făcĭlĭtas, ātis, f. [facilis], easiness, ease, facility in doing any thing.
I In gen. (mostly post-Aug.): haec in bonis rebus, quod alii ad alia bona sunt aptiores, facilitas nominetur, in malis proclivitas, inclination , disposition , Cic. Tusc. 4, 12, 28; cf.: aetatis illius (i. e. puerilis) facilitas, capability , Quint. 1, 12, 11: audendi facilitas, id. 12, 6, 7: pariendi, Plin. 21, 24, 95, § 167: oris, i. e. easy enunciation , Quint. 10, 7, 26: corporis, a tendency to blush , Sen. Ep. 11: soli, facility in working , Plin. 18, 19, 49, § 178: picea tonsili facilitate, id. 16, 10, 18, § 40: (smaragdi) ad crassitudinem sui facilitate translucida, i. e. facility in transmitting the rays of light , id. 37, 5, 16, § 63.—
II In partic.
A Of speech, facility or fluency of expression (post-Aug.): Fabianus disputabat expedite magis quam concitate, ut possis dicere, facilitatem esse illam, non celeritatem, Sen. Ep. 40: quae in oratore maxima sunt, ingenium, inventio, vis, facilitas, Quint. 10, 2, 12; 10, 5, 1; 10, 7, 20; 11, 1, 42; Suet. Gramm. 23 al.; cf. Quint. 10, cap. 7.—
B (Acc. to facilis, II. A.) Of character.
1 In a good sense, willingness , readiness , good-nature , courteousness , affability (freq. in Cic.; syn.: lenitas, humanitas): male docet te mea facilitas multa, Ter. Heaut. 648: si illius comitatem et facilitatem tuae gravitati severitatique asperseris, Cic. Mur. 31, 66; cf. id. Lael. 18, 66: pro tua facilitate et humanitate, id. Fam. 13, 24, 2: facilitas in audiendo, id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 7, § 21; cf.: facilitas et lenitudo animi, id. Off. 1, 25, 88 Orell. N. cr. : facilitas indulgentiaque, Suet. Caes. 72: facilitate par infimis esse, Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 14, 41: sermonis, id. Att. 12, 40, 2: magis id facilitate quam alia ulla culpa mea contigit, id. de Or. 2, 4, 15: actio facilitatem significans, id. ib. 2, 43, 184.—
2 In a bad sense, levity , heedlessness , Suet. Claud. 29; cf.: fornicationis, Vulg. Jerem. 3, 9.