proclivis

prōclīvis, e (ante- and post-class. and poet.; collat. form prōclīvus, a, um, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 27; Varr. R. R. 2, 2, 7; Cat. 64, 270; Front. Strat. 2, 2, 2; v. Neue, Formenl. 2, p. 91), adj. [proclivus], sloping, steep, going downwards or downhill.

I.

Lit. (rare;

not in Cic. or Cæs.: solum,

Varr. R. R. 2, 2, 7:

per proclivem viam duci,

Liv. 35, 30: omnia procliva sunt;

facile descenditur,

Sen. Apoc. 13.— Subst.: prō-clīve, is (or prōclīvum, i), n., a slope, descent, declivity:

pelli per proclive,

downhill, downwards, Liv. 5, 43, 2:

adjuvante proclivo impetum militum,

Front. Strat. 2, 2, 2 (al. proclivio):

in proclive detrudi, Auct. B. Alex. 76: per proclivia devolare,

Col. 9, 5, 1.—Of persons, going downwards or downhill ( poet. ), Claud. III. Cons. Honor. 178.—

II.

Trop.

A.

Downwards, descending, downhill, declining (rare but class.):

proclivi cursu et facili delabi,

Cic. Rep. 1, 28, 44:

jam proclivi senectute,

declining, drawing to a close, App. Fl. 4, p. 361; cf.:

Junius mensis est jam proclivus in Julium,

Sen. Ep. 86, 16.— Absol.:

proclivi currit oratio,

flows precipitately, Cic. Fin. 5, 28, 84; v. Madv. ad h. l.—

B.

Inclined or disposed to a thing, liable, prone, subject; ready, willing (freq. and class.; mostly in a bad sense; cf. Cic. Tusc. 4, 12, 27, s. v. proclivitas; syn. propensus); constr. usually ad aliquid, more rarely with dat. or circa.

(α).

With ad:

ingenium Hominum proclive ad lubidinem,

Ter. And. 1, 1, 50:

ad aliquem morbum proclivior,

Cic. Tusc. 4, 37, 81:

ergo et invidi et malevoli...quia proclives ad eas perturbationes,

id. ib. 4, 12, 28:

amicitia debet esse ad omnem comitatem facilitatemque proclivior,

id. Lael. 18, 66.—

(β).

With dat. ( poet. ):

sceleri proclivis egestas,

Sil. 13, 585.—

(γ).

With circa (post-Aug.):

eritque judex circa modestiam juris probatione proclivior,

Quint. 4, 5, 21.—

C.

Steep, unsafe, untrustworthy; and hence, obscure, unintelligible:

fecisti modo mi ex proclivo planum,

you make it plain, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 28:

faciam hanc rem planam ex proclivā tibi,

id. Rud. 4, 4, 90:

nam iste proclive'st quod jubes me plane conlocare,

id. As. 3, 3, 73.—

2.

Transf., easy to be done:

proclivia anteponuntur laboriosis,

Cic. Top. 18, 69:

illa facilia, proclivia, jucunda,

id. Part. 27, 95:

ut fingendi proclivis esset ratio,

id. Rep. 2, 10, 17:

proclivus impetus,

Lucr. 6, 728:

cum proclivior faciliorque jactus sit ex supernis in infima,

Gell. 9, 1, 2:

dictu quidem est proclive,

easy to be said, Cic. Off. 2, 20, 69:

quod est multo proclivius,

much easier, id. Rep. 1, 6, 11.— Absol.: in proclivi, easy:

tam hoc quidem tibi in proclivi, quam imber est, quando pluit,

as easy, Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 86:

id. faciam, in proclivi quod est,

Ter. And. 4, 2, 18:

alia omnia in proclivi erunt,

will be easy, Sall. Or. ad Caes. 2, 8; v. planum.—Hence, adv., in two forms, prōclīvē and prō-clīvĭter (cf. Gell. 10, 24; Macr. S. 1, 4).

A.

Downwards:

proclive labuntur,

rush downwards, Cic. Tusc. 4, 18, 42 Kühn. and Moser N. cr. (B. and K. proclivi); Lucr. 2, 455 Lachm.; cf. sublime ferri, under sublimis.— Comp.:

labi verba proclivius,

i. e. more rapidly, Cic. Or. 57, 191; cf.:

quin proclivius hic iras decurrat ad acris,

Lucr. 3, 311.—

B.

Easily: facile et procliviter persuadere, Castric. ap. Gell. 1, 6, 6.— Comp.:

multo proclivius,

Lucr. 2, 792.