tento

tento or tempto, āvi, ātum, 1 ( part. gen. plur. tentantum, Verg. G. 2, 247), v. freq. a. [tendo], to handle, touch, feel a thing (class.; cf.: tango, tracto).

I.

Lit.

A.

In gen.:

rem manu,

Auct. Her. 4, 49, 62:

manibus pectora,

Ov. M. 10, 282; 10, 289:

loca feminarum digitis,

Col. 8, 11, 8:

ficum rostro,

Ov. F. 2, 254:

flumen vix pede (with attingere),

Cic. Leg. 2, 3, 6:

quadratum,

Lucr. 4, 234:

caput in tenebris,

Phaedr. 3, 10, 26:

pullos singulos,

Col. 8, 5, 17:

invisos amictus,

Verg. G. 3, 563:

aciem pugionum,

Suet. Ner. 49; cf.:

acumen stili,

id. Rhet. 5:

bracchia emittit temptanti maria similis Sarpedon,

Plin. 5, 27, 27, § 98:

pullos,

Col. 8, 5, 17; 8, 11, 8.—

B.

In partic.

1.

In medic. lang.:

venas,

to feel the pulse, Quint. 11, 3, 88; Suet. Tib. 72; Ov. H. 20, 139.—

2.

To try the strength of, make an attempt upon, i. e. to attack, assail (cf.: aggredior, adorior).

(α).

Of warfare:

scalis et classe moenia oppidi tentans,

Caes. B. C. 3, 40:

opera nostra,

id. B. G. 7, 73:

urbem,

Liv. 33, 5, 3; 26, 38, 5:

munitiones,

id. 9, 35, 1:

moenia Aiexandriae,

id. 45, 11:

Achaiam,

Caes. B. C. 3, 55 Britanniam, Suet. Claud. 17:

aggredi et tentare,

Vell. 2, 113, 3:

aliquem auxiliis Thraciae,

Flor. 2, 14, 4.—

(β).

Of disease, poison, etc.:

animi valentes morbo tentari non possunt, corpora possunt,

Cic. Tusc. 4, 14, 31; cf.:

gravis auctumnus omnem exercitum valetudine tentaverat,

Caes. B. C. 3, 2:

temptari a morbo,

Plin. 24, 19, 113, § 174:

praecordiorum inflatione tentari,

Suet. Aug. 81:

tentatus est motiunculis levibus,

id. Vesp. 24; Hor. S. 2, 3, 163; id. Ep. 1, 6, 28; Verg. G. 3, 441 al.:

vina temptant caput,

attack, affect, Plin. 23, 1, 20, § 35.— Absol.:

temptantis aquas non nocere,

unwholesome, Plin. 20, 7, 26, § 68; cf. Verg. G. 2, 94.—

II.

Transf., to try; to prove, put to the test; to attempt, essay a course of action, etc. (so most freq.; syn.: experior, periclitor).

A.

In gen., constr. with acc., with inf., with rel.-clause, with ut, or absol.

(α).

With acc.:

cum se ipse perspexerit totumque tentarit, intelleget, etc.,

Cic. Leg. 1, 22, 59; cf.:

se in arte memoriae,

Quint. 11, 2, 34 (preceded by memoriam suam experiri):

tentarem te, quo animo accipias,

Cic. Fam. 15, 16, 3:

quo utamur quasi equis temptatis, sic amicitiā aliquā parte periclitatis moribus amicorum,

id. Lael. 17, 63;

alicujus scientiam auguratus,

id. Div. 1, 17, 32:

tentarem summi regis prudentiam,

id. Tusc. 1, 41, 98:

ut satis impulsas tentavit pollice chordas,

Ov. M. 10, 145:

culturam agelli, Lucr 5, 1368: iter per provinciam per vim, Caes B. G. 1, 14: negatā iter viā,

Hor. C. 3, 2, 22 Bosporum, id. ib. 3, 4, 31:

Thetim ratibus,

Verg. E. 4, 32:

Oceanum,

Tac. G. 34 fin.:

Istrum, Claud. Cons. Prob. et Olybr. 135: aditus,

Verg. A. 4, 293:

temptanda via est,

id. G. 3, 8:

ad tentandum vadum fluminis,

Curt. 4, 9, 15:

nullo modo animus audientis aut incitari aut leniri potest, qui modus a me non tentatus sit,

Cic. Or. 38, 132:

rem frustra,

Caes. B. C. 1, 26:

belli fortunam,

id. B. G. 1, 36; so,

fortunam,

id. ib. 3, 6; 7, 64; Sall. J. 7, 1:

periculum,

Cic. Cornel. Fragm. 1:

quaestionem,

id. Clu. 57, 157:

patientiam vestram,

id. Agr. 2, 7, 19:

spem pacis,

Liv. 21, 12, 3; cf.:

spem triumphi,

id. 28, 38, 4: libertatem, [p. 1856] id. 6, 18, 11:

relationem,

id. 33, 23, 3:

intercessionem,

id. 9, 8, 13:

silentium nequicquam per praeconem,

id. 8, 33, 2:

crimina,

Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 80:

majora,

id. ib. 1, 17, 24:

caelestia,

id. ib. 1, 17, 34 et saep.—

(β).

With rel.-clause:

tentavi, quid in eo genere possem,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 4, 7:

tentabam, spiraret an non,

Plaut. Mil. 4, 8, 26:

quae sit fortuna facillima, temptat,

Verg. A. 11, 761:

cum tentaret si qua res esset cibi,

something to eat, Phaedr. 4, 7, 4:

tenta, Chrysogonus quanti doceat,

Juv. 7, 175.—

(γ).

With inf.:

aquā prohibere hostem tentare coepit,

Hirt. B. G. 8, 40:

tentabo etiam de hoc dicere,

Quint. 6, 2, 29; 2, 14, 1:

(sol) caelum radiis accendere tentans,

Lucr. 5, 659:

tentarunt aequore tingi,

Ov. M. 2, 172:

(vestis) frustra tentata revelli,

id. ib. 9, 168:

taurus irasci in cornua temptat,

Verg. A. 12, 104:

nemo in sese tentat descendere,

Pers. 4, 23:

litteras deferre,

Curt. 3, 7, 13; Juv. 7, 5.—

(δ).

With ut:

cum ille Romuli senatus tentaret post Romuli excessum, ut ipse gereret sine rege rem publicam,

Cic. Rep. 2, 12, 23:

quid aliud hoc judicio tentatur, nisi ut id fieri liceat?

id. Rosc. Am. 5, 13; Suet. Caes. 11.— Impers. pass.:

tentatum a L. Sextio tribuno plebis, ut rogationem ferret, etc.,

Liv. 4, 49, 6.—

(ε).

Absol.:

tenta quā lubet,

Plaut. Aul. 4, 4, 20:

ne tentando cautiorem faceret,

Hirt. B. G. 8, 23.—

B.

In partic., to try any one, in a friendly or hostile manner; to urge, incite; to tempt, sound, tamper with; also, to excite, disquiet, disturb, agitate:

quem ego toties omni ratione tentans ad disputandum elicere non potuissem,

Cic. de Or. 2, 3, 13:

cum per Drusum saepe tentassem,

id. ib. 1, 21, 97:

utrum admonitus an tentatus an, etc.... pervenerit ad hanc improbitatem nescio,

id. Verr. 2, 1, 41, § 105:

cum a proximis impetrare non possent, ulteriores tentant,

Caes. B. G. 6, 2:

animos servorum spe et metu, ut, etc.,

Cic. Clu. 63, 176:

animos popularium,

Sall. J. 48, 1:

animos singulorum ad res novas,

Suet. Tib. 12 fin.:

animum precando,

Verg. A. 4, 113:

judicium pecunia,

Cic. Clu. 4, 9; 30, 80:

aliquem promissis et minis,

Tac. H. 1, 75; cf.:

tentatā Othonianorum fide per colloquium et promissa,

id. ib. 2, 20:

tribunos de fugae societate,

Suet. Ner. 47:

deos multā caede bidentium,

Hor. C. 3, 23, 14:

Junonem tentare Ixion ausus,

Tib. 1, 3, 73; cf. Ov. A. A. 1, 389; Val. Max. 6, 1, 7:

nationes lacessere bello et tentare,

to agitate, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 9, 23; cf.:

ut exsul potius tentare quam consul vexare rem publicam posses,

id. Cat. 1, 10, 27:

in his rebus evertendis unius hominis senectus, infirmitas solitudoque tentata est,

id. Rab. Perd. 1, 2:

militis iras,

Luc. 2, 529; Vulg. Gen. 22, 1 et saep.