I.movableness, pliability, flexibility, suppleness; softness (class.).
I. Lit.: “mollitia cervicum,” Cic. Or. 18, 59: “lapidis,” Plin. 36, 22, 45, § 162: “lanae,” id. 19, 3, 18, § 48: “carnis,” id. 9, 17, 28, § 61: “teneritas et mollitia quaedam,” Cic. Fin. 5, 21, 58.—
II. Trop., softness, tenderness, susceptibility; weakness, irresolution; effeminacy, voluptuousness, wantonness (cf.: “inertia, desidia): quā mollitiā sum animi ac lenitate, numquam mehercule illius lacrimis ac precibus restitissem,” Cic. Sull. 6, 18: “agilitas mollitiesque naturae,” sensitive disposition, id. Att. 1, 17, 4: “frontis,” bashfulness, Plin. Ep. 6, 29, 6: “animi est ista mollities, non virtus, inopiam paulisper ferre non posse,” weakness, irresolution, Caes. B. G. 7, 77: “Niciae,” Cic. Att. 12, 26, 2: “inertiā et mollitiā animi,” Sall. C. 52, 28: “mollitia socordiaque,” id. J. 70, 5: “in munditiis, mollitiis deliciisque aetatulam agere,” Plaut. Ps. 1, 2, 40: “civitatum mores lapsi ad mollitiam,” Cic. Leg. 2, 15, 38: “mollities luxuriaque,” Just. 1, 7, 13: vocis, Claud. ap. Eutr. 1, 441: “Maecenas otio ac mollitiis paene ultra feminam fluens,” Vell. 2, 88, 2; id. 1, 6, 2.—Esp., unchastity, Plin. 28, 8, 27, § 106: “corporis,” Tac. A. 11, 2.
