conception Copy link Outline I. The act of conceiving (offspring)II. The act of devising or forming in the mindIII. A mental conception, as something existing in the mind1. ĭmāgo, ĭnis, f.2. informātio (the idea of a thing as formed in the mind)3. conformātio (= informatio)4. antĭcĭpātio (a c. formed beforehand)5. spĕcies (= ἰδέα), nōtio • conception: I. The act of conceiving (offspring): conceptio: Cic.; conceptus, ūs, Cic.: Plin. II. The act of devising or forming in the mind: expr. by verb: a mind equal to the c. of great designs, *animus ad alta consilia animo concipienda idoneus: the c. of this scheme originated with him, *hoc consilium ab illo excogitatum est, ortum est. III. A mental conception, as something existing in the mind: 1. ĭmāgo, ĭnis, f.: to form a c. of anything, alicujus rei im. cogitatione fingere, Cic.: Quint. 2. informātio (the idea of a thing as formed in the mind): a c. of Jove as bearded, and of Minerva as helmed, inf. barbati Jovis et galeatae Minervae, Cic. N. D. 1, 36, 100. 3. conformātio (= informatio): Cic. 4. antĭcĭpātio (a c. formed beforehand): ant. quaedam deorum, quam appellat προληφιν Epicurus, id est, antecepta animo rei quaedam informatio: Cic. N. D. 1, 16, 43. 5. spĕcies (= ἰδέα), nōtio: v. idea, notion. Phr.: there can be no c. of body without space, corpus sine loco intelligi nun potest, Cic.: to have a c. present to the mind, aliquid in animo conceptum tenere: v. to conceive (III.).