ē-lĕvo, no perf., ātum, 1, v. a.
I Lit., to lift up , raise (very rare): contabulationem, Caes. B. C. 2, 9, 5 and 7: lumbos in altum, Ap. Met. 4, 3, 9; arcam, Vulg. Gen. 7, 17.—Poet.: elevat hunc pluma, i. e. turns into a bird , Claud. Eutr. 1, 295: aura preces, i. e. carry away , disperse , = auferat, dissipet, Prop. 1, 8, 12: fructum, to gather in , Col. 3, 21, 5: statura elevata, i. e. tall , Capit. Ant. Phil. 13.—More freq.,
II Trop.
A To lighten , alleviate : aegritudinem (with obtundere), Cic. Tusc. 3, 16, 34; cf. sollicitudines (opp. duplicare), Luccei. in Cic. Fam. 5, 14, 2.—Esp. freq.,
B (In allusion to the rising of the lighter scale.) To make light of , to lessen , diminish , impair , weaken; to disparage , detract from : causas suspicionum offensionumque tum evitare, tum elevare, tum ferre, Cic. Lael. 24; so, objectum ab adversario, id. de Or. 2, 56 fin. ; cf. id. Inv. 1, 42; Quint. 6, 3, 75 sq.; 11, 3, 176: perspicuitatem, Cic. N. D. 3, 4: auctoritatem, Liv. 3, 21; 37, 57 fin. : res gestas (opp. verbis extollere), id. 28, 43; cf. ib. 44 fin. : noxam multitudinis, id. 45, 10: non si quid turbida Roma Elevet, Pers. 1, 6 et saep.—With personal objects: est plane oratoris movere risum, quod frangit adversarium, quod impedit, quod elevat, quod deterret, quod refutat, Cic. de Or. 2, 58, 236; cf.: elevabatur index indiciumque, Liv. 26, 27: Samnitium bella extollit, elevat Etruscos, id. 9, 37: assiduos viros (copia), Prop. 2, 33, 44 (3, 31, 44 M.); cf. id. 2, 34, 58 (3, 32, 58 M.).—
C Of the voice, to lift up , raise (late Lat.): vocem, Vulg. Judic. 2, 4 al.