mentĭor — Lewis & Short
mentĭor, ītus, 4 (
I fut. mentibitur, for mentietur, Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 35; 2, 2, 99; v. Neue, Formenl. 2, p. 448), v. dep. n. and a. [prob. from root men-, whence mens, memini, q. v. Original meaning, to invent; hence],
I Neutr., to lie, cheat, deceive, etc.:
mentiri palam,Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 89:
mentire,id. Poen. 3, 5, 18:
adversus aliquem,id. Aul. 4, 7, 9:
apud aliquem,id. Poen. 1, 1, 24:
sibi,id. Am. 1, 2, 6:
mihi,id. Capt. 3, 5, 46; Ter. Eun. 4, 4, 35:
aperte,Cic. Ac. 2, 6, 18:
in re aliquā,id. Att. 12, 21, 4:
de re aliquā,id. N. D. 3, 6, 14:
adeo veritatis diligens, ut ne joco quidem mentiretur,Nep. Epam. 3, 1.—With acc. and inf., to pretend, to declare falsely:
certam me sum mentitus habere Horam, quae, etc.,Ov. Tr. 1, 3, 53; Plin. 12, 15, 34, § 67: mentior nisi or si mentior, a form of asseveration, I am a liar, if, etc.:
mentior, nisi et quae alunt illud, corpora sunt,Sen. Ep. 106, 5:
si mentiar, inquit, Ultima, quā fallam, sit Venus illa mihi,Ov. F. 4, 227.—Of things, to deceive, impose upon: frons, oculi, vultus persaepe mentiuntur, oratio vero saepissime, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 6:
in quibus nihil umquam ... vetustas mentita sit,id. N. D. 2, 5, 15.—
B To deceive one's self, mistake:
mentire, gnate,Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 83 Brix ad loc.—
II Act., to lie or speak falsely about, to assert falsely, make a false promise about; to feign, counterfeit, imitate a shape, nature, etc.:
cujus consilio tantam rem mentitus esset,had devised such a falsehood, Sall. C. 48:
originem alicujus,Just. 35, 2, 4:
auspicium,Liv. 10, 40:
titulum Lyciscae,to assume falsely, Juv. 6, 123:
noctem,to promise falsely, Prop. 3, 9, 1:
cur sese daemonia mentiuntur,Tert. Apol. 23; also, to invent, feign, of a poetical fiction:
ita mentitur (sc. Homerus),Hor. A. P. 151; cf.:
poëtae Orionem mentiuntur in pelago incidentem,Lact. 4, 15, 21.—Pass.:
si a debitore, praelato die, pignoris obligatio mentiatur,Dig. 48, 10, 28.—
B Trop., of inanim. subjects: semel fac illud, Mentitur tua quod subinde tussis, do what your cough keeps falsely promising, i. e. die, Mart. 5, 39, 6:
mentiris juvenem tinctis capillis,id. 3, 43, 1:
color, qui chrysocollam mentitur,Plin. 35, 6, 29, § 48:
nec varios discet mentiri lana colores,Verg. E. 4, 42: sexum viris denegatum muliebri motu, Col. praef. 1.—Hence, *
1 mentĭens, entis, m. subst., a fallacy, sophism: quomodo mentientem, quem yeudo/menon vocant, dissolvas, Cic. Div. 2, 4, 11. —
2 mentītus, a, um, Part., in pass. signif., imitated, counterfeit, feigned (poet.):
mentita tela,Verg. A. 2, 422:
figurae,Ov. M. 5, 326:
fama,id. ib. 10, 28:
nomen,id. ib. 10, 439; id. H. 11, 73; Sen. Contr. 5, 5, 3; Luc. 2, 512; Val. Fl. 6, 698; 7, 155; Sil. 15, 796; Stat. S. 4, 6, 21; id. Th. 1, 256; 7, 303; 10, 875; Poët. ap. Suet. Oth. 3; Prop. 4 (5), 7, 58.
mentiti fictique terrores,Plin. Ep. 6, 20, 15; id. Pan. 81, 3:
divinitas,Lact. 2, 16, 2; Quint. 12, 10, 76.