Imperiosus

impĕrĭōsus (less correctly inp- ), a, um, adj. [imperium], possessed of command, far-ruling, mighty, powerful, puissant (class.).

I.

In gen.: urbes magnae atque imperiosae, Enn. ap. Cic. Rep. 1, 2:

populi,

Cic. Or. 34, 120: imperiosissima civitas, Aug. Civ. Dei, 15, 19 (cf. Verg. A. 1, 284):

dictatura,

Liv. 7, 40, 9; cf.

virga,

i. e. the fasces, Ov. Tr. 5, 6, 32:

quisnam igitur liber? sapiens, sibi qui imperiosus,

who has dominion over himself, Hor. S. 2, 7, 83; cf. Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 62:

imperiosissimae humanae mentis artes (religio, astrologia, medicina),

id. 30, 1, 1, § 1:

risus habet vim nescio an imperiosissimam,

Quint. 6, 3, 8. —

II.

In partic.

A.

In a bad sense, imperious, domineering, tyrannical:

cupiditas honoris quam dura est domina, quam imperiosa,

Cic. Par. 5, 3, 40:

nimis imperiosus philosophus,

id. Fin. 2, 32, 105:

paedagogi,

Quint. 1, 1, 8:

imperiosus atque impotens,

Sen. Ben. 3, 28 fin.:

imperiosi nobis ipsis et molesti sumus,

id. Q. N. 4 praef.:

Proserpina,

Hor. S. 2, 5, 110:

quojus cibo iste factust imperiosior,

Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 26:

imperiosius aequor,

Hor. C. 1, 14, 8:

familia imperiosissima et superbissima,

Liv. 9, 34, 15.—Hence,

B.

Impĕrĭōsus, i, m., a surname of the dictator L. Manlius Torquatus and his son, the consul T. Manlius Torquatus, on account of their severity, Liv. 7, 3, 4; 7, 4, 7; Sen. Ben. 3, 37; Cic. Fin. 2, 19, 60; Plin. 22, 5, 5, § 8; Liv. 4, 29, 6; cf. Manlius.—Hence, adv.: impĕrĭōsē, imperiously, tyrannically (ante- and postclass.):

non severe, non imperiose praecepit,

Gell. 2, 29, 1; Charis. 202, 11: paene imperiosius quam humanius, Varr. ap. Non. 287, 20.