bĕo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [akin to benus, bonus, and, acc. to Fick, connected with δείδω, δεινός], to make happy, to bless (as verb. finit. rare, and mostly poet. for fortuno, beatum efficio; not in Cic.).
I In gen., to gladden , rejoice , refresh : hoc me beat, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 12: foris aliquantillum etiam quod gusto, id beat, id. Capt. 1, 2, 34: ecquid beo te? does that gladden thee? Ter. Eun. 278.—Hence, in colloq. lang. beas or beasti, that delights me , I am rejoiced at that , Plaut. As. 2, 2, 66; Ter. And. 106.—
II Aliquem aliquā re, to make happy , reward with , enrich : caelo Musa beat, Hor. C. 4, 8, 29: seu te... bearis Interiore notā Falerni, id. ib. 2, 3, 7: ne dominus Munere te parvo beet, id. Ep. 1, 18, 75: Latium beabit divite linguā, id. ib. 2, 2, 121.
III —Hence, bĕātus , a, um, P. a.
A Happy , prosperous , blessed , fortunate (very freq. in prose and poetry; cf.: felix, fortunatus): neque ulla alia huic verbo, cum beatum dicimus, subjecta notio est, nisi, secretis malis omnibus, cumulata bonorum complexio, Cic. Tusc. 5, 10, 29: hic tyrannus ipse judicavit quam esset beatus, id. ib. 5, 20, 61: qui beatus est, non intellego, quid requirat, ut sit beatior: si est enim quod desit, ne beatus quidem est, id. ib. 5, 8, 23: beatus, ni unum hoc desit, Ter. Phorm. 170; Afran. ap. Non. p. 517, 17: beatus ille, qui procul negotiis, etc., Hor. Epod. 2, 1: nihil est ab omni Parte beatum, id. C. 2, 16, 28: beatissima vita, Cic. Tusc. 5, 8, 23.—
2 Transf.: satisne videtur declarasse Dionysius nihil ei esse beatum, cui, etc., a cause of happiness , Cic. Tusc. 5, 21, 62.—
3 Subst.
α bĕāti , ōrum, m., the happy , fortunate persons : istam oscitantem sapientiam Scaevolarum et ceterorum beatorum concedamus, Cic. de Or. 2, 33, 144: Phraaten numero beatorum Eximit Virtus, Hor. C. 2, 2, 18.—
β bĕātum , i, n. ( = beatitas, beatitudo, q. v.), happiness , blessedness : in quā sit ipsum etiam beatum, Cic. Fin. 5, 28, 84: ex bonis, quae sola honesta sunt, efficiendum est beatum, id. Tusc. 5, 15, 45.—
B Esp.
1 Of outward prosperity, opulent , wealthy , rich , in good circumstances : Dionysius tyrannus fuit opulentissumae et beatissumae civitatis (sc. Syracusarum), Cic. N. D. 3, 33, 81: res omnes quibus abundant ii, qui beati putantur, id. ib. 2, 37, 95; Plaut. Curc. 3, 1: ut eorum ornatus... hominis non beatissimi suspicionem praeberet, Nep. Ages. 8, 2; Hor. C. 2, 4, 13; 2, 18, 14; 3, 7, 3; 3, 16, 32; 3, 29, 11; id. S. 2,8, 1; id. Epod. 16, 41; Ov. Am. 1, 15, 34.— As subst.: bĕāti , ōrum, m., the rich : noli nobilibus, noli conferre beatis, Prop. 2, 9, 33.—
b Poet., of inanimate things, rich , abundant , excellent , splendid , magnificent : gazae, Hor. C. 1, 29, 1: arces, id. ib. 2, 6, 21: Cyprus, id. ib. 3, 26, 9: copia, id. C.S. 59: rus, id. Ep. 1, 10, 14.—With abl., Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 139: nectar, Mart. 9, 12, 5; Cat. 68, 14: argentum felix omnique beatius auro, Ov. P. 2, 8, 5.— Trop.: ubertas, overflowing , Quint. 10, 1, 109: copia, id. 10, 1, 61: eventus, Tac. Dial. 9.—
2 Late Lat., blessed , i. e. deceased , dead : quem cum beatum fuisse Sallustius respondisset, intellexit occisum, Amm. 25, 3, 21: beatae memoriae, of blessed memory , Hier. Ep. ad Marc. 24; cf.: si nobis, cum ex hac vitā emigraverimus, in beatorum insulis inmortale aevum, ut fabulae ferunt, degere liceret, Cic. ap. Aug. Trin. 14, 9 (Fragm. Hortens. 40 B. and K.).—
3 Beatissimus, in late Lat., a title of the higher clergy , Cod. 1, 4, 13; Auct. Collat. 9, 6; Novell. 123, 3 al. —Hence, adv.: bĕātē , happily , Cat. 14, 10: vivere, Cic. Ac. 1, 9, 33; id. Div. 2, 1, 2; id. Tusc. 2, 12, 29; id. Fin. 2, 27, 86; id. Par. 1, 3, 15.— Comp. , Sen. Ep. 92, 24.— Sup. , Sen. Cons. Helv. 9, 4.