Appearance

Theme

Reading text

Font
Size
100%
Spacing

Gallia est omnis dīvīsa in partēs trēs, quārum ūnam incolunt Belgae.

Issues / Feedback

This report will be visible to the general public on our GitHub issue tracker. Please do not submit private or sensitive information.
Only needed if you want updates or clarification on GitHub.

Dictionary settings

Enabled Dictionaries
Search Scope

Match conjugated verbs and declined nouns/adjectives.

Highlight Strength 50%
Contents (23 senses)
S&H Smith & Hall (1)
Source
Source & Attribution
Digitized by Distributed Proofreaders from William Smith and Theophilus D. Hall, A Copious and Critical English-Latin Dictionary (1871), and generously placed into the public domain.
soften Copy link
Outline
• soften:
  1. A. Trans.:
    1. I. Lit.: to make soft:
      1. 1. mollio, 4: till fire shall s. iron, dum ferrum molliat ignis, Hor. S. 1, 4, 20: Ov.: Cic.: s.'d (i. e. loosened) lands, agri molliti, Cic. N. D. 2, 52, 130: the heat of the sun s.s the winds, ventos mollit solis vapor, Plin. 2, 47, 47, § 124: s. wild fruits by cultivation (fig.), fructus feros mollite colendo, Virg. G. 2, 36. Comp. ēmollĭo, 4 (like mollio) Liv. Of colour: to s. (= mellow) colours, e. colores, Plin. 35, 17, 57, § 198: cf. temperare colores, id. 2, 18, 16, § 79.
      2. 2. mītĭgo, 1: to s. food (by boiling or roasting), m. cibum, Cic. N. D. 2, 60, 151: to s. (= mitigate) the bitterness of fruits, amaritudinem frugum m., Plin. 18, 16, 40, § 141: cf. tempero (in this sense): t. acetum melle, Plin. 14, 17, 21, § 114: t. vinum, id. 29, 3, 11, § 50: see also to mellow.
      3. 3. lēvĭgo, 1 (to make s. and smooth, of the skin): for s.ing the skin, ad levigandam cutem, Plin. 20, 3, 10, § 20: v. to smooth.
      4. 4. mollio, rĕmitto sonum (of the voice): Cic. In effeminate sense, vocem m.: Quint.: v. to lower (II.), modulate.
      5. 5. expr. by circuml.: (aliquid) lĕvius, mītius reddere, facere.
    2. II. Fig.: to make less harsh, violent:
      1. 1. lēnio, 4: lĕvo, 1 (of pain, care, toil): v. to ease, alleviate, assuage, mitigate. Phr.: to s. the sadness of the matter by gentle telling, lenitate verbi rei tristitiam mitigare, Cic. Off. 1, 12, 37: to s. somewhat the roughness of the speech, ex asperitate orationis aliquid lenire, Liv.: to s. the condition of slaves, servitutem lenem reddere, Pl. Capt. 2, 1, 5: to s. laws and to increase their rigour, mitigare leges et intendere, Plin. Ep. 4, 9, post med.: cf. legis acerbitatem m., Cic.: duritiam legum moderari, Suet. Claud. 14.
      2. 2. mollio, 4: plāco, 1: mulceo, 2 (of anger): v. to appease, mollify.
      3. 3. ēmollio, 4 (to civilize): to s. manners, mores e., Ov. Pont. 2, 9, 48: Tac.: v. to civilize.
      4. 4. lēnio, 4 (to palliate): to s. the heinousness of the deed, atrocitatem facti l., Sall. Jug. 27. (Steph. Thesaur. quotes in this sense, facinus levare alicujus, Liv. 4): v. to palliate.
    3. III. To make less hardy, enervate, ēmollio, 4: ēnervo, 1: v. to enervate.
  2. B. Intrans.:
    1. I. Lit.: to become less hard or harsh:
      1. 1. mollesco, 3: the steers' necks s. (from not wearing the yoke), mollescunt colla juvencis, Cat. 62 (64), 38. So comp. rĕmollesco: wax s.s in the sun, sole cera remollescit, Ov. Met. 10, 285.
      2. 2. mītesco, 3 (of fruits): grapes s. by sun, uvae a sole mitescunt, Col. 3, 1, ad init.: Cic. Oecon. in Gell. 15, 5, extr.: v. to mellow (II.), ripen. Also of wind, weather, etc., mitesco: the spring breeze s.s not, non verni temporis aura m., Petr.: the cold s.s, frigora m., Hor. Od. 4, 7, 9: the air s.'d, coelum m., Poët. Cic. Tusc. 1, 28, 69.
      3. 3. tĕnĕrasco (to grow tender., weakly): Lucr. 3, 766.
      4. 4. tĕnĕresco, 3: Plin.: Cels.
    2. II. Fig.: to become less harsh or rude:
      1. 1. mansuesco, suēvi, suētum, 3 (to s. to entreaty): hearts that know not how to s. to prayer, corda nescia mansuescere precibus, Virg. G. 4, 470: cf. precibus remollescere, Ov. Met. 1, 377.
      2. 2. mollesco, 3 (to become civilised): under the influence of noble arts souls s., artibus ingenuis pectora mollescunt, Ov. Pont. 1, 6, 8: cf. Lucr. 5, 1012.
      3. 3. mītesco, 3: no one is such a savage as not to admit of s.ing, nemo adeo ferus est ut non mitescere possit, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 39.