dignus, a, um, adj. [i. e. DIC-nus; root in Sanscr. daç-as, fame; Gr. δοκέω, δόξα; Lat.: decet, decus],
I worthy, deserving (in a good or ill sense), of things, suitable, fitting, becoming, proper (very freq. in all periods and kinds of writing).—Constr., in the most finished models of composition, with the abl. pretii, a relative sentence , or absol.; in the Aug. poets also freq. with the inf.; otherwise with ut , the gen., or the acc. of a neutr. pron. or adj.
α With abl. (so most freq.): dignus domino servus, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 227; cf.: vir patre, avo, majoribus suis dignissimus, Cic. Phil. 3, 10, 25; id. Fam. 2, 18 fin. ; juvenes patre digni, Hor. A. P. 24 et saep.: dignus es verberibus multis, Plaut. Mil. 2, 3, 71: amici novi digni amicitiā, Cic. Lael. 19: summa laude digni, id. Rep. 3, 4; 3, 17 et saep.: omnibus probris, quae improbis viris Digna sunt, dignior nullus est homo, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 3, 9: assentatio, quae non modo amico, sed ne libero quidem digna est, Cic. Lael. 24, 89; Quint. 11, 1, 40: dignius odio scelus, id. 7, 2, 36: o fons, dulci digne mero, Hor. C. 3, 13, 2: munera digna venustissima Venere, Plaut. Poen. 5, 4, 4; for which; diem dignum Veneri (abl. v. Venus), id. ib. 1, 2, 45: ut te dignam mala malam aetatem exigas, id. Aul. 1, 1, 4; cf. id. Trin. 1, 2, 122; id. Rud. 3, 2, 26 et saep.: dicendum dignum aliquid horum auribus, Cic. Rep. 3, 13: aliquid memoria dignum consequi, id. ib. 1, 8; * Caes. B. G. 7, 25, 1; Phaedr. 4, 21, 3 al.: si quid antea admisissem piaculo dignum, Liv. 40, 13 et saep.: tribuere id cuique, quod sit quoque dignum, Cic. Rep. 3, 11: neque enim decorum est neque dis dignum, id. Div. 1, 52: quicquid dignum sapiente bonoque, Hor. Ep. 1, 4, 5 et saep.: dicere Cinnā digna, Verg. E. 9, 36.—Esp. freq. with supine in u : digna memoratu produntur, Plin. 6, 23, 26, § 97: nihil dignum dictu, Liv. 4, 30, 4; 9, 43, 6; 25, 1, 5; Suet. Aug. 43; Val. Max. 1, 5, 9; Sen. Ep. 94, 56; Tac. Agr. 1.—
β With rel. clause (freq., though not in the Aug. poets): non videre dignus, qui liber sies, Plaut. Ps. 2, 2, 17; cf. id. Rud. 2, 6, 38; id. Mil. 4, 2, 52: qui modeste paret, videtur, qui aliquando imperet, dignus esse, Cic. Leg. 3, 2: homines dignos, quibuscum disseratur putant, id. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 6, 18; Quint. 10, 1, 131 et saep.—So with rel. adv. : sive adeo digna res est ubi tu nervos intendas tuos, if the thing is really worth your bending your energies to it , Ter. Eun. 311; cf. also: dignos esse, qui armis cepissent, eorum urbem agrumque Bolanum esse, i. e. ut eorum urbs esset, Liv. 4, 49, 11 Weissenb. (Madv. dignum, cf. δ infra).—
γ Absol. (that of which some one or something is worthy, to be supplied from the context): Mi. Quem ament igitur? Sy. Alium quemlibet; Nam nostrorum nemo dignus est (sc. amari), Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 39; cf. id. Curc. 4, 2, 28: ut ne nimis cito diligere incipiant neve non dignos, etc., Cic. Lael. 21, 78 sq.: illud exemplum ab dignis et idoneis ad indignos et non idoneos transfertur, Sall. C. 51, 27 Kritz.: dignis ait esse paratus, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 22: omnes, ait, malle laudatos a se, dignos indignosque, quam, etc., Liv. 24, 16 et saep.: quem dices digniorem esse hominem hodie Athenis alterum? Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 24; cf. Suet. Aug. 54: dignus patronus, Q. Cic. Pet. Cons. 1, 2: dignior heres, Hor. C. 2, 14, 25: digna causa, Liv. 21, 6: dignum operae pretium, Quint. 12, 6, 7: dignas grates persolvere, Verg. A. 1, 600; 2, 537: digna gloria ruris, id. G. 1, 168 et saep.: ad tuam formam illa digna est, Plaut. Mil. 4, 1, 21; so, quod supplicium dignum libidini ejus invenias? (where the dat. depends on the verb), Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 16, § 40: id, cum ipse per se dignus putaretur, impetravit, id. Arch. 4, 6.—So as subst.: "nulla contumelia est, quam facit dignus;" primum quid est dignus? nam etiam malo multi digni, sicut ipse (Antonius), Cic. Phil. 3, 9, 22; so, dignum est, it is fit, proper, becoming , = aequum est, decet, convenit, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 129; id. Merc. 1, 2, 22; Ter. Phorm. 402; 438; Cic. Tusc. 2, 5, 14; Liv. 1, 14; Sen. de Ira, 1, 12; Verg. G. 3, 391 al.—So comp. , Liv. 8, 26, 6; Cic. Clu. 53, 146.— Sup. , Cic. Rosc. Am. 3, 8.—
δ With inf. (freq. in the Aug. poets; not in Cic.): concedere, Cat. 68, 131: unā perire, Ov. M. 1, 241: credere, id. ib. 3, 311: fuisse conjux, id. ib. 14, 833: decurrere spatium vitae, id. Tr. 3, 4, 34: ponere annos, id. ib. 4, 8, 14 al.; and more freq. in the pass. : cantari dignus, Verg. E. 5, 54: amari, id. ib. 89: rapi, Ov. M. 7, 697: describi, Hor. S. 1, 4, 3: notari, id. ib. 1, 3, 24: legi, id. ib. 1, 10, 72: Quint. 10, 1, 96 et saep.: auctoribus hoc dedi, quibus dignius credi est, Liv. 8, 26 fin. ; cf.: uterque optimus erat, dignusque alter elegi, alter eligere, Plin. Pan. 7, 4.—
ε With ut : non sum dignus prae te, ut figam palum in parietem, Plaut. Mil. 4, 4, 4; Liv. 24, 16: eras dignus ut haberes integram manum; Quint. 8, 5, 12; 12, 11, 24.—
ζ With gen. (acc. to the Gr. ἄξιός τινος—so freq. in Inscr. v. Wordsworth, Fragm. p. 494): dignus salutis, Plaut. Trin. 5, 2, 29; cogitatio dignissima tuae virtutis, Balb. ap. Cic. Att. 8, 15 A.: quidquid putabit dignum esse memoriae, Phaedr. 4, 20, 3: probae, Ov. Tr. 4, 3, 57.—
η With acc. of a neutr. pron. or adj.: non me censes scire quid dignus siem? Plaut. Capt. 5, 2, 16; Ter. Phorm. 519: si exoptem, quantum dignus, tantum dent (di tibi), etc., Plaut. Ps. 4, 1, 26.—
θ With ad (very rare): ad tuam formam illa una digna est, Plaut. Mil. 4, 1, 21: amicus, dignus huic ad imitandum, Cic. Rep. 1, 18, 30.—
ι With pro : si digna poena pro factis eorum reperitur, Sall. C. 51, 8; Cic. Div. in Caecil. 13, 42; Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 24.—Adv.: dignē , worthily, fitly, becomingly : quam digne ornata incedit, haud meretricie! Plaut. Mil. 3, 2, 58; id. Cas. 4, 1, 14; Cic. de Sen. 1, 2; Cassius in Cic. Fam. 12, 13; Vell. 2, 67; Suet. Aug. 66; Hor. C. 1, 6, 14; id. Ep. 2, 1, 164 al.— Comp. , Hor. S. 2, 7, 47.— Sup. seems not to occur.