aestĭmo (arch. aestŭ-), āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [from aes, with the termination -tumo, which also appears in autumo; cf.: legitumus, finitumus, maritumus; later, legitimus, finitimus, maritimus; compare the Goth. aistjan, to estimate].
I To determine or estimate the extrinsic ( money ) value of a thing , to value , rate , appraise; constr. with gen. or abl. (v. of price, Zumpt. §§ 444 and 456): domum emit prope dimidio carius quam aestimabat, Cic. Dom. 44: frumentum III denariis, id. Verr. 2, 3, 92: aliquid tenuissime, id. ib. 2, 4, 16: prata magno, id. Par. 6, 3: perfecit (Aratus) aestimandis possessionibus, ut, etc., id. Off. 2, 23, 82; hence, litem alicui or alicujus, to estimate the value of an object in question , and thus determine how much the convicted person shall pay , to estimate or assess the damages; cf. Ascon. ad Cic. Verr. 1, 13, 38, and Beier ad Cic. Oratt. Fragm. Exc. IV. p. 265; Cic. Verr. l. l.—
II Trop., to estimate the intrinsic ( moral ) worth of a thing , to weigh , value , hold , etc. (while existimare , as a consequence of aestimare , signifies to judge a thing in any way after estimating its value: ex pretio rei judicare; cf. Burm. ad Phaedr. 3, 4; Herz. ad Caes. B. G. 2, 17; Corte and Kritz ad Sall. C. 8, 2; Gronov. ad Liv. 4, 41; 34, 2; and aestimator).— Constr.
α That which serves as a standard by which a thing is estimated with ex or the abl.: vulgus ex veritate pauca, ex opinione multa aestimant, Cic. Rosc. Com. 10: aliquem ex artificio comico, id. ib.: cum in Aquitaniam pervenisset, quae pars, ex tertiā parte Galliae est aestimanda, etc., i. e. is to be reckoned as a third part , Caes. B. G. 3, 20: amicitias inimicitiasque non ex re, sed ex commodo, Sall. C. 10, 5.—With simple abl.: virtutem annis, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 48: aliquid vitā, to measure a thing by life , i. e. to hold it as dear as life , Curt. 5, 5: nec Macedonas veteri famā, sed praesentibus viribus aestimandos, Just. 30, 4.—
β The value attached to a thing in estimating it, in the gen. or abl. pretii (cf. I.); poet. also with acc. nihil: auctoritatem alicujus magni, Cic. Att. 7, 15: quod non minoris aestimamus quam quemlibet triumphum, Nep. Cat. 1: aliquid unius assis, Cat. 5, 2: aliquid permagno, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 7, § 13: non magno, id. Fin. 3, 3, 11; so id. Tusc. 3, 4, 8: non nihilo aestimandum, id. Fin. 4, 23, 62: magno te aestimaturum, Liv. 40, 55: magno aestimantibus se, id. 40, 41. And with definite numerals which give the price-current for which a thing may be had; cf. Zumpt. § 456; Sall. Fragm. p. 974 Corte: denis in diem assibus animam et corpus aestimari, Tac. A. 1, 17: emori nolo, sed me esse mortuum nihil aestimo, Cic. Tusc. 1, 8, 15.—
γ Among the histt. with a rel. clause. : aestimantibus, quanta futuri spe tam magna tacuisset, Tac. Agr. 18 fin. : quantopere dilectus sit, facile est aestimare, Suet. Aug. 57 (but in Sall. J. 31, 19, the correct read. is existumabitis , Dietsch).