firmo

firmo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [firmus], to make firm or fast, to strengthen, fortify, support (freq. and class.).

I.

Lit.:

lacertos,

Lucr. 6, 397:

corpora juvenum firmari labore voluerunt,

Cic. Tusc. 2, 15, 36:

corpora cibo,

Liv. 27, 13 fin.:

vexatos milites quiete,

Curt. 9, 10:

praegnantes largo pascuo,

Col. 6, 27, 10:

bitumen aeramentis illinitur firmatque ea contra ignes,

Plin. 35, 15, 51, § 182:

remedium ad dentium mobilĭs firmandos,

id. 21, 31, 105, § 180:

aestuaria aggeribus et pontibus,

Tac. A. 4, 73:

vestigia,

Verg. A. 3, 659:

gradum,

Quint. 9, 4, 129:

alvum solutam,

to bind, Cels. 1, 3; Plin. 14, 18, 22, § 117.—

II.

Trop.

A.

In gen., to fortify, strengthen, secure; to make lasting, durable, permanent:

(Romulus) urbem auspicato condere, et firmare dicitur primum cogitavisse rem publicam,

Cic. Rep. 2, 3; cf.:

urbem colonis firmare,

id. ib. 2, 18; so,

novam civitatem,

id. ib. 2, 7:

provinciam pace praesidiisque,

id. Fam. 1, 7, 4:

locum magnis munitionibus,

Caes. B. G. 6, 29, 3:

turres praesidiis,

Sall. J. 23, 1:

aditum urbis,

Verg. A. 11, 466:

aciem subsidiis,

Liv. 9, 17, 15:

latronum opes firmare atque augere,

Cic. Off. 2, 11, 40;

in aliquos imperium,

id. Sull. 11, 32:

vocem,

id. de Or. 3, 61, 227:

firmari consuetudine,

Quint. 11, 3, 24:

quorum (hominum) cum adolescentiae cupiditates defervissent, eximiae virtutes firmata jam aetate exstiterunt,

Cic. Cael. 18, 43; cf.:

animus adolescentis nondum consilio ac ratione firmatus,

id. Clu. 6, 13:

firmata stirpe virtutis,

id. Cael. 32, 79:

pacem amicitiamque,

Liv. 9, 3, 10:

memoria praecipue firmatur atque alitur exercitatione,

Quint. 1, 1, 36; so,

memoriam,

id. 2, 4, 15:

opinio omnium gentium firmata consensu,

Cic. Div. 1, 1, 1:

non tamen pro firmato stetit magistratus ejus jus,

Liv. 4, 7, 3.—

B.

In partic.

1.

To strengthen in resolution, to encourage, animate:

cujus adventus Pompeianos compressit nostrosque firmavit, ut, etc.,

Caes. B. C. 3, 65, 2:

donec firmaret consilio patres auctor,

Hor. C. 3, 5, 46: suos, Just. 2, 11:

plebem hinc provocatione, hinc tribunicio auxilio,

Liv. 3, 55:

cunctos alloquio et cura sibique et proelio,

Tac. A. 1, 71:

animum exemplis,

id. ib. 16, 35:

animum praesenti pignore,

Verg. A. 3, 611:

firmatus animi,

Sall. Hist. Fragm. 3, 24, p. 236 ed. Gerl. (ap. Arus. Mess. p. 232 ed. Lindem.).—

2.

In fidelity, to make sure of, secure:

civitates obsidibus,

Hirt. B. G. 8, 27.—

3.

to confirm, show, prove; to affirm, assert, declare, promise the correctness or truth of a circumstance, statement, etc. (less freq. than confirmo, affirmo):

cum intelligat, quam multa firmentur jure jurando,

Cic. Leg. 2, 7, 16:

si vis et natura fati ex divinationis ratione firmabitur,

id. Fat. 5, 11:

firmatam dare fidem,

Plaut. Mil. 2, 5, 45; so,

fidem,

Ter. And. 3, 1, 4; id. Hec. 4, 2, 5:

vix quidquam firmare ausim,

Tac. A. 1, 81; 6, 6; id. H. 2, 9:

hoc genus in rebus firmandum est multa prius quam Ipsius rei rationem reddere possis,

to prove, Lucr. 6, 917:

da augurium, atque haec omina firma,

Verg. A. 2, 691; so,

numina,

id. ib. 8, 78.—

(β).

With object-clauses:

seque et ibi futurum, ubi praescripserit et ea facturum, quae imperarit obsidibus datis firmat,

Hirt. B. G. 8, 48, 9; cf.:

paratis omnium animis reversuros firmaverunt,

Tac. H. 2, 9:

firmare necesse est, nil esse in promptu, etc.,

Lucr. 6, 940.—In pass. with a subject-clause:

sata bene provenire firmantur,

Pall. 11, 12.