con-sisto, stĭti, stĭtum, 3, v. n., to place one's self anywhere, to stand still, stand, halt, stop, make a stop (very freq. and class. in prose and poetry).
I Lit.
A In gen.: jam hunc non ausim praeterire, quin consistam et conloquar, Plaut. Aul. 3, 4, 14: otiose nunc jam ilico hic consiste, Ter. Ad. 156: ubi ad ipsum veni diverticulum, constiti, id. Eun. 635; cf. Hor. S. 1, 9, 62: uti et viatores consistere cogant, Caes. B. G. 4, 5: neque is (Demosthenes) consistens in loco, sed inambulans atque ascensu ingrediens arduo, Cic. de Or. 1, 61, 261: si ludius constitit aut tibicen repente conticuit, id. Har. Resp. 11, 23; cf. id. Arch. 8, 19: plura scribam ad te cum constitero: nunc eram plane in medio mari, id. Att. 5, 12, 3: constitit nusquam primo quam ad Vada venit, Brut. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 13, 2: in quibus oppidis consistere praetores et conventum agere solebant, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 11, § 28: Romae post praeturam, id. ib. 2, 1, 39, § 101: ire modo ocius, interdum consistere, Hor. S. 1, 9, 9: in muro consistendi potestas erat nulli, Caes. B. G. 2, 6: omnes ordines, tota in illā contione Italia constitit, Cic. Sest. 50, 107: ad mensam consistere et ministrare, id. Tusc. 5, 21, 61; so, ad aras, Ov. M. 10, 274: ad ramos, id. ib. 10, 510: ante domum, id. ib. 2, 766: ante torum, id. ib. 15, 653: in aede, id. ib. 15, 674: in medio, id. ib. 10, 601; and with a simple abl.: limine, id. ib. 4, 486; 9, 397; Stat. Th. 1, 123; Verg. A. 1, 541: post eum, Quint. 1, 10, 27: in pedes, Sen. Ep. 121, 9: calce aliquem super ipsum debere consistere, trample on , Cels. 8, 14, 19.—
B In partic.
1 To set, become hard or solid : frigore constitit Ister, has been frozen , Ov. Tr. 5, 10, 1; cf. unda, id. M. 9, 662: sanguis, Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 17, 38: alvus, Cato R. R. 126; 156, 4; cf.: cum jam perfecte mustum deferbuit et constitit, Col. 12, 21, 3: album ex ovo, quo facilius consistat, Cels. 4, 20, 15.—
2 Cum aliquo, to station or place one's self with some one for conversation, to stand with : in hoc jam loco cum altero Constitit, Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 31; id. Curc. 4, 2, 16 sq.: cum hoc consistit, hunc amplexatur, Cic. Verr. 1, 7, 19.—
3 To take one's place, take position, assume a place or attitude for an action, etc.; of a musician: ut constitit, Suet. Ner. 21; of an actor: in scaenā vero postquam solus constitit, Phaedr. 5, 5, 13; of an orator: in communibus suggestis, Cic. Tusc. 5, 20, 59: Aesopus mediā subito in turbā constitit, Phaedr. 4, 5, 29; for shooting: post acer Mnestheus adducto constitit arcu, Verg. A. 5, 507; cf. of athletes, etc., id. ib. 5, 426; Plin. 7, 20, 19, § 83: inter duas acies, Liv. 7, 10, 9: cum aliquo, Petr. 19, 5.—Hence,
4 Milit. t. t., to halt, make a halt, take a position, to make a stand (opp. to a march, flight, or disorder): locus, ubi constitissent, Caes. B. G. 1, 13: qui in superiore acie constiterant, id. ib. 1, 24; cf.: in sinistrā parte acies, id. ib. 2, 23: in fluctibus, id. ib. 4, 24: sub muro, id. ib. 7, 48: juxta, id. ib. 2, 26 al.: pro opere, Sall. J. 92, 8: equites Ariovisti pari intervallo constiterunt, Caes. B. G. 1, 43: constitit utrumque agmen, Liv. 21, 46, 4: sic regii constiterant, id. 42, 58, 10 et saep.: ut reliquae (legiones) consistere non auderent, Caes. B. G. 2, 17: in locis superioribus consistere, id. ib. 3, 6: a fugā, Liv. 10, 36, 11: naves eorum nostris adversae constiterunt, Caes. B. G. 3, 14.—
5 Jurid. t. t., to appear as accuser before a court of justice : cum debitoribus, Dig. 5, 3, 49: cum matre, Sen. Ira, 2, 7, 3: adversus dominos, Dig. 5, 1, 53.—
6 Poet.: fert animus propius consistere, i. e. take a nearer view , Ov. A. A. 3, 467.—
7 To have a stand as a dealer, occupy a place of business : ede ubi consistas, Juv. 3, 296: in tabernā, Varr. L. L. 5, § 5 Müll.: IN SCHOLA, Inscr. Orell. 4085; cf.: locum consistendi Romanis in Galliā non fore, Caes. B. G. 7, 37; 7, 42.—
II Trop.
A In gen., to rest, remain, stand , Lucr. 2, 332; cf. id. 2, 322: patiamini eo transire illius turpitudinis infamiam, ubi cetera maleficia consistunt, Cic. Clu. 30, 83; cf.: ut unde orta culpa esset, ibi poena consisteret, Liv. 28, 26, 3: ante oculos rectum pietasque pudorque constiterant, Ov. M. 7, 73. —
B In partic.
1 To pause, to dwell upon, delay, stop : in uno nomine, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 38, § 95: ipsa mihi veritas manum inicit et paulisper consistere et commorari cogit, id. Rosc. Com. 16, 48; cf. id. de Or. 3, 31, 124: in singulis, id. Part. Or. 35, 120.— Impers. pass. : ista quae spectantur, ad quae consistitur, Sen. Vit. Beat. 2, 4.—
2 (Acc. to I. B. 2.) To be or remain firm, unshaken, immovable, steadfast, to be at rest, to stand one's ground, to continue, endure, subsist, be, exist : mente consistere, Cic. Phil. 2, 28, 68; so, neque mente nec linguā neque ore, id. Q. Fr. 2, 3, 2: praeclare in forensibus causis, id. Or. 9, 30: in dicendo, id. Clu. 39, 108: verbo quidem superabis me ipso judice, re autem ne consistes quidem ullo judice, id. Caecin. 21, 59; cf. of the cause itself: quia magistratus aliquis reperiebatur, apud quem Alfeni causa consisteret, id. Quint. 22, 71; cf. also: modo ut tibi constiterit fructus otii tui, id. Fam. 7, 1, 1: in quo (viro) non modo culpa nulla, sed ne suspitio quidem potuit consistere, id. Rosc. Am. 52, 152; cf. id. Clu. 29, 78: confiteor ... me consistere in meo praesidio sic, ut non fugiendi hostis sed capiendi loci causā cessisse videar, id. de Or. 2, 72, 294: vitam consistere tutam, to remain, continue safe , Lucr. 6, 11 Lachm. N. cr. : constitit in nullā qui fuit ante color, Ov. A. A. 1, 120: sunt certi denique fines, Quos ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum, Hor. S. 1, 1, 107; Plin. 14, 6, 8, § 68: quales cum vertice celso Aëriae quercus constiterunt, Verg. A. 3, 679: nullo in loco, nullā in personā ... consistunt (ista quae vires atque opes humanae vocantur), Val. Max. 6, 9, ext. 7: spes est hunc miserum aliquando tandem posse consistere, to take a firm stand (the figure derived from fleeing soldiers), Cic. Quint. 30, 94: si prohibent consistere vires, Ov. M. 7, 573.—*
3 Cum aliquo, to agree with : videsne igitur Zenonem tuum cum Aristone verbis consistere, re dissidere, cum Aristotele et illis re consentire, verbis discrepare, Cic. Fin. 4, 26, 72.—
4 In gen., to be, exist : vix binos oratores laudabiles constitisse, Cic. Brut. 97, 333: sine agricultoribus nec consistere mortales nec ali posse manifestum est, Col. 1, praef. § 6; Varr. R. R. 3, 8 fin. : quadringentis centum Venerios non posse casu consistere, to occur, lake place, be thrown , Cic. Div. 2, 21, 48: summa studia officii inter nos certatim constiterunt, Lentul. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 34, 3: sed non in te quoque constitit idem Exitus, take or have place , Ov. M. 12, 297.—
β With in, ex , or the simple abl. (in Quint. also with circa and inter; v. infra), to consist in or of, to depend upon : major pars victūs eorum in lacte, caseo, carne consistit, Caes. B. G. 6, 22: omnis per se natura duabus Constitit in rebus, Lucr. 1, 420: e quibus haec rerum summa consistat, id. 1, 236; so with ex , id. 1, 839; 1, 873 al.; with abl.: deveniunt in talis disposturas, Qualibus haec rerum consistit summa, id. 1, 1028; 5, 61; 5, 66: vita omnis in venationibus atque in studiis rei militaris consistit, Caes. B. G. 6, 21: in eo salus et vita optimi cujusque consistit, Cic. Phil. 3, 8, 19: in hoc summa judicii causaque tota consistit, id. Quint. 9, 32; cf. id. de Or. 1, 40, 182: causam belli in personā tuā, id. Phil. 2, 22, 53: in quibus vita beata, id. Tusc. 5, 14, 40: in unā honestate omne bonum, id. ib. 5, 14, 42: in nomine controversia, Quint. 7, 3, 7; 8, 3, 57: in actu rhetoricen, id. 2, 18, 2; 6, 3, 42: spes omnis consistebat Datami in se locique naturā, Nep. Dat. 8, 3.—With abl., Quint. 12, 10, 59: omnis quaestio circa res personasque consistere videtur, id. 3, 5, 7; 6, 3, 19: quaestio inter utile atque honestum consistet, id. 3, 8, 24. —
5 As opp. to progressive motion, to come to a stand, stand still, stop, rest, take rest, cease : sola Ubi quiesco, omnis familiae causa consistit tibi, Plaut. As. 3, 1, 9: omnis administratio belli consistit, Caes. B. C. 2, 12: vel concidat omne caelum omnisque terra consistat necesse est, Cic. Tusc. 1, 23, 54: forensium rerum labor et ambitionis occupatio constitisset, id. de Or. 1, 1, 1: usura, id. Att. 6, 1, 7: διάρροια, id. Fam. 7, 26, 2; cf.: videndum, morbus an increscat, an consistat, an minuatur, remains unchanged , Cels. 3, 2; and: cursus pituitae, id. 6, 6: cum ad Trebiam terrestre constitisset bellum, Liv. 21, 49, 1: cum bellum Ligustinum ad Pisas constitisset, id. 35, 4, 1; 22, 32, 4: infractaque constitit ira, Ov. M. 6, 627: Gaius ejusque posteri in equestri ordine constitere usque ad Augusti patrem, Suet. Aug. 2; cf.: maledictum, quod intra verba constitit, stopped at, went no farther than , Quint. Decl. 279.☞ Consisto as v. a. = constituo formerly stood Lucr. 6, 11; Sall. J. 49, 6; but these passages are corrected in recent editions. It is now found only Gell. 5, 10, 9, a doubtful passage, where Hertz reads: cum ad judices coniiciendae [consistendae] causae gratiā venissent.