1. mĕtus — Lewis & Short
mĕtus, ūs, m. (
I fem.: nulla in me est metus, Enn. ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 123 Müll.: metus ulla, id. ap. Non. 214, 11; cf. Ann. v. 537, and Trag. v. 179 Vahl.; dat. metu, Tac. A. 11, 32; 15, 69), fear, dread, apprehension, anxiety; constr. with gen. object., with ne, with acc. and inf.
I Lit.:
est metus futurae aegritudinis sollicita exspectatio,Cic. Tusc. 5, 18, 52; cf. id. ib. 4, 30, 64:
metum excitari vel propriis vel communibus periculis,Mart. Cap. 5, § 505:
in metu esse,to be in fear, be fearful, Cic. Cat. 1, 7, 18:
est et in metu peregrinantium, ut, etc.,they are also afraid, Plin. 31, 6, 37, § 71:
mihi etiam unum de malis in metu est, fratris miseri negotium,a subject of fear, Cic. Att. 3, 9, 3:
metum habere,to entertain fear, be afraid, id. Fam. 8, 10, 1:
metum concipere,to become afraid, Ov. F. 1, 485:
capere,Liv. 33, 27:
accipere,Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 96: metum facere alicui, to make afraid, put in fear, frighten, Ov. Tr. 5, 10, 28:
metum inicere,Caes. B. G. 4, 19: incutere, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 4, 2:
inferre,Liv. 26, 20:
affere,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 54, § 135:
offerre,id. Fam. 15, 1, 5:
obicere,id. Tusc. 2, 4, 10:
intentare,Tac. A. 15, 54:
metu territare,to alarm greatly, fill with fear, Caes. B. G. 5, 6:
metum pati,Quint. 6, 2, 21:
alicui adimere,to take away, remove, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 100:
metu exonerare,to relieve from fear, Liv. 2, 2:
removere metum,to take away, remove, id. ib.:
levare alicui,Cic. Tusc. 2, 24, 59:
alicui deicere,Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 49, § 130:
solvere,to remove, dismiss, Verg. A. 1, 463: civitati metum, formidinem oblivionem inicere, Ser. Samm. ap. Macr. S. 3, 9, 7:
metu et impressione alicujus terroris mentiri,Paul. Sent. 5, 1, 4:
metu mortis furem occidere, Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 7, 3, 3: quis metus aut pudor est umquam properantis avari?Juv. 14, 178:
reddere metu, non moribus,id. 13, 204.— Poet. in plur., Hor. C. 1, 26, 1.—
(b) With gen. object.:
vulnerum metus,Cic. Tusc. 2, 24, 59:
ne reliquos populares metus invaderet parendi sibi,Sall. J. 35, 9:
id bellum excitabat metus Pompei victoris Hiempsalem in regnum restituentis,Sall. H. 1, 39; v. Gell. 9, 2, 14; Non. p. 96: propter metum alicujus, for fear of:
Judaeorum,Vulg. Johan. 7, 13; 19, 38.—
(g) With ne:
quod ubi Romam est nuntiatum, senatui metum injecit, ne, etc.,Liv. 5, 7, 4:
ne lassescat fortuna, metus est,Plin. 7, 40, 41, § 130.—
(d) With acc. and inf.:
quantus metus est mihi, venire huc salvum nunc patruum!Ter. Phorm. 3, 1, 18.—(e) With ab:
metus a praetore Romano,Liv. 2, 24, 3; 23, 15, 7; 25, 33, 5; cf.:
metus poenae a Romanis,id. 32, 23, 9; 45, 26, 7.—(z) With pro:
metus pro universā republicā,Liv. 2, 24, 4.—(h) With ex:
metus ex imperatore,Tac. A. 11, 20.—
B Poet., religious awe, holy dread:
laurus Sacra comam multosque metu servata per annos,Verg. A. 7, 60.—Poetic awe:
evoe! recenti mens trepidat metu,Hor. C. 2, 19, 5.—
II Transf.
A Conor., a cause of fear, a terror (poet.):
metus Libyci,i. e. the head of Medusa, Stat. Th. 12, 606:
nulli nocte metus,alarms, Juv. 3, 198.—
B Personified: Mĕtus, the god of fear or terror, Cic. N. D. 3, 17, 44; Verg. G. 3, 552; id. A. 6, 276.