amplĭo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [amplus], to make wider, to extend, enlarge, increase, amplify (rare, esp. before the Aug. per.; mostly in prose).
I In gen.: amplianda scalpello plaga est, Cels. 7, 5: rem (familiarem), * Hor. S. 1, 4, 32: de ampliando numero, Plin. Pan. 54, 4; so Suet. Ner. 22: orbem, Luc. 3, 276: servitia, Tac. H. 2, 78: ampliato vetere Apollinis templo, Suet. Aug. 18 al.—
B Trop.: nomen, to render glorious , to ennoble , Mart. 8, 66: Hannibalis bellicis laudibus ampliatur virtus Scipionis, Quint. 8, 4, 20: pulcritudinem, Vulg. Judith, 10, 4. —
II Esp., judic. t. t., to delay judgment or decision , to adjourn , in order to make further investigation (since the judges in such cases employed the expression AMPLIVS or NON LIQVET, v. amplius, c. and Rupert. ad Tac. Or. 38, 1, p. 455).
A Absol. : potestas ampliandi, Cic. Caecin. 10: lex ampliandi facit potestatem, id. Verr. 2, 1, 9, § 26.—
B With acc. of pers. , to defer his business : istum hominem nefarium ampliaveritis, Auct. ad Her. 4, 36: virginem, Liv. 4, 44: bis ampliatus reus tertio absolutus est, id. 43, 2.—
C With acc. of thing. causam, Val. Max. 8, 1, 16: poenam, Sen. Contr. 1, 3; cf. ampliatio and comperendinatio.