nītor1
Meaning
- deponentliterallyto bear or rest upon something, lean on
Ambae te opsecramus, aram amplexantes hanc tuam lacrumantes, genibus nixae
We both entreat you, clinging to this altar of yours in tears and resting upon our kneesPlautus, The Rope III, 3, 33Ramoso stipite nixus
Leaning upon a branchy logOvid, Fasti III, 751 - deponentfigurativelyto be supported by; to rely on; to trust; to be based on
Quorum consilio atque auctoritate nitatur
[so as to] be supported by their advise and their reputationCicero, De Officiis I, 122Nunc si ita sunt quae speras, sustinebimus nos et spe qua iubes nitemur
Now if things are as you hope, I shall keep going and trust to the hope which you tell me to trust68 BCE – 44 BCE, Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum 3.9 - deponentto press forward, advance
- deponentto mount, climb, ascend; fly
- deponentto strain in giving birth; bring forth
- deponentfigurativelyto strive, struggle, exert oneself, make an effort, labor, endeavor
Omnīs hominēs quī sēsē student praestāre cēterīs animālibus summā ope nītī decet nē vītam silentiō trānseant veluti pecora
It is suitable for all who wish to be better than animals to struggle with their best effort in order not to go through life in silence like cattle.c. 42 BCE, Gaius Sallustius Crispus, Bellum Catilinae - deponentfigurativelyto try to prove, contend in argument, argue
- deponentfigurativelyto rest, rely, depend upon
Se ita a patribus maioribusque suis didicisse, ut magis virtute quam dolo contenderent aut insidiis niterentur
The Helvetii had learned from their fathers and ancestors to fight their battles with great virtue, not deception or by relying on trickeryc. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico 1.13
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
innītor, cōnfīdōinnītor, fundorinnītor, fundor in rēinnītor, premōmē sustineō, innītorChoosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Fulciri · Niti
Fulciri, fultus (φυλάξαι) means to prop one’s self up in order to be secure against falling, generally by leaning against a pillar, etc.; whereas niti, nixus, in order to climb a height, or to get forward, generally by standing on a basis. (ii. 127.)
Lucere · Fulgere · Splendere · Nitere · Renidere · Coruscare · Micare · Radiare
1. Lucere, fulgere, splendere, nitere, denote a steady and continued brightness; fulgere (φλογεῖν) through a glaring light, or a dazzling fiery color, like φλέγω, lucere (from λευκός) through a beneficial light, and a soft fiery color, like φαίνω, φέγγω; splendere (from φάλανθος) as the consequence of a clear and pure light, in opp. to sordere; Cic. Sext. 28. Sen. Ep. 5. Martial, Ep. ii. 36. Tac. A. i. 84. Suet. Aug. 35; like λάμπω; nitere (from νίζω) as the consequence of humidity, oiling or washing, to glisten, in opp. to squalere. Cic. Fin. iv. 3. Orat. 32. Sen. Q. N. i. 17. Quintil. ii. 5, 23; like στίλβω. 2. Whereas coruscare, micare, radiare, mean an unsteady, tremulous light; coruscare (from κορύσσω) to shine like forked lightning; micare, to sparkle, like metal placed in the sun; radiare, to beam, like the shooting rays of the sun. Cic. Cat. ii. 3. qui nitent unguentis, qui fulgent purpura. Auct. ad Herenn. iv. 33. Tantus erat in armis splendor, ut solis fulgor obscurior videretur. Plin. H. N. xxxvii. 2. Splendor murrhinis sine viribus: nitorque verius quam splendor; for splendor denotes brightness, with regard to its intensity; nitor, with regard to its beauty. Auct. ad Herenn. iv. 50. Gemmæ nitore et auri splendore: hence, figuratively, splendor denotes pomp; nitor, only neatness. (ii. 76.)
Conjugation conjugation 3 deponent
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | nītor | nītēbar | nītar | — | — | — |
| 2nd sg. | nīteris nītere | nītēbāris nītēbāre | nītēris nītēre | — | — | — |
| 3rd sg. | nītitur | nītēbātur | nītētur | — | — | — |
| 1st pl. | nītimur | nītēbāmur | nītēmur | — | — | — |
| 2nd pl. | nītiminī | nītēbāminī | nītēminī | — | — | — |
| 3rd pl. | nītuntur | nītēbantur | nītentur | — | — | — |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | nītar | nīterer | — | — |
| 2nd sg. | nītāris nītāre | nīterēris nīterēre | — | — |
| 3rd sg. | nītātur | nīterētur | — | — |
| 1st pl. | nītāmur | nīterēmur | — | — |
| 2nd pl. | nītāminī | nīterēminī | — | — |
| 3rd pl. | nītantur | nīterentur | — | — |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | nītere | — |
| pres. 2nd pl. | nītiminī | — |
| fut. 2nd sg. | nītitor | — |
| fut. 3rd sg. | nītitor | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | nītuntor | — |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | nītī nītier | — |
| perfect infinitive | nīsum esse nīxum esse | — |
| future infinitive | nīsūrum esse nīxūrum esse | — |
| present participle | nītēns nītente, nītentem, nītentēs, nītentī, nītentia, nītentibus, nītentis, nītentīs, nītentium | — |
| perfect participle | nīsus nīxus, nīxa, nīxā, nīxae, nīxam, nīxārum, nīxās, nīxe, nīxī, nīxīs, nīxō, nīxōrum, nīxōs | — |
| future participle | nīsūrus nīxūrus, nīxūra, nīxūrā, nīxūrae, nīxūram, nīxūrārum, nīxūrās, nīxūre, nīxūrī, nīxūrīs, nīxūrō, nīxūrōrum, nīxūrōs, nīxūrum | nītendus nītundus, nītenda, nītendā, nītendae, nītendam, nītendārum, nītendās, nītende, nītendīs, nītendōrum, nītendōs |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- spe duci, niti, teneri
- to cherish a hope.
- aliquid coniectura nititur, continetur (Div. 1. 14. 24)
- it is a matter of conjecture, supposition.
stirpibus suis niti, Cic. Tusc. 5, 13, 37: herbescens viriditas, quae nixa fibris stirpium sensim adulescit, id. Sen. 15, 51: hastili nixus, id. Rab. Perd. 7, 21: mulierculā nixus, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 33, § 86: juvenis, qui nititur hastā, Verg. A. 6, 760: paribus nitens Cyllenius alis Constitit, id. ib. 4, 252: nixus baculo, Ov. P. 1, 8, 52.—nixus in hastam, Verg. A. 12, 398.— de quā pariens arbore nixa dea est, Ov. H. 21, 100.—humi nitens, Verg. A. 2, 380.—(ε) Absol.: Sisiphu' versat Saxum sudans nitendo, Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 5, 10: niti modo ac statim concidere, to strive to rise, Sall. J. 101, 11.—quaedam serpentes ortae extra aquam simul ac primum niti possunt, aquam persequuntur, Cic. N. D. 2, 48, 124: nituntur gradibus, Verg. A. 2, 442: in altas rupes, Luc. 4, 37: ad sidera, Verg. G. 2, 427: in aëra, Ov. P. 2, 7, 27: in adversum, id. M. 2, 72: sursum nitier, Lucr. 1, 1059.—Of violent bodily motion: niti corporibus et ea huc illuc, quasi vitabundi aut jacientes tela agitare, to struggle, Sall. J. 60, 4.—nitor, I am in labor, Ov. M. 9, 302; Pseud.-Ov. Her. 21, 100.—moderatio modo virium adsit et tantum, quantum potest, quisque nitatur, Cic. Sen. 10, 33; Nep. Att. 15, 2: nisurus contra regem, Caes. B. C. 2, 37; Sall. C. 38, 2: pro aliquo, Liv. 35, 10; cf.: pro libertate summā ope niti, Sall. J. 31, 17: nitebantur, ne gravius in eum consuleretur, Sall. J. 13, 8; cf.: unus Miltiades maxime nitebatur, ut, etc., Nep. Milt. 4, 2. —Inf.: summā vi Cirtam irrumpere nititur, Sall. J. 25, 9: patriam recuperare niti, Nep. Pelop. 2: ingenio nitor non periisse meo, Ov. P. 3, 5, 34; id. M. 8, 694.—Absol., of soldiers hard pressed in battle: tamen virtute et patientia nitebantur atque omnia vulnera sustinebant, Caes. B. C. 1, 45.— ad immortalitatem gloriae niti, Cic. Sen. 23, 82: ad summa, Quint. prooem. § 20: in vetitum, Ov. Am. 3, 4, 17.—nitamur igitur nihil posse percipi, Cic. Ac. 2, 21, 68.—nixus in nomine inani, Lucr. 5, 909: conjectura in quā nititur divinatio, Cic. Div. 2, 26, 55: ea, in quibus causa nititur, id. Cael. 10, 25: cujus in vitā nitebatur salus civitatis, id. Mil. 7, 19.—spe niti, Cic. Att. 3, 9, 2: consilio atque auctoritate alicujus, id. Off. 1, 34, 122; id. Fam. 1, 5, a, 2: si quis hoc uno nititur quod sit ignobilis, id. Clu. 40, 112.—quo confugies? ubi nitere? Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 64, § 155.—Hence, P. a., as subst., Nixus, i, m., only plur., Nixi, ōrum, m., three guardian deities of women in labor, the statues of whom, representing them in a kneeling posture, stood on the Capitol before the chapel of Minerva, Paul. ex Fest. p. 174 Müll.: magno Lucinam Nixosque patres clamore vocabam, Ov. M. 9, 294.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
Origins
Disputed. * De Vaan suggests that, based on the form nīxus, it is likely that the original root ended with a velar. According to De Vaan, it may be connected with the root Proto-Indo-European *kneygʷʰ- (“to bend, to droop”), whence also possibly Latin connīveō. If the term is related to connīveō, then gnixus—a supposedly archaic form mentioned by Festus—may genuinely reflect an archaic stage of the Latin term. If this possibility is accepted, then the older form of nītor may have been *gnītor. * Possibly a back-formation from nīsus, although De Vaan considers there to be no other sufficient model for such a development. * Rix connects the term with Sanskrit यतते (yatate), itself from the root यत् (yat). According to this theory, the term could derive from the prefix *ní- combined with a thematic present from Proto-Indo-European *yet-. De Vaan rejects this comparison, arguing that the unclear nature of the original meaning of the Latin term prevents a definitive connection with the Sanskrit term. Moreover, De Vaan notes that *ní is never used as a prefix in Latin. * The linguist Andrey Shatskov connects the term with terms such as Lithuanian ap-ni̇̀kti, Old Church Slavonic никнѫти (niknǫti), and Ancient Greek νεῖκος (neîkos). Shatskov reconstructs a root *neyk- (“to approach energetically”). Shatskov argues that the archaic forms mentioned by Festus are intentionally archaicizing and likely formed according to the model of terms such as nōscō and gnōscō.