īnscītia

I. ignorance, inexperience, unskilfulness, awkwardness, stupidity, stolidity in any thing (usu. with suggestion of blame; while inscientia is simply the absence of knowledge; but the distinction is neglected by Tacitus; v. infra).—With gen., rarely with erga (class.): rerum, Cic. de Or. 1, 22, 49: temporis, id. Off. 1, 40, 144: belli, Nep. Epam. 7, 4: rei publicae ut alienae, Tac. H. 1, 1: rerum verborumque, Quint. 5, 13, 38: veri, Hor. S. 2, 3, 43: artis, Suet. Ner. 41: temporum, Plin. 7, 48, 49, § 155: aedificandi, Tac. G. 16: inscitiam potius legionum quam audaciam increpans, Tac. H. 1, 90.—Absol., ignorance, stupidily (ante-class.): male mereri de immerente inscitia est, Plaut. Curc. 1, 3, 29: sex talenta magna dotis demam pro ista inscitia, id. Truc. 4, 3, 71: temeritate atque inscitia exercitum in locum praecipitem perducere, Liv. 26, 2, 7; 8, 33, 17.—In plur.: Pannoniorum inscitiae, Front. Princip. Hist. 319.—

II. Ignorance, absence of knowledge, = inscientia (only in Tac.): fore ut acerrimi militum per tenebras et inscitiam ceterorum occiderentur, Tac. H. 1, 54: quo fidem inscitiae pararet, to induce confidence in his ignorance of the crime, id. A. 15, 58: isque illi finis inscitiae erga domum suam fuit, id. ib. 11, 25: inscitia litterarum, id. Or. 19.