fatuus

1.

fătŭus, a, um, adj. [root fa, cf. for; properly, garrulous], foolish, silly, simple (class.; syn.: stultus, stolidus, insipiens, desipiens, stupidus, hebes, ineptus, insulsus, absurdus).

I.

Adj.: ego me ipsum stultum existimo, fatuum esse non opinor, Afran. ap. Isid. Orig. 10, 246:

stulti, stolidi. fatui, fungi, bardi, blenni, buccones,

Plaut. Bacch. 5, 1, 2:

fatuus est, insulsus,

Ter. Eun. 5, 9, 49:

non modo nequam et improbus, sed etiam fatuus et amens es,

Cic. Deiot. 7, 21:

monitor,

id. de Or. 2, 24, 99: homo, Poët. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 67, 274:

puer,

Cic. Att. 6, 6, 3:

nisi plane fatui sint,

id. Fin. 2, 22, 70:

mores,

Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 18.—

B.

Poet. transf.

1.

Insipid, tasteless, of food: ut sapiant fatuae, fabrorum prandia, betae, Mart. 13, 13.—

2.

Awkward, clumsy, unwieldy:

illa bipennem Insulsam et fatuam dextra tenebat,

Juv. 6, 658.—

II.

Subst.: fătŭus, i, m., and fătŭa, ae, f., a fool, simpleton, a jester, buffoon.

A.

In gen., one who acts foolishly:

paene ecfregisti, fatue, foribus cardines,

Plaut. Am. 4, 2, 6; Cat. 83, 2; Juv. 9, 8.—

B.

Esp., kept by Romans of rank for their amusement:

Harpasten, uxoris meae fatuam, scis hereditarium onus in domo mea remansisse... si quando fatuo delectari volo, me rideo,

Sen. Ep. 50, 2; Lampr. Comm. 4, 3.—Hence, fătŭe, adv., foolishly, absurdly:

plerumque studio loquendi fatue modo accedendum,

Quint. 6, 4, 8 dub. (Spald. and Zumpt, fatui); Tert. adv. Herm. 10; id. de Pat. 6. —Hence,

2.

Fātŭus, i. m., another name for the prophesying Faunus; also called Fātŭ-ellus; while his sister, Fauna, who prophesied to females, was also called Fātŭa and Fātŭella, Lact. 1, 22, 9; Arn. 5, 18; Macr. S. 1, 12; Mart. Cap. 2, § 167; Just. 43, 1; Plin. 27, 12, 83, § 117 (dub.; Jan. fatuos).