mitigo

mītĭgo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [mitis-ago], to make mild, soft, or tender, make ripe or mellow; to make tame, to tame (class.).

I.

Lit.:

cum aestivā maturitate alia mitigaverit, alia torruerit,

Cic. Rep. 4, 1, 6 (cited ap. Non. 343, 21):

mitiget auctumnus, quod maturaverit aestas,

Aus. Idyll. 8: cibum, to make soft or tender, to soften by boiling or roasting, Cic. N. D. 2, 60, 151.—Comically: misero mihi mitigabat sandalio caput, mellowed, broke, Turp. ap. Non. l. l.:

hic, qui dura sedens porrecto saxa leone Mitigat,

i. e. makes soft for sitting on by spreading over them a lion's skin, Mart. 9, 44, 2:

Indus agros, laetificat et mitigat,

to make fruitful, Cic. N. D. 2, 52, 130:

vina diluendo,

Plin. 14, 22, 29, § 149:

silvestres arbores,

id. 17, 10, 12, § 66:

amaritudinem frugum,

to soften, mitigate, id. 18, 16, 40, § 141:

cervicum duritias,

id. 20, 22, 92, § 250:

rabiem suum,

id. 10, 63, 83, § 182:

pilos,

to thin, id. 35, 6, 19, § 37:

animal,

to tame, Sen. Ben. 1, 3:

valetudinem temperantia,

to mitigate, Plin. Ep. 1, 12, 9.—

II.

Trop., to make mild or gentle, to pacify, soothe, calm, assuage, appease, mitigate:

animum alicujus,

Cic. Balb. 26, 57:

te aetas mitigabit,

id. Mur. 31, 65:

iras,

Ov. Tr. 4, 6, 15:

querimonias, Col. praef.: tristitiam ac severitatem,

Cic. de Or. 2, 58, 236; cf.:

acerbam severitatem condimentis humanitatis,

id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 7:

dolores,

id. Att. 3, 15, 2:

labores,

id. de Or. 3, 4, 14:

aliquem pecuniā,

Tac. H. 1, 66:

temporum atrocitatem,

Suet. Tib. 48:

acrimonia mitigabitur laude,

Auct. Her. 4, 37, 50: aures, to soothe with explanatory representations, Quint. 12, 1, 14:

metus,

id. 12, 2, 28:

feritatem animalium,

Plin. 24, 17, 102, § 167: alicui aliquem, to reconcile:

Hannibalem Romanis,

Just. 31, 4, 4; cf.:

vix revocanti patri mitigatus est,

id. 9, 7, 6.—Hence, mītĭganter, adv., in a soothing manner; in order to soothe, Cael. Aur. Tard. 5, 1, 13; 4, 3, 62; id. Acut. 1, 11, 76.