mentior

mentĭor, ītus, 4 ( fut. mentibitur, for mentietur, Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 35; 2, 2, 99; v. Neue, Formenl. 2, p. 448), v. dep. n. and a. [prob. from root men-, whence mens, memini, q. v. Original meaning, to invent; hence],

I.

Neutr., to lie, cheat, deceive, etc.:

mentiri palam,

Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 89:

mentire,

id. Poen. 3, 5, 18:

adversus aliquem,

id. Aul. 4, 7, 9:

apud aliquem,

id. Poen. 1, 1, 24:

sibi,

id. Am. 1, 2, 6:

mihi,

id. Capt. 3, 5, 46; Ter. Eun. 4, 4, 35:

aperte,

Cic. Ac. 2, 6, 18:

in re aliquā,

id. Att. 12, 21, 4:

de re aliquā,

id. N. D. 3, 6, 14:

adeo veritatis diligens, ut ne joco quidem mentiretur,

Nep. Epam. 3, 1.—With acc. and inf., to pretend, to declare falsely:

certam me sum mentitus habere Horam, quae, etc.,

Ov. Tr. 1, 3, 53; Plin. 12, 15, 34, § 67: mentior nisi or si mentior, a form of asseveration, I am a liar, if, etc.:

mentior, nisi et quae alunt illud, corpora sunt,

Sen. Ep. 106, 5:

si mentiar, inquit, Ultima, quā fallam, sit Venus illa mihi,

Ov. F. 4, 227.—Of things, to deceive, impose upon: frons, oculi, vultus persaepe mentiuntur, oratio vero saepissime, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 6:

in quibus nihil umquam... vetustas mentita sit,

id. N. D. 2, 5, 15.—

B.

To deceive one's self, mistake:

mentire, gnate,

Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 83 Brix ad loc.—

II.

Act., to lie or speak falsely about, to assert falsely, make a false promise about; to feign, counterfeit, imitate a shape, nature, etc.:

cujus consilio tantam rem mentitus esset,

had devised such a falsehood, Sall. C. 48:

originem alicujus,

Just. 35, 2, 4:

auspicium,

Liv. 10, 40:

titulum Lyciscae,

to assume falsely, Juv. 6, 123:

noctem,

to promise falsely, Prop. 3, 9, 1:

cur sese daemonia mentiuntur,

Tert. Apol. 23; also, to invent, feign, of a poetical fiction:

ita mentitur (sc. Homerus),

Hor. A. P. 151; cf.:

poëtae Orionem mentiuntur in pelago incidentem,

Lact. 4, 15, 21.— Pass.:

si a debitore, praelato die, pignoris obligatio mentiatur,

Dig. 48, 10, 28.—

B.

Trop., of inanim. subjects: semel fac illud, Mentitur tua quod subinde tussis, do what your cough keeps falsely promising, i. e. die, Mart. 5, 39, 6:

mentiris juvenem tinctis capillis,

id. 3, 43, 1:

color, qui chrysocollam mentitur,

Plin. 35, 6, 29, § 48:

nec varios discet mentiri lana colores,

Verg. E. 4, 42: sexum viris denegatum muliebri motu, Col. praef. 1.—Hence, *

1.

mentĭens, entis, m. subst., a fallacy, sophism: quomodo mentientem, quem pseudomenon vocant, dissolvas, Cic. Div. 2, 4, 11. —

2.

mentītus, a, um, Part., in pass. signif., imitated, counterfeit, feigned ( poet. ):

mentita tela,

Verg. A. 2, 422:

figurae,

Ov. M. 5, 326:

fama,

id. ib. 10, 28:

nomen,

id. ib. 10, 439; id. H. 11, 73; Sen. Contr. 5, 5, 3; Luc. 2, 512; Val. Fl. 6, 698; 7, 155; Sil. 15, 796; Stat. S. 4, 6, 21; id. Th. 1, 256; 7, 303; 10, 875; Poët. ap. Suet. Oth. 3; Prop. 4 (5), 7, 58:

mentiti fictique terrores,

Plin. Ep. 6, 20, 15; id. Pan. 81, 3:

divinitas,

Lact. 2, 16, 2; Quint. 12, 10, 76.