formīdō1
Meaning
- to dread or fear
- to be afraid of or for
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
timor magnus; formīdine fugimus.valdē timeōterror magnusmetus magnus et gelidusChoosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Vereri · Timere · Metuere · Spes · Fiducia · Timor · Timiditas · Ignavia · Formido · Horror
1. Vereri (ὁρᾶν?) like αἰδεῖσθαι, has its foundation in what is strikingly venerable; metuere and timere, like δεῖσαι; and φοβεῖσθαι, in the threatening danger of an object. The timens and metuens fear the danger; the verens, the disgrace and shame. Cic. Phil. xii. 12. Quid? veteranos non veremur? nam timeri ne ipsi quidem volunt. Sen. 11, 37. Metuebant eum servi, verebantur liberi, carum omnes habebant. Liv. xxxix. 37. Veremur quidem vos Romani et si ita vultis etiam timemus. Afran. ap. Gell. xv. 13. Ubi malunt metui, quam vereri se ab suis. Senec. Ir. iii. 32. Quibusdam timeamus irasci, quibusdam vereamur. 2. Metus (ματᾶν) is fear, only as the anticipation of an impending evil, and reflection upon it, the apprehension that proceeds from foresight and prudence, like δέος, synonymously with cautio; whereas timor (from τρέμω), the fear that proceeds from cowardice and weakness. Or, metus is an intellectual notion; fear, as from reflection, in opp. to spes; for instances, see Cic. Verr. ii. 54. Off. ii. 6. Liv. xxx. 9. Suet. Aug. 25. Tac. H. i. 18. Ann. ii. 12, 38. Sen. Ep. 5. Suet. Aug. 5. Cels. ii. 6. Curt. viii. 6:—whereas timor is a moral notion, fear as a feeling, in opp. to fiducia, animus. Cic. Divin. ii. 31. Att. v. 20. Rull. i. 8. Sallust. Jug. ii. 3. Tac. Hist. ii. 80. Plin. Ep. v. 17. 3. In the like manner are spes, hope, and fiducia, confidence, distinguished. Sen. Ep. 16. Jam de te spem habeo, nondum fiduciam. Tac. Agr. 2. Nec spem modo ac votum securitas publica, sed ipsius voti fiduciam ac robur assumpserit. Suet. Cl. 10. Aliquanto minore spe quam fiducia. Liv. x. 25. Curt. ix. 4, 25. 4. Timor denotes fear, as a temporary state; timiditas, fearfulness, as an habitual quality, which is connected with ignavia, as a more precise expression for the more general feeling. Lactant. iii. 17. Epicurus . . . ignavum prohibet accedere ad rem publicam, pigrum exercere, timidum militare. Ignavia is inaptitude for any noble action, and particularly for deeds of valor; timiditas is, under certain circumstances, excusable; ignavia is absolutely blamable. 5. Metus and timor have their foundation in reflection, whereby a person is made clearly aware of the object and ground of his apprehension; whereas horror and formido is an immediate feeling, which overpowers the understanding by the dreadful image of the nearness of some horrid object, and can give no account of the ground of its fear; formido (fremere) expresses this state immediately as a state of mind, like ὀῤῥωδία; whereas horror (χέρσος) as the bodily expression of this state, by the hair standing on end, the eyes wildly staring, etc., like φρίκη. Tac. H. iv. 45. Metus per omnes ac præcipua Germanici militis formido. (ii. 190.)
Conjugation conjugation 1
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | formīdō | formīdābam | formīdābō | formīdāvī | formīdāveram | formīdāverō formīdārō |
| 2nd sg. | formīdās | formīdābās | formīdābis | formīdāvistī formīdāstī | formīdāverās formīdārās | formīdāveris |
| 3rd sg. | formīdat | formīdābat | formīdābit | formīdāvit | formīdāverat formīdārat | formīdāverit formīdārit |
| 1st pl. | formīdāmus | formīdābāmus | formīdābimus | formīdāvimus | formīdāverāmus | formīdāverimus formīdārimus |
| 2nd pl. | formīdātis | formīdābātis | formīdābitis | formīdāvistis formīdāstis | formīdāverātis formīdārātis | formīdāveritis formīdāritis |
| 3rd pl. | formīdant | formīdābant | formīdābunt | formīdāvērunt formīdāvēre, formīdārunt | formīdāverant formīdārant | formīdāverint formīdārint |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | formīdem | formīdārem | formīdāverim formīdārim | formīdāvissem formīdāssem |
| 2nd sg. | formīdēs | formīdārēs | formīdāverīs | formīdāvissēs formīdāssēs |
| 3rd sg. | formīdet | formīdāret | formīdāverit formīdārit | formīdāvisset formīdāsset |
| 1st pl. | formīdēmus | formīdārēmus | formīdāverīmus formīdārīmus | formīdāvissēmus formīdāssēmus |
| 2nd pl. | formīdētis | formīdārētis | formīdāverītis formīdārītis | formīdāvissētis formīdāssētis |
| 3rd pl. | formīdent | formīdārent | formīdāverint formīdārint | formīdāvissent formīdāssent |
passive indicative
| form | present | imperfect | future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | formīdor | formīdābar | formīdābor |
| 2nd sg. | formīdāris formīdāre | formīdābāris formīdābāre | formīdāberis formīdābere |
| 3rd sg. | formīdātur | formīdābātur | formīdābitur |
| 1st pl. | formīdāmur | formīdābāmur | formīdābimur |
| 2nd pl. | formīdāminī | formīdābāminī | formīdābiminī |
| 3rd pl. | formīdantur | formīdābantur | formīdābuntur |
passive subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | formīder | formīdārer |
| 2nd sg. | formīdēris formīdēre | formīdārēris formīdārēre |
| 3rd sg. | formīdētur | formīdārētur |
| 1st pl. | formīdēmur | formīdārēmur |
| 2nd pl. | formīdēminī | formīdārēminī |
| 3rd pl. | formīdentur | formīdārentur |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | formīdā | formīdāre |
| pres. 2nd pl. | formīdāte | formīdāminī |
| fut. 2nd sg. | formīdātō | formīdātor |
| fut. 3rd sg. | formīdātō | formīdātor |
| fut. 2nd pl. | formīdātōte | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | formīdantō | formīdantor |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | formīdāre | formīdārī |
| perfect infinitive | formīdāvisse formīdāsse | formīdātum esse |
| future infinitive | formīdātūrum esse | formīdātum īrī |
| present participle | formīdāns | — |
| perfect participle | — | formīdātus formīdāta, formīdātā, formīdātae, formīdātam, formīdātārum, formīdātās, formīdātī, formīdātōrum, formīdātōs |
| future participle | formīdātūrus formīdātūra, formīdātūrā, formīdātūrae, formīdātūram, formīdātūrārum, formīdātūrās, formīdātūre, formīdātūrī, formīdātūrīs, formīdātūrō, formīdātūrōrum, formīdātūrōs, formīdātūrum | formīdandus formīdanda, formīdandā, formīdandae, formīdandam, formīdandārum, formīdandās, formīdande, formīdandīs, formīdandōrum, formīdandōs |
illum, Plaut. Capt. 4, 4, 5: et illud paveo et hoc formido, id. Cist. 2, 1, 58: malum (shortly after: metuo malum), id. Am. prol. 27: ipse se cruciat omniaque formidat, Cic. Fin. 2, 16, 53: illius iracundiam formidant, id. Att. 8, 16, 2: ἀπότευγμα formido et timeo, ne, etc., id. Q. Fr. 3, 2, 2: cum formidet te mulier, Hor. S. 2, 7, 65: fures, id. ib. 1, 1, 77: acumen judicis, id. A. P. 364: nocturnos tepores, id. Ep. 1, 18, 93. —In pass.: hic classe formidatus, Hor. C. 3, 6, 15: formidata Parthis Roma, id. Ep. 2, 1, 256: nautis formidatus Apollo (i. e. the temple of Apollo on the Leucadian promontory), Verg. A. 3, 275; cf.: nec formidatis auxiliatur aquis, i. e. the hydrophobia, Ov. P. 1, 3, 24: quo etiam satietas formidanda est magis, Cic. Or. 63, 213.—si isti formidas credere, Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 82; cf.: ad haec ego naribus uti Formido, Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 46: meus formidat animus, nostrum tam diu ibi sedere filium, Plaut. Bacch. 2, 3, 4.—aliquem non formido, ut, etc., Vop. Tac. 2, § 2: formido miser, ne, etc., Plaut. As. 2, 4, 55.—male formido, si hera mea sciat tam socordem esse quam sum, Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 4.—(ζ) Absol.: intus paveo et foris formido, Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 20: ne formida, id. Mil. 4, 2, 20; id. As. 2, 4, 56; 3, 3, 48; id. Mil. 3, 3, 20: neque prius desinam formidare, quam tetigisse te Italiam audiero, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 10, 1.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
Origins
The verb is probably derived from the noun. Their origin is unknown: * Possibly from the root Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- (“to hold”) (the same of firmus), as the fear that makes one rigid. * Alternatively cognate with Ancient Greek μόρμορος (mórmoros, “fear, panic”), μύρμος (múrmos, “fear”) and μορμώ (mormṓ, “bogey, she-monster”), with the same dissimilation *morm- > form- seen in formīca and possibly fōrma. If this is of Proto-Indo-European origin, it would appear to be a reduplication of a root *mer-, possibly the same root as *mer- (“to disturb”) and/or the source of *mor- (“incubus, mare (evil female spirit of nightmares)”) (which is otherwise thought to be from *mer- (“to disappear, die”)). However, De Vaan reconstructs only a stem *mormo- which he does not allow an etymology. If not Indo-European, then a substrate origin must be considered, which the variation of forms in Greek and morphological obscurity in both languages make likely. The suffix component -īd- is unexplained in either case, but compare -idus (with different vowel length), -īdō (in libīdō, cupīdō) and -ēdō (in more nouns).
- Italianformidare
- Italianformidolare
- Spanishformidar
- Middle Frenchformider