I.to make mild, soft, or tender, make ripe or mellow; to make tame, to tame (class.).
I. Lit.: “cum aestivā maturitate alia mitigaverit, alia torruerit,” Cic. Rep. 4, 1, 6 (cited ap. Non. 343, 21): “mitiget auctumnus, quod maturaverit aestas,” Aus. Idyll. 8: cibum, to make soft or tender, to soften by boiling or roasting, Cic. N. D. 2, 60, 151.—Comically: misero mihi mitigabat sandalio caput, mellowed, broke, Turp. ap. Non. l. l.: “hic, qui dura sedens porrecto saxa leone Mitigat,” i. e. makes soft for sitting on by spreading over them a lion's skin, Mart. 9, 44, 2: “Indus agros, laetificat et mitigat,” to make fruitful, Cic. N. D. 2, 52, 130: “vina diluendo,” Plin. 14, 22, 29, § 149: “silvestres arbores,” id. 17, 10, 12, § 66: “amaritudinem frugum,” to soften, mitigate, id. 18, 16, 40, § 141: “cervicum duritias,” id. 20, 22, 92, § 250: “rabiem suum,” id. 10, 63, 83, § 182: “pilos,” to thin, id. 35, 6, 19, § 37: “animal,” to tame, Sen. Ben. 1, 3: “valetudinem temperantia,” to mitigate, Plin. Ep. 1, 12, 9.—
II. Trop., to make mild or gentle, to pacify, soothe, calm, assuage, appease, mitigate: “animum alicujus,” Cic. Balb. 26, 57: “te aetas mitigabit,” id. Mur. 31, 65: “iras,” Ov. Tr. 4, 6, 15: “querimonias, Col. praef.: tristitiam ac severitatem,” Cic. de Or. 2, 58, 236; cf.: “acerbam severitatem condimentis humanitatis,” id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 7: “dolores,” id. Att. 3, 15, 2: “labores,” id. de Or. 3, 4, 14: “aliquem pecuniā,” Tac. H. 1, 66: “temporum atrocitatem,” Suet. Tib. 48: “acrimonia mitigabitur laude,” Auct. Her. 4, 37, 50: aures, to soothe with explanatory representations, Quint. 12, 1, 14: “metus,” id. 12, 2, 28: “feritatem animalium,” Plin. 24, 17, 102, § 167: alicui aliquem, to reconcile: “Hannibalem Romanis,” Just. 31, 4, 4; cf.: “vix revocanti patri mitigatus est,” id. 9, 7, 6.—Hence, mītĭganter , adv., in a soothing manner; in order to soothe, Cael. Aur. Tard. 5, 1, 13; 4, 3, 62; id. Acut. 1, 11, 76.
