tĭtŭbo — Lewis & Short
tĭtŭbo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. and
I a., to stagger, totter, reel.
I Lit. (rare; cf.: vacillo, labo);
of drunken persons: Silenus titubans annisque meroque,Ov. M. 11, 90:
mero somnoque gravis titubare videtur,id. ib. 3, 608; 4, 26; 15, 331; cf.:
titubans pes,Phaedr. 4, 14, 12:
vestigia titubata,tottering, Verg. A. 5, 332:
titubat lingua,stammers, stutters, Ov. A. A. 1, 598.—
II Trop., to hesitate, falter, waver, be in suspense, be embarrassed or perplexed (class.):
Licinius titubans,Cic. Cael. 28, 66:
cave ne titubes mandataque frangas, Hor Ep. 1, 13, 19 Orell. ad loc.: fac titubet blaeso subdola lingua sono,Ov. A. A. 1, 598:
erubuisse, expalluisse, titubasse,Auct. Her. 2, 5, 8:
testes, si verbo titubarint,Cic. Fl. 10, 22:
at vide, ne titubes,Plaut. Ps. 4, 1, 32; id. Mil. 2, 2, 93:
lacrumans titubanti animo, corde et pectore,id. ib. 1, 1, 43:
hic omnibus titubantibus et de rebus summis desperantibus,Nep. Eum. 9, 2:
quid agat, ne quid titubet,Plaut. Ps. 2, 4, 75:
verum illa ne quid titubet,Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 120; Quint. 5, 7, 11:
nihil,Cic. Att. 2, 9, 2; cf. impers. pass.:
ne quid titubetur,Plaut. Mil. 3, 3, 70:
si quid forte titubatum est, ut fit in bello,Cic. Fam. 12, 10, 2:
versus debilitatur, in quācumque ejus sit parte titubatum,id. de Or. 3, 50, 192.—Hence, tĭtŭbanter, adv., loosely, totteringly.
A Lit.:
lapis, quem artifex titubanter aptaverat fundae,Amm. 24, 4, 28. —
B Trop., hesitatingly, falteringly:
titubanter et inconstanter loqui de aliquā re,Auct. Her. 4, 41, 53:
titubanter et strictim,Cic. Cael. 7, 15.