc. 4, 3, 35: “metui, quid futurum denique esset,” I dreaded, awaited with fear, Ter. Heaut. 3, 3, 8: metuo quid agam. Sy. Metuis? quasi non ea potestas sit tua, etc., id. ib. 4, 3, 42: “metuo qualem tu me esse hominem existumes,” id. Eun. 4, 6, 20.—（θ) Pass. with dat.: “jam maturis metuendus Juppiter uvis,” Verg. G. 2, 419. —（ι) Absol.: “se e contempto metuendum fecit,” Sall. H. 1, 48, 3.—
B. (Eccl. Lat.) Of religious fear, to revere, dread, hold in reverence: “Deum,” Vulg. Lev. 25, 43: “Dominum Deum nostrum,” id. Jer. 5, 24: “sanctuarium meum,” id. Lev. 19, 30.—
II. Neutr., to fear, be afraid, be apprehensive, etc.
(α).
With de: “neque tam de suā vitā, quam de me metuit,” fears not so much for his own life as for me, Cic. Att. 10, 4, 6.—
(δ).
With dat., to be anxious about or for a person or thing: “metuens pueris,” Plaut. Am. 5, 1, 60: “inopi metuens formica senectae,” Verg. G. 1, 186: “tum decuit metuisse tuis,” id. A. 10, 94.—Hence, mĕtŭens , entis, P. a., fearing, afraid of any thing; anxious for any person or thing; with gen. or absol. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose): “contentus parvo metuensque futuri,” Hor. S. 2, 2, 110: “metuens virgae,” Juv. 7, 210.—Comp.: “quo non metuentius ullum Numinis ingenium,” Ov. F. 6, 259: “Nero metuentior in posterum,” Tac. A. 13, 25.
