lăbo — Lewis & Short
lăbo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n.from the same root as 1. labor,
I to totter, be ready to fall, begin to sink, to give way, be loosened (syn.: vacillo, titubo, nato).
I Lit.: labat, labuntur saxa, caementae cadunt, Enn. ap. Non. 196, 3 (Trag. v. 142 Vahl.):
signum labat,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 43, 95:
si ex ictu ... labant dentes,Cels. 7, 12, 1:
labat ariete crebro Janua,Verg. A. 2, 492:
labant curvae naves,roll, Ov. M. 2, 163:
pressaeque labant sub gurgite turres,id. ib. 1, 290:
(turris) qua summa labantis Juncturas tabulata dabant,Verg. A. 2, 463:
littera labat,written with a trembling hand, Ov. H. 10, 140:
labare sermone,to stutter, speak indistinctly, Plin. 14, 22, 28, § 146:
si labat oculus et hac atque illac movetur,is unsteady, Cels. 7, 7, 14:
tarda trementi genua labant,sink, Verg. A. 5, 432; so,
pedes,Ov. F. 6, 676:
vincla labant,are loosed, id. A. A. 2, 85.—Poet., of dying persons:
inde labant populi,fall, sink, Luc. 6, 93; cf.:
omnia tum vero vitaï claustra lababant,Lucr. 6, 1153.—With Gr. acc.:
egressi labant vestigia prima,Verg. A. 10, 283 Forbig. (Rib. egressisque).—
II Trop.
A To waver, to be unstable, undecided, to hesitate (in opinion, resolution, etc.):
si res labat, Itidem amici collabascunt,Plaut. Stich. 4, 1, 16; cf.:
scito, labare meum consilium illud, quod satis jam fixum videbatur,Cic. Att. 8, 14, 2:
labamus mutamusque sententiam,id. Tusc. 1, 32, 78:
cum ei labare M. Antonius videretur,id. Phil. 6, 4, 10:
animumque labantem inpulit,Verg. A. 4, 22:
labantia corda,id. ib. 12, 223:
socii labant,waver in fidelity, Liv. 22, 61; cf.:
fides sociorum,id. 32, 30, 9:
animus regis,id. 40, 54; 2, 39:
quīs lababat fides,whose fidelity was wavering, Sil. 2, 392:
mens,Ov. M. 6, 629:
tu mente labantem dirige me,Luc. 2, 244:
ex nimia matrem pietate labare sensit,Ov. M. 6, 629:
memoria labat,becomes weak, Liv. 5, 18; cf.:
mens in illis (phreneticis) labat, in hoc (cordiaco) constat,Cels. 3, 19:
nec dubium habebatur labare hostes,Tac. A. 2, 26:
labante jam Agrippina,id. H. 14, 22:
labantem ordinem contirmare,Suet. Caes. 14:
acies labantes restituere,Tac. G. 8 init.:
sustinere labantem aciem,id. H. 3, 23; 5, 18.—
B To sink, fall to pieces, go to ruin:
quid non sic aliud ex alio nectitur, ut non, si unam litteram moveris, labent omnia?Cic. Fin. 3, 22, 74:
omnes rei publicae partes aegras et labantes sanare et confirmare,id. Mil. 25, 68; cf.:
sustinuisse labantem fortunam populi Romani,Liv. 26, 41:
sicuti populo Romano sua fortuna labet,id. 42, 50:
labante egregia quondam disciplina,id. 36, 6:
cum res Trojana labaret,Ov. M. 15, 437:
labantibus Vitellii rebus,Tac. H. 2, 86:
si quid in moribus labaret,id. A. 2, 33.