ē-nervo, āvi, ātum, 1 (scanned ĕnervans and ĕnervātum in Prud. Cath. 8, 64; contra Symm. 2, 143), v. a. [enervis], to take out the nerves or sinews.
I Prop. (rare and post-class.): poplites securi, Ap. Met. 8, 30, 11; cerebella, Apic. 4, 2; 7, 7: enervatus Melampus, i. e. unmanned , Claud. in Eutr. 1, 315.—
II Transf., in gen., to enervate , weaken , render effeminate (class.; esp. freq. in the part. perf. ): non plane me enervavit senectus, Cic. de Sen. 10, 32: corpora animosque, Liv. 23, 18: artus undis, Ov. M. 4, 286: vires, Hor. Epod. 8, 2: animos (citharae), Ov. R. Am. 753: orationem compositione verborum, Cic. Or. 68 fin. ; cf.: corpus orationis, Petr. S. 2, 2: incendium belli (with contundere), Cic. Rep. 1, 1.
III —Hence, ēnervātus , a, um, P. a., unnerved , weakened , effeminate , weakly , unmanly : enervati atque exsangues, Cic. Sest. 10, 24; cf. id. Att. 2, 14; id. Pis. 33 fin. ; 35, 12 (not found): philosophus (with mollis and languidus), id. de Or. 1, 52 fin. — Transf. of inanimate subjects: ratio et oratio (with mollis), id. Tusc. 4, 17, 38; cf.: muliebrisque sententia, id. ib. 2, 6: vita (with ignava), Gell. 19, 12 fin. : felicitas, Sen. Prov. 4 med.