I.slow, not swift, sluggish, tardy (freq. and class.; syn.: lentus, languidus).
I. Lit., of motion or action: “velox an tardus sit,” Cic. Inv. 1, 24, 35: “tardi sumus nos,” Plaut. Poen. 3, 1, 66: “aetate tardiores,” id. ib. 3, 1, 6; cf. id. ib. 1 and 4: “fatuus est, insulsus, tardus, stertit noctes et dies,” Ter. Eun. 5, 8, 49: “redemptor non inertiā aut inopiā tardior fuit,” Cic. Div. 2, 21, 47: “qualem existimas, qui in adulterio deprehenditur? tardum,” id. de Or. 2, 68, 275: “nemo erat adeo tardus aut fugiens laboris,” Caes. B. C. 1, 69: “tarda aliqua et languida pecus,” Cic. Fin. 2, 13, 40: “asellus,” Verg. G. 1, 273: “juvenci,” id. ib. 2, 206: aves, quas Hispania tardas appellat, Graecia ὠτίδας, Plin. 10, 22, 29, § 56: “Caesar ubi reliquos esse tardiores vidit,” Caes. B. G. 2, 25: “ad injuriam tardiores,” Cic. Off. 1, 11, 33: “tardior ad judicandum,” id. Caecin. 4, 9: “ad deponendum imperium,” id. Rep. 2, 12, 23: “ad discedendum,” id. Att. 9, 13, 4; cf.: “Bibulus in decedendo erit, ut audio, tardior,” id. ib. 7, 3, 5: “proci loripedes, tardissimi,” Plaut. Poen. 3, 1, 7: “Apollo,” i. e. unpropitious, Prop. 1, 8, 41. —
b. Of things concr. and abstr.: “tardiores tibicinis modi et cantus remissiores,” Cic. de Or. 1, 60, 254: “omnia tarda et spissa,” id. Att. 10, 18, 2: “fumus,” Verg. A. 5, 682: “frumenti tarda subvectio,” Liv. 44, 8, 1: “poena tardior,” Cic. Caecin. 3, 7; Quint. 7, 2, 42: “portenta deum tarda et sera nimis, Cic. poët. Div. 2, 30, 64: sic mihi tarda fluunt tempora,” Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 23: “noctes,” coming on late, Verg. G. 2, 482: “tardiora fata,” Hor. Epod. 17, 62: “anne novum tardis sidus te mensibus addas,” i. e. to the long summer months, Verg. G. 1, 32: “nox,” Ov. P. 2, 4, 26: “tarda Genua labant,” Verg. A. 5, 432: “podagra,” i. e. that makes one move slowly, Hor. S. 1, 9, 32: “senectus,” id. ib. 2, 2, 88; Tib. 2, 2, 19; cf. “passus,” Ov. M. 10, 49: “abdomen,” Juv. 4, 107: “onus,” Sen. Phoen. 568: “sapor,” i. e. that lingers long on the palate, Verg. G. 2, 126: “lingua,” Sen. Oedip. 293.—Poet., with gen.: “tardus fugae,” delaying his flight, Val. Fl. 3, 547; and with inf.: “nectere tectos Numquam tarda dolos,” Sil. 3, 234. —
II. Trop., slow of apprehension, dull, heavy, stupid.
A. In gen.: Ch. Prorsum nihil intellego. Sy. Hui, tardus es, Ter. Heaut. 4, 5, 28: “sensus hebetes et tardi,” Cic. Ac. 1, 8, 31: “nimis indociles tardique,” id. N. D. 1, 5, 12: “si qui forte sit tardior,” id. de Or. 1, 28, 127: “tardi ingenii est, rivulos consectari, fontes rerum non videre,” id. ib. 2, 27, 117: “tardo ingenio esse,” id. Agr. 3, 2, 6: “mentes,” id. Tusc. 5, 24, 68: “ingenium,” Quint. 1, 3, 2.—
B. In partic., of speech or of a speaker, slow, not rapid, measured, deliberate: “in utroque genere dicendi principia tarda sunt,” Cic. de Or. 2, 53, 213: “stilus,” Quint. 10, 3, 5: “tardior pronuntiatio,” id. 10, 7, 22: “tarda et supina compositio,” id. 9, 4, 137: “tardus in cogitando,” Cic. Brut. 59, 216: “Lentulus non tardus sententiis,” id. ib. 70, 247.—Hence, adv.: tardē .
A. Slowly, tardily: “tarde percipere (opp. celeriter arripere),” Cic. Rosc. Com. 11, 31; Plaut. Pers. 5, 1, 20; id. Ps. 4, 3, 15; Cic. Fam. 14, 5, 1; id. Att. 3, 7, 3; 5, 15, 3; 11, 22, 2; id. Mil. 20, 54; Verg. G. 2, 3. — Comp.: “tardius moveri,” Cic. N. D. 2, 20, 51; id. Tusc. 1, 31, 75; 4, 14, 32; id. Prov. Cons. 14, 35; Caes. B. G. 4, 23; id. B. C. 3, 28 al.— Sup.: “tardissime judicare,” Cic. Caecin. 2, 7. —
B. Late, not in time, not early, Pall. 11, 14, 3.—Sup.: “tardissime,” at latest, Plin. 18, 7, 10, §§ 51 and 56: quam tardissime, as late as possible, Asin. Poll. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 33, 1.
