1. dī-lĭgo — Lewis & Short
dī-lĭgo, lexi, lectum, 3, v. a.2. lego. Prop., to distinguish one by selecting him from others; hence, in gen.,
I to value or esteem highly, to love (v. amo init., and cf. faveo, studeo, foveo, cupio; very freq. and class.).
I Prop.:
nihil est enim virtute amabilius, nihil quod magis alliciat ad diligendum: quippe cum propter virtutem et probitatem etiam eos, quos numquam vidimus, quodam modo diligamus,Cic. Lael. 8, 28; cf. id. ib. 9, 29 sq.; 14, 50; id. Rep. 1, 10 fin.; 1, 12 et saep. (cf. also the passages with diligo which are cited under amo, 1. and 1. colo, II. 2. b.); Caes. B. G. 6, 19 fin.; id. B. C. 1, 61, 3; Suet. Caes. 67; Verg. A. 9, 430; Hor. C. 2, 20, 7 et saep.:
satin habes, si feminarum nulla'st, quam aeque diligam?Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 11; cf. id. ib. 3, 3, 18; Verg. A. 1, 344; Hor. C. 2, 5, 17; Suet. Caes. 50; 52; id. Aug. 62 al.:
te in germani fratris dilexi loco,Ter. And. 1, 5, 57; cf. Verg. A. 4, 31; Suet. Calig. 24 al.: quem di diligunt, whom the gods favor, denoting a fortunate person, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 7, 18; Ter. And. 5, 6, 9; id. Phorm. 5, 6, 14. —Prov.:
diligitur nemo, nisi cui fortuna secunda est,Ov. P. 2, 3, 23.
II Transf.
A Of inanimate objects:
fidem est complexus, observantiamque dilexit,Cic. Balb. 28; cf.:
Caesaris consilia in re publica,id. Prov. Cons. 10 fin.:
benevolentiam, diligentiam, prudentiam mirifice,id. Att. 12, 34 fin.:
aviae memoriam,Suet. Vesp. 2:
auream mediocritatem,Hor. C. 2, 10, 6:
Cypron,id. ib. 1, 30, 2 et saep. —
B Very rarely, of inanimate subjects, to love, choose, affect:
montes amant cedrus, larix, etc.... montes et valles diligit abies,Plin. 16, 18, 30, § 73 sq.—*
C With inf. for amare, to do willingly or habitually, to be fond of doing:
pira nasci tali solo maxime diligunt,Pall. Febr. 25, 1.—Hence,
1 dī-lĭgens, entis, P. a., prop. esteeming, loving; hence, in respect to an inanimate object, careful, assiduous, attentive, diligent, accurate with regard to it, opp. negligens (very freq. and class.).
A In gen.
(a) With praepp.:
qui in re adventitia atque hereditaria tam diligens, tam attentus esset,Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 48; so, in rebus omnibus, id. Lael. 17, 62:
in exquirendis temporibus,id. Rep. 2, 14 fin.:
in ostentis animadvertendis,id. Div. 1, 42 fin.:
in compositione,id. Quint. 10, 1, 79:
in philosophia,id. ib. 129:
in eloquendo,id. ib. 63:
in symmetria,Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 58 al.:
ad custodiendum aliquem diligentissimus,Cic. Cat. 1, 8, 19; so,
ad reportandum,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 3, § 6:
ad cetera,Quint. 1, 1, 7:
diligentes circa hoc,Plin. 31, 5, 30, § 56:
circa aerarium,Eutr. 8, 7.—
(b) With gen.:
omnis officii diligentissimus,Cic. Cael. 30, 73:
veritatis,Nep. Epam. 3:
imperii,id. Con. 1, 2:
disciplinae,Vell. 1, 6; cf.:
litterarum veterum,Gell. 4, 11, 4:
compositionis,Quint. 9, 4, 77:
aliarum rerum quae vitam instruunt,Sen. Vit. Beat. 3, 3:
temperamenti,Plin. Pan. 79, 5:
naturae,attentively investigating it, Plin. 13, 4, 7, § 31; so,
medicinae,id. 32, 3, 13, § 26 et saep.—*
(g) With dat.:
Corinthios video publicis equis assignandis et alendis, orborum et viduarum tributis fuisse quondam diligentes,Cic. Rep. 2, 20, 32.—
(d) Absol.:
experientissimus ac diligentissimus orator,Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 21: pro cauto ac diligente, Caes. Fragm. ap. Charis. p. 101 P.;
for which: ut a diligenti curiosus distat,Quint. 8, 3, 55; cf. id. 1, 4, 24; 2, 15, 10 et saep.—
B Transf., of inanimate subjects:
assidua ac diligens scriptura,Cic. de Or. 1, 33, 150; cf.:
diligentior notitia,Plin. 6, 22, 24, § 84:
stilus,Tac. Or. 39:
remedia,Sen. Ep. 95; Plin. 3, 5, 6, § 45; Vell. 1, 4.—
C In partic., with reference to domestic affairs, frugal, thrifty, economical (cf. its opp. negligens = prodigus, and Ruhnk. Rutil. Lup. p. 95, a, ed. Frotsch.):
homo frugi ac diligens, qui sua servare vellet,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 18; Plin. Ep. 2, 6, 1; cf.
opp. negligens,ib. 4, 13, 8;
and c. c. parcus and opp. luxuriosus,Auct. Her. 4, 34:
cum te pro illiberali diligentem (appelles),Quint. 9, 3, 65:
ex re familiari, cujus diligentissimus erat,Suet. Gramm. 23.—Hence, dīlĭgenter, adv. (acc. to II. A.), carefully, attentively, diligently:
accurate agatur, docte et diligenter,Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 30; id. Men. 5, 6, 3; Ter. Eun. 2, 1, 1; 2, 3, 47 al.; Cic. Phil. 1, 15 fin.; id. Fam. 6, 5; id. Att. 16, 16 A. fin.; Caes. B. G. 2, 5 al.—Comp., Cic. Rep. 1, 22; id. Brut. 22, 86; Caes. B. G. 3, 16 fin.; id. B. C. 3, 8, 4; Vulg. Act. 22, 30 al.—Sup., Cic. Lael. 2, 7; id. Rep. 2, 3; Caes. B. G. 2, 28 fin.; id. B. C. 3, 81 al.—
2 dīlectus, a, um, P. a., loved, beloved, dear (rare).—With dat.:
pueri dilecti Superis,Ov. M. 10, 153; so id. ib. 5, 395; 8, 758.—In sup., Stat. Th. 8, 99; Vulg. Heb. 6, 9.—Absol.:
luce mihi carior dilectior fili,Macr. Somn. Scip. 2, 1 init.; Claud. Rapt. Pros. 3, 74 al.—Subst.: dīlectus, i, m., = o( e)rw/menos, a favorite, Suet. Aug. 98.