tento — Lewis & Short
tento or tempto, āvi, ātum, 1 (
I part. gen. plur. tentantum, Verg. G. 2, 247), v. freq. a. tendo, to handle, touch, feel a thing (class.; cf.: tango, tracto).
I Lit.
A In gen.:
rem manu,Auct. Her. 4, 49, 62:
manibus pectora,Ov. M. 10, 282; 10, 289:
loca feminarum digitis,Col. 8, 11, 8:
ficum rostro,Ov. F. 2, 254:
flumen vix pede (with attingere),Cic. Leg. 2, 3, 6:
quadratum,Lucr. 4, 234:
caput in tenebris,Phaedr. 3, 10, 26:
pullos singulos,Col. 8, 5, 17:
invisos amictus,Verg. G. 3, 563:
aciem pugionum,Suet. Ner. 49; cf.:
acumen stili,id. Rhet. 5:
bracchia emittit temptanti maria similis Sarpedon,Plin. 5, 27, 27, § 98:
pullos,Col. 8, 5, 17; 8, 11, 8.—
B In partic.
1 In medic. lang.:
venas,to feel the pulse, Quint. 11, 3, 88; Suet. Tib. 72; Ov. H. 20, 139.—
2 To try the strength of, make an attempt upon, i. e. to attack, assail (cf.: aggredior, adorior).
(a) Of warfare:
scalis et classe moenia oppidi tentans,Caes. B. C. 3, 40:
opera nostra,id. B. G. 7, 73:
urbem,Liv. 33, 5, 3; 26, 38, 5:
munitiones,id. 9, 35, 1:
moenia Aiexandriae,id. 45, 11:
Achaiam,Caes. B. C. 3, 55 Britanniam, Suet. Claud. 17:
aggredi et tentare,Vell. 2, 113, 3:
aliquem auxiliis Thraciae,Flor. 2, 14, 4.—
(b) Of disease, poison, etc.:
animi valentes morbo tentari non possunt, corpora possunt,Cic. Tusc. 4, 14, 31; cf.:
gravis auctumnus omnem exercitum valetudine tentaverat,Caes. B. C. 3, 2:
temptari a morbo,Plin. 24, 19, 113, § 174:
praecordiorum inflatione tentari,Suet. Aug. 81:
tentatus est motiunculis levibus,id. Vesp. 24; Hor. S. 2, 3, 163; id. Ep. 1, 6, 28; Verg. G. 3, 441 al.:
vina temptant caput,attack, affect, Plin. 23, 1, 20, § 35.—Absol.:
temptantis aquas non nocere,unwholesome, Plin. 20, 7, 26, § 68; cf. Verg. G. 2, 94.—
II Transf., to try; to prove, put to the test; to attempt, essay a course of action, etc. (so most freq.; syn.: experior, periclitor).
A In gen., constr. with acc., with inf., with rel.-clause, with ut, or absol.
(a) With acc.:
cum se ipse perspexerit totumque tentarit, intelleget, etc.,Cic. Leg. 1, 22, 59; cf.:
se in arte memoriae,Quint. 11, 2, 34 (preceded by memoriam suam experiri):
tentarem te, quo animo accipias,Cic. Fam. 15, 16, 3:
quo utamur quasi equis temptatis, sic amicitiā aliquā parte periclitatis moribus amicorum,id. Lael. 17, 63;
alicujus scientiam auguratus,id. Div. 1, 17, 32:
tentarem summi regis prudentiam,id. Tusc. 1, 41, 98:
ut satis impulsas tentavit pollice chordas,Ov. M. 10, 145:
culturam agelli, Lucr 5, 1368: iter per provinciam per vim, Caes B. G. 1, 14: negatā iter viā,Hor. C. 3, 2, 22 Bosporum, id. ib. 3, 4, 31:
Thetim ratibus,Verg. E. 4, 32:
Oceanum,Tac. G. 34 fin.:
Istrum, Claud. Cons. Prob. et Olybr. 135: aditus,Verg. A. 4, 293:
temptanda via est,id. G. 3, 8:
ad tentandum vadum fluminis,Curt. 4, 9, 15:
nullo modo animus audientis aut incitari aut leniri potest, qui modus a me non tentatus sit,Cic. Or. 38, 132:
rem frustra,Caes. B. C. 1, 26:
belli fortunam,id. B. G. 1, 36; so,
fortunam,id. ib. 3, 6; 7, 64; Sall. J. 7, 1:
periculum,Cic. Cornel. Fragm. 1:
quaestionem,id. Clu. 57, 157:
patientiam vestram,id. Agr. 2, 7, 19:
spem pacis,Liv. 21, 12, 3; cf.:
spem triumphi,id. 28, 38, 4: libertatem, id. 6, 18, 11:
relationem,id. 33, 23, 3:
intercessionem,id. 9, 8, 13:
silentium nequicquam per praeconem,id. 8, 33, 2:
crimina,Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 80:
majora,id. ib. 1, 17, 24:
caelestia,id. ib. 1, 17, 34 et saep.—
(b) With rel.-clause:
tentavi, quid in eo genere possem,Cic. Tusc. 1, 4, 7:
tentabam, spiraret an non,Plaut. Mil. 4, 8, 26:
quae sit fortuna facillima, temptat,Verg. A. 11, 761:
cum tentaret si qua res esset cibi,something to eat, Phaedr. 4, 7, 4:
tenta, Chrysogonus quanti doceat,Juv. 7, 175.—
(g) With inf.:
aquā prohibere hostem tentare coepit,Hirt. B. G. 8, 40:
tentabo etiam de hoc dicere,Quint. 6, 2, 29; 2, 14, 1:
(sol) caelum radiis accendere tentans,Lucr. 5, 659:
tentarunt aequore tingi,Ov. M. 2, 172:
(vestis) frustra tentata revelli,id. ib. 9, 168:
taurus irasci in cornua temptat,Verg. A. 12, 104:
nemo in sese tentat descendere,Pers. 4, 23:
litteras deferre,Curt. 3, 7, 13; Juv. 7, 5.—
(d) With ut:
cum ille Romuli senatus tentaret post Romuli excessum, ut ipse gereret sine rege rem publicam,Cic. Rep. 2, 12, 23:
quid aliud hoc judicio tentatur, nisi ut id fieri liceat?id. Rosc. Am. 5, 13; Suet. Caes. 11.—Impers. pass.:
tentatum a L. Sextio tribuno plebis, ut rogationem ferret, etc.,Liv. 4, 49, 6.—(e) Absol.:
tenta quā lubet,Plaut. Aul. 4, 4, 20:
ne tentando cautiorem faceret,Hirt. B. G. 8, 23.—
B In partic., to try any one, in a friendly or hostile manner; to urge, incite; to tempt, sound, tamper with; also, to excite, disquiet, disturb, agitate:
quem ego toties omni ratione tentans ad disputandum elicere non potuissem,Cic. de Or. 2, 3, 13:
cum per Drusum saepe tentassem,id. ib. 1, 21, 97:
utrum admonitus an tentatus an, etc. ... pervenerit ad hanc improbitatem nescio,Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 41, § 105:
cum a proximis impetrare non possent, ulteriores tentant,Caes. B. G. 6, 2:
animos servorum spe et metu, ut, etc.,Cic. Clu. 63, 176:
animos popularium,Sall. J. 48, 1:
animos singulorum ad res novas,Suet. Tib. 12 fin.:
animum precando,Verg. A. 4, 113:
judicium pecunia,Cic. Clu. 4, 9; 30, 80:
aliquem promissis et minis,Tac. H. 1, 75; cf.:
tentatā Othonianorum fide per colloquium et promissa,id. ib. 2, 20:
tribunos de fugae societate,Suet. Ner. 47:
deos multā caede bidentium,Hor. C. 3, 23, 14:
Junonem tentare Ixion ausus,Tib. 1, 3, 73; cf. Ov. A. A. 1, 389; Val. Max. 6, 1, 7:
nationes lacessere bello et tentare,to agitate, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 9, 23; cf.:
ut exsul potius tentare quam consul vexare rem publicam posses,id. Cat. 1, 10, 27:
in his rebus evertendis unius hominis senectus, infirmitas solitudoque tentata est,id. Rab. Perd. 1, 2:
militis iras,Luc. 2, 529; Vulg. Gen. 22, 1 et saep.