Metus

mĕtus, ūs, m. ( fem.: nulla in me est metus, Enn. ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 123 Müll.: metus ulla, id. ap. Non. 214, 11; cf. Ann. v. 537, and Trag. v. 179 Vahl.; dat. metu, Tac. A. 11, 32; 15, 69), fear, dread, apprehension, anxiety; constr. with gen. object., with ne, with acc. and inf.

I.

Lit.:

est metus futurae aegritudinis sollicita exspectatio,

Cic. Tusc. 5, 18, 52; cf. id. ib. 4, 30, 64:

metum excitari vel propriis vel communibus periculis,

Mart. Cap. 5, § 505:

in metu esse,

to be in fear, be fearful, Cic. Cat. 1, 7, 18:

est et in metu peregrinantium, ut, etc.,

they are also afraid, Plin. 31, 6, 37, § 71:

mihi etiam unum de malis in metu est, fratris miseri negotium,

a subject of fear, Cic. Att. 3, 9, 3:

metum habere,

to entertain fear, be afraid, id. Fam. 8, 10, 1:

metum concipere,

to become afraid, Ov. F. 1, 485:

capere,

Liv. 33, 27:

accipere,

Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 96: metum facere alicui, to make afraid, put in fear, frighten, Ov. Tr. [p. 1142] 5, 10, 28:

metum inicere,

Caes. B. G. 4, 19: incutere, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 4, 2:

inferre,

Liv. 26, 20:

affere,

Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 54, § 135:

offerre,

id. Fam. 15, 1, 5:

obicere,

id. Tusc. 2, 4, 10:

intentare,

Tac. A. 15, 54:

metu territare,

to alarm greatly, fill with fear, Caes. B. G. 5, 6:

metum pati,

Quint. 6, 2, 21:

alicui adimere,

to take away, remove, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 100:

metu exonerare,

to relieve from fear, Liv. 2, 2:

removere metum,

to take away, remove, id. ib.:

levare alicui,

Cic. Tusc. 2, 24, 59:

alicui deicere,

id. Verr. 2, 5, 49, § 130:

solvere,

to remove, dismiss, Verg. A. 1, 463: civitati metum, formidinem oblivionem inicere, Ser. Samm. ap. Macr. S. 3, 9, 7:

metu et impressione alicujus terroris mentiri,

Paul. Sent. 5, 1, 4:

metu mortis furem occidere, Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 7, 3, 3: quis metus aut pudor est umquam properantis avari?

Juv. 14, 178:

reddere metu, non moribus,

id. 13, 204.— Poet. in plur., Hor. C. 1, 26, 1.—

(β).

With gen. object.:

vulnerum metus,

Cic. Tusc. 2, 24, 59:

ne reliquos populares metus invaderet parendi sibi,

Sall. J. 35, 9:

id bellum excitabat metus Pompei victoris Hiempsalem in regnum restituentis,

Sall. H. 1, 39; v. Gell. 9, 2, 14; Non. p. 96: propter metum alicujus, for fear of:

Judaeorum,

Vulg. Johan. 7, 13; 19, 38.—

(γ).

With ne:

quod ubi Romam est nuntiatum, senatui metum injecit, ne, etc.,

Liv. 5, 7, 4:

ne lassescat fortuna, metus est,

Plin. 7, 40, 41, § 130.—

(δ).

With acc. and inf.:

quantus metus est mihi, venire huc salvum nunc patruum!

Ter. Phorm. 3, 1, 18.—

(ε).

With ab:

metus a praetore Romano,

Liv. 2, 24, 3; 23, 15, 7; 25, 33, 5; cf.:

metus poenae a Romanis,

id. 32, 23, 9; 45, 26, 7.—

(ζ).

With pro:

metus pro universā republicā,

Liv. 2, 24, 4.—

(η).

With ex:

metus ex imperatore,

Tac. A. 11, 20.—

B.

Poet., religious awe, holy dread:

laurus Sacra comam multosque metu servata per annos,

Verg. A. 7, 60.— Poetic awe:

evoe! recenti mens trepidat metu,

Hor. C. 2, 19, 5.—

II.

Transf.

A.

Conor., a cause of fear, a terror ( poet. ):

metus Libyci,

i. e. the head of Medusa, Stat. Th. 12, 606:

nulli nocte metus,

alarms, Juv. 3, 198.—

B.

Personified: Mĕtus, the god of fear or terror, Cic. N. D. 3, 17, 44; Verg. G. 3, 552; id. A. 6, 276.