Words With Similar Definitions
Latin	1: deflecto	2: declino	3: inclino	4: converto	5: inflecto
Greek	1: ekklinô	2: kamptô	3: enklinô	4: epikamptô	5: hupektrepô
Click here to see more Latin and Greek results.		Click on a word to see its definition		Click here for help with this tool.

flecto, xi, xum, 3, v. a. and n. [root in Gr. pholkos, bandy-legged; phalkês, the bent rib of a ship; L. falx; falco, so called from the curve of its claws or beak; cf. Germ. Falke; Engl. falcon].

I. Act., to bend, bow, curve, turn, turn round (freq. and class.; syn.: plecto, plico, curvo).

A. Lit.

1. In gen.: animal omne membra quocumque vult, flectit, contorquet, porrigit, contrahit, Cic. Div. 1, 53, 120: ora retro, Ov. M. 3.188: vultus ad illum, id. ib. 4.265; 10, 236: lumina a gurgite in nullam partem, id. ib. 8.367: geminas acies huc, to turn, direct, Verg. A. 6.789; cf. oculos, id. ib. 8.698: equos brevi moderari ac flectere, Caes. B. G. 4.33 fin.: equum, Hor. C. 3.7.25: currum de foro in Capitolium, Cic. Verr. 2.5.30.§ 77: plaustrum, Ov. M. 10.447: navem, Auct. B. Alex. 64 fin.: habenas, Ov. M. 2.169: cursus in orbem, id. ib. 6.225; cf.: cursus in laevum, id. Tr. 1, 10, 17: iter ad Privernum, Liv. 8.19.13 Drak. N. cr.: iter Demetriadem, id. 35, 31, 3: tu (Bacche) flectis amnes, tu mare barbarum, Hor. C. 2.19.17: arcus, to bend, Ov. M. 4.303; cf.: flexos incurvant viribus arcus, Verg. A. 5.500: flexum genu, Ov. M. 4.340: artus, Liv. 21, 58, 9: flexi crines, curled, Mart. 3, 63, 3; 10, 65, 6; Juv. 6, 493: flexum mare, i.e. a bay, Tac. A. 14, 4: flexi fractique motus, contorted, Cic. Fin. 5, 12, 35: hinc (silva) se flectit sinistrorsus, Caes. B. G. 6.25.3.--Mid.: quasi amnis celeris rapit, sed tamen inflexu flectitur, Naev. ap. Non. 191, 34 (Trag. Rel. v. 42 Rib.): (milvus) flectitur in gyrum, wheels, Ov. M. 2.718: modo flector in anguem, I bend, wind myself into a snake, id. ib. 8.883: sol ab ea (Cancri) meta incipit flecti, Plin. 18, 28, 68, § 264: Euphrates ad meridiem flectitur, id. 6, 26, 30, § 125.--

2. In partic., naut. t. t., to go round or double a promontory: cum in flectendis promontoriis ventorum mutationes maximas saepe sentiant, Cic. Div. 2, 45, 94: Leucaten flectere molestum videbatur, id. Att. 5, 9, 1.--

B. Trop.

1. In gen., to bend, turn, direct: ducere multimodis voces et flectere cantus, Lucr. 5, 1406: vocem, Ov. Am. 2, 4, 25: qui teneros et rudes cum acceperunt, inficiunt et flectunt, ut volunt, Cic. Leg. 1, 17, 47; cf.: imbecillitatem animorum torquere et flectere, id. ib. 1, 10, 29: suam naturam huc et illuc torquere ac flectere, id. Cael. 6.13: vitam flectere fingereque, id. Sull. 28.79: mentes suas ad nostrum imperium nomenque, id. Balb. 17.39: aliquem a proposito, Liv. 28, 22, 11: scribentis animum a vero, id. 1 praef. 5: animus ab aliqua opinione flectendus, Quint. 4, 2, 80: animos ad publica carmina, Ov. Tr. 5, 1, 23: quo vobis mentes ... dementes sese flexere viaï? Enn. ap. Cic. de Sen. 6, 16 (Ann. v. 209 ed. Vahl.): est viri et ducis oblata casu flectere ad consilium, Liv. 28, 44, 8: juvenis cereus in vitium flecti, Hor. A. P. 163: quod procul a nobis flectat Fortuna gubernans, turn aside, avert, Lucr. 5, 108.--

2. In partic.

a. To bend (in opinion or in will), to move, persuade, prevail upon, overcome, soften, appease (cf.: moveo, afficio): quibus rebus ita flectebar animo atque frangebar, ut, etc., Cic. Sull. 6.18: sed quid te oratione flectam? ... qua re flecte te, quaeso, id. Phil. 1.14.35: facile Achivos flexeris, Enn. ap. Gell. 11, 4, 3 (Trag. v. 229 ed. Vahl.): judices, Quint. 6, 1, 9: flectere mollibus jam durum imperiis, Hor. C. 4.1.6: precibus si flecteris ullis, Verg. A. 2.689: flectere si nequeo Superos, Acheronta movebo, id. ib. 7.312; cf.: nisi dii immortales suo numine prope fata ipsa flexissent, Cic. Cat. 3.8.19: desine fata deum flecti sperare precando, Verg. A. 6.376: animos commutare atque omni ratione flectere, Cic. de Or. 2, 52 fin.: ingenium alicujus aversum, Sall. J. 102, 3: si quem a proposito spes mollitiave animi flexisset, divert, dissuade, Liv. 28, 22, 11: dictis nostris sententia flexa est, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 257 Müll. (Ann. v. 264 ed. Vahl.): si flectitur ira deorum, Ov. M. 1.378: cf. id. Tr. 3, 5, 41: hortaturque simul flectitque labores, soothes, Stat. S. 5, 1, 119: ad deditionem primos, Liv. 5.43.1.--Mid.: plurimum valet miseratio, quae judicem flecti non tantum cogit, sed, etc., to let himself be moved, Quint. 6, 1, 23: flexi in misericordiam, Amm. 12, 27.--

b. (Acc. to I. A. 2.) To turn aside from, to avoid a thing: ut eam (viam) flectas, te rogo, Cic. Att. 11, 18, 2 (but B. and K. ex conj. C. F. Hermann read ira, v. a. sup.); cf.: flexit viam, Liv. 1.60.1: dolo a se flexos imputavit civilis, Tac. H. 5, 24.--

c. To refer to or apply to any one: versus qui in Tiberium flecterentur, Tac. A. 6, 29: Augustus quaedam ex horrida illa antiquitate ad praesentem usum flexisset, id. ib. 4, 16.--

d. In grammar.

(a). To form a word from another language: verba derivare, flectere, conjungere, Quint. 8, 3, 36: hoc vocabulum (pollex) de Graeco flexum est, Gell. 4, 3 fin. --

(b). To decline, conjugate, inflect, Varr. L. L. 10, 2, 29 al.--

(g). Flectere syllabam, to mark with the circumflex accent, and hence, to lengthen, Quint. 1, 5, 23 Spald. and Zumpt.

II. Neutr., to turn, go, or march in any direction (post-Aug.).

A. Lit.: cum procul hos laevo flectentes limite cernunt, Verg. A. 9.372: ex Gabino in Tusculanos flexere colles, Liv. 3.8.6; Hasdrubal ad Oceanum flectit, id. 28, 16, 3: inde Vitellius Cremonam flexit, Tac. H. 2, 70: in Capitolium, Suet. Tib. 20.--

B. Trop., of thought or speech, to turn in any direction: ad providentiam sapientiamque, Tac. A. 13, 3: in ambitionem, id. ib. 4, 37: a veneratione Augusti orsus flexit ad victorias Tiberii, id. ib. 1, 34.--Hence, flexus, a, um, P. a.

A. Lit., bent, winding: error, Ov. M. 8.160: zodiacus circa Cancrum Capricornumque flexior, Mart. Cap. 8, § 878.--In neutr. plur. subst.: collium flexa, Minuc. Fel. Octav. 17.--

B. Trop., of tones, lengthened: infinito magis illa flexa et circumducta sunt, Quint. 11, 3, 172.