con-cĭpĭo, cēpi, ceptum, 3, v. a. [capio], to take or lay hold of, to take to one's self, to take in, take, receive, etc. (class. in prose and poetry).
I Prop.
A In gen.: nuces si fregeris, vix sesquimodio concipere possis, Varr. R. R. 1, 7, 3: truleum latius, quo concipiat aquam, id. L. L. 5, § 118 Müll.; cf. Lucr. 6, 503; and: concipit Iris aquas, draws up , Ov. M. 1, 271: madefacta terra caducas Concepit lacrimas, id. ib. 6, 397: imbres limumque, Col. Arb. 10, 3.—Of water, to take up, draw off , in a pipe, etc.: Alsietinam aquam, Front. Aquaed. 11; 5 sqq.— Pass., to be collected or held, to gather : pars (animae) concipitur cordis parte quādam, Cic. N. D. 2, 55, 138: ut quisque (umor) ibi conceptus fuerit, quam celerrime dilabatur, Col. 1, 6, 5.
III —Hence, con-cepta , ōrum, n. subst., measures of fluids, capacity of a reservoir, etc.: amplius quam in conceptis commentariorum, i. e. the measures described in the registers , Front. Aquaed. 67; 73.—Of the approach of death: cum jam praecordiis conceptam mortem contineret, Cic. Tusc. 1, 40, 96: ventum veste, Quint. 11, 3, 119; cf.: plurimum ventorum, Plin. 16, 31, 57, § 131; and: magnam vim venti, Curt. 4, 3, 2: auram, id. 4, 3, 16; cf. Ov. M. 12, 569: aëra, id. ib. 1, 337: ignem, Lucr. 6, 308; so Cic. de Or. 2, 45, 190; Liv. 21, 8, 12; 37, 11, 13; Ov. M. 15, 348.—Of lime slaked: ubi terrenā silices fornace soluti concipiunt ignem liquidarum aspergine aquarum, Ov. M. 7, 108 al.; cf.: lapidibus igne concepto, struck , Vulg. 2 Macc. 10, 3: flammam, Caes. B. C. 2, 14: flammas, Ov. M. 1, 255; cf. of the flame of love: flammam pectore, Cat. 64, 92: ignem, Ov. M. 9, 520; 10, 582: validos ignes, id. ib. 7, 9: medicamentum venis, Curt. 3, 6, 11: noxium virus, Plin. 21, 13, 44, § 74: morbum, Col. 7, 5, 14: in eā parte nivem concipi, is formed , Sen. Q. N. 4, 2, 1. —Of disease: is morbus aestate plerumque concipitur, Col. 7, 5, 14: si ex calore et aestu concepta pestis invasit, id. 7, 5, 2.—
B In partic.
1 To take or receive ( animal or vegetable ) fecundation, to conceive, become pregnant .
α Absol. : more ferarum putantur Concipere uxores, Lucr. 4, 1266; Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 17: cum concepit mula, Cic. Div. 2, 22, 50: ex illo concipit ales, Ov. M. 10, 328 et saep.: (arbores) concipiunt variis diebus et pro suā quaeque naturā, Plin. 16, 25, 39, § 94.—
β With acc.: ut id, quod conceperat, servaret, Cic. Clu. 12, 33: Persea, quem pluvio Danaë conceperat auro, Ov. M. 4, 611: aliquem ex aliquo, Cic. Clu. 11, 31; Suet. Aug. 17; id. Claud. 27: ex adulterio, id. Tib. 62: de aliquo, Ov. M. 3, 214: alicujus semine, id. ib. 10, 328: ova (pisces), Plin. 9, 51, 75, § 165.—Poet.: concepta crimina portat, i. e. fetum per crimen conceptum, Ov. M. 10, 470 (cf. id. ib. 3, 268): omnia, quae terra concipiat semina, Cic. N. D. 2, 10, 26: frumenta quaedam in tertio genu spicam incipiunt concipere, Plin. 18, 7, 10, § 56.—Subst.: conceptum , i, n., the fetus : ne praegnanti medicamentum, quo conceptum excutitur, detur, Scrib. Ep. ad Callist. p. 3: coacta conceptum a se abigere, Suet. Dom. 22.—*
b In Ovid, meton., of a woman, to unite herself in marriage, to marry, wed : Dea undae, Concipe. Mater eris juvenis, etc., Ov. M. 11, 222.—
2 Concipere furtum, in jurid. Lat., to find out or discover stolen property , Just. Inst. 4, 1, § 4; cf.: penes quem res concepta et inventa est, Paul. Sent. 2, 31, 5; Gell. 11, 18, 9 sq.; Gai Inst. 3, 186.—
II Trop.
A To take or seize something by the sense of sight, to see, perceive (cf. comprehendo, II. A.): haec tanta oculis bona concipio, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 65.—Far more freq.,
B To perceive in mind .
1 In gen., to comprehend intellectually, to take in, imagine, conceive, think : agedum, inaugura fierine possit, quod nunc ego mente concipio, Liv. 1, 36, 3; so, aliquid animo, id. 9, 18, 8; cf.: imaginem quandam concipere animo perfecti oratoris, Quint. 1, 10, 4; cf. id. 2, 20, 4; 9, 1, 19 al.: quid mirum si in auspiciis imbecilli animi superstitiosa ista concipiant? Cic. Div. 2, 39, 81: quantalibet magnitudo hominis concipiatur animo, Liv. 9, 18, 8 Drak. ad loc.: de aliquo summa concipere, Quint. 6, prooem. § 2: onus operis opinione prima concipere, id. 12, prooem. § 1: protinus concepit Italiam et arma virumque, conceived the plan of the Aeneid, Mart. 8, 56, 19.—
2 In partic., to understand, comprehend, perceive : quoniam principia rerum omnium animo ac mente conceperit, Cic. Leg. 1, 22, 59: quae neque concipi animo nisi ab iis qui videre, neque, etc., Plin. 36, 15, 24, § 124: fragor, qui concipi humanā mente non potest, id. 33, 4, 21, § 73: concipere animo potes, quam simus fatigati, Plin. Ep. 3, 9, 24.—With acc. and inf.: quod ita juratum est, ut mens conciperet fleri oportere, id servandum est, Cic. Off. 3, 29, 107: forsitan et lucos illic concipias animo esse, Ov. M. 2, 77: concepit, eos homines posse jure mulceri, Vell. 2, 117, 3; Cels. 7 praef. fin. —
C To receive in one's self, adopt, harbor any disposition of mind, emotion, passion, evil design , etc., to give place to, foster, to take in, receive; to commit (the figure derived from the absorbing of liquids; hence): quod non solum vitia concipiunt ipsi, sed ea infundunt in civitatem, Cic. Leg. 3, 14, 32: inimicitiae et aedilitate et praeturā conceptae, Caes. B. C. 3, 16; so, mente vaticinos furores, Ov. M. 2, 640: animo ingentes iras, id. ib. 1, 166: spem, id. ib. 6, 554; cf.: spemque metumque, id. F. 1, 485: aliquid spe, Liv. 33, 33, 8: amorem, Ov. M. 10, 249: pectore tantum robur, Verg. A. 11, 368: auribus tantam cupiditatem, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 45, § 101 al.: re publicā violandā fraudis inexpiabiles concipere, id. Tusc. 1, 30, 72: malum aut scelus, id. Cat. 2, 4, 7: scelus in sese, id. Verr. 2, 1, 4, § 9: flagitium cum aliquo, id. Sull. 5, 16.—
D To draw up, comprise, express something in words, to compose (cf. comprehendo, II. C.): quod ex animi tui sententiā juraris, sicut verbis concipiatur more nostro, Cic. Off. 3, 29, 108: vadimonium, id. Q. Fr. 2, 13 (15), 3: jusjurandum, Liv. 1, 32, 8; Tac. H. 4, 41; cf.: jurisjurandi verba, id. ib. 4, 31; and verba, Liv. 7, 5, 5: edictum, Dig. 13, 6, 1: libellos, ib. 48, 19, 9: stipulationem, ib. 41, 1, 38: obligationem in futurum, ib. 5, 1, 35: actionem in bonum et aequum, ib. 4, 5, 8: foedus, Verg. A. 12, 13 (id est conceptis verbis: concepta autem verba dicuntur jurandi formula, quam nobis transgredi non licet, Serv.): audet tamen Antias Valerius concipere summas (of the slain, etc.), to report definitely , Liv. 3, 5, 12.—T. t., of the lang. of religion, to make something (as a festival, auspices, war, etc.) known, to promulgate, declare in a set form of words, to designate formally : ubi viae competunt tum in competis sacrificatur: quotannis is dies (sc. Compitalia) concipitur, Varr. L. L. 6, § 25 Müll.: dum vota sacerdos Concipit, Ov. M. 7, 594: sic verba concipito, repeat the following prayer , Cato R. R. 139, 1; 141, 4: Latinas sacrumque in Albano monte non rite concepisse (magistratus), Liv. 5, 17, 2 (cf. conceptivus): auspicia, id. 22, 1, 7: locus quibusdam conceptis verbis finitus, etc., Varr. L. L. 7, § 8 Müll.: ut justum conciperetur bellum, id. ib. 5, § 86 ib.—So of a formal repetition of set words after another person: senatus incohantibus primoribus jus jurandum concepit, Tac. H. 4, 41: vetus miles dixit sacramentum ... et cum cetera juris jurandi verba conciperent, etc., id. ib. 4, 31: verba jurationis concipit, with acc. and inf., he takes the oath, that , etc., Macr. S. 1, 6, 30.
XVII —Hence, conceptus , a, um, P. a., formal, in set form : verbis conceptissimis jurare, Petr. 113, 13.—Hence, absol. : mente concepta, things apprehended by the mind, perceptions : consuetudo jam tenuit, ut mente concepta sensus vocaremus, Quint. 8, 5, 2; cf. id. 5, 10, 4.