fingo, finxi, fictum, 3, v. a. [Sanscr. dih-, dēhmi, smear; Gr. θιγ, θιγγάνω, touch; whence figulus, figura, etc.; prop., to handle].
I Lit.
A To touch , handle , stroke , touch gently (rare): mulcere alternos, et corpora fingere lingua, Verg. A. 8, 634: saepe manus aegras manibus fingebat amicis, Ov. F. 5, 409.—
B Esp., to form , shape , fashion , frame , make (class.), whence also figulus: esse aliquam vim, quae finxerit, vel, ut tuo verbo utar, quae fabricata sit hominem, Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 27, 87; cf.: ab aliquo deo ficti esse videantur, id. de Or. 1, 25, 115: fingere et construere nidos, build , id. ib. 2, 6, 23: favos, id. Off. 1, 44, 157: ut illa bestia fetum ederet informem, lambendo postgea fingeret, etc., Gell. 17, 10, 3.—
C In partic.
1 Of the plastic art, to form or fashion by art (in wax, clay, stone, etc.), to mould or model , as a statuary: quorum alterum fingere opinor e cera solitum esse, alterum esse pictorem, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 13, § 30; cf.: in ceris aut fictilibus figuris, id. N. D. 1, 26, 71: similitudines ex argilla, Plin. 35, 12, 43, § 151; cf., sarcastically: hic homullus, ex argilla et luto fictus Epicurus, Cic. Pis. 25, 59: pocula de humo, Ov. Tr. 2, 489: Alexander ab Apelle potissimum pingi et a Lysippo fingi volebat ... qui neque pictam neque fictam imaginem suam passus est esse, etc., Cic. Fam. 5, 12, 7; cf.: fingendi ars, of making statues , statuary , id. de Or. 3, 7, 26: corpora fingendo pingendove efficere, Quint. 5, 12, 21.—
2 With the access. notion of arranging, adorning, etc., to set to rights , arrange; to adorn , dress , trim (poet. syn.: componere, excolere, ornare): Bene cum lauta est (mulier), tersa, ornata, ficta est: infecta est tamen, Plaut. Stich. 5, 5, 4: cum se non finxerit ulli, Ov. R. Am. 341: isti ficti, compositi, crispi cincinni, Plaut. Truc. 2, 2, 32; cf.: canas fingere comas, Tib. 1, 2, 92: comas presso pollice, Prop. 3, 10 (4, 9), 14; Ov. A. A. 1, 306; Mart. 6, 57; cf.: comas auro, Stat. Th. 5, 228: crinem, Verg. A. 4, 148; cf. also Phaedr. 2, 2, 9: vitem putando, Verg. G. 2, 407 Forbig.—
3 With the access. notion of untruth, to alter , change , for the purpose of dissembling: hi neque vultum fingere, neque interdum lacrimas tenere poterant, Caes. B. G. 1, 39, 4; cf.: vultus quoque hominum fingit scelus, i. e. makes men change countenance , Ter. Heaut. 887.
II Trop.
A In gen., to form , fashion , make ,: Ly. multa eveniunt homini quae volt, quae nevolt. Ph. Mentire, gnate, nam sapiens quidem pol ipsus fingit fortunam sibi, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 84; cf. the vv. foll.: natura fingit homines et creat imitatores et narratores facetos, Cic. de Or. 2, 54, 219: animos fingere, formare, id. Brut. 38, 142: cf.: moderari et fingere mentem ac voluntates, id. Leg. 3, 18, 40: ea quae nobis non possumus fingere, vultus, facies, sonus, id. de Or. 1, 28, 127: formam totius rei publicae velim mittas, ex qua me fingere possim, regulate myself , i. e. proceed , act , id. Att. 6, 3, 4; cf.: ad eorum (qui audiunt) arbitrium et nutum totos se fingunt et accommodant, id. Or. 8, 24: ea (verba) nos sicut mollissimam ceram ad nostrum arbitrium formamus et fingimus, id. de Or. 3, 45, 177; cf. also: arbitrio fingere, id. Brut. 79, 274: fortuna humana fingit artatque ut lubet, Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 54; cf.: vitam subito flecti fingique posse, shaped , directed , Cic. Sull. 28, 79; cf. id. ib. 25, 69: jure erat semper idem voltus, cum mentis, a qua is fingitur, nulla fieret mutatio, id. Tusc. 3, 15, 31; cf.: circumspexit amictus et finxit vultum, composed , Ov. M. 4, 318: lingua vocem immoderate profusam fingit et terminat, forms , Cic. N. D. 2, 59, 149; cf.: Peripateticorum institutis commodius fingeretur oratio, id. Brut. 31, 119: ego apis Matinae more modoque operosa parvus carmina fingo (like the Gr. πλάττω), make , compose , Hor. C. 4, 2, 32: carmina, id. Ep. 2, 1, 227; id. A. P. 331; 240: versus, id. ib. 382: poëmata, Suet. Tit. 3: opprobria in quemvis, Hor. Ep. 1, 15, 30.—
B In partic.
1 With a double predicate, to form , make into something or in a certain manner: finxit te ipsa natura ad honestatem, gravitatem ... ad omnes denique virtutes magnum hominem et excelsum, Cic. Mur. 29, 60: nec, si miserum fortuna Sinonem Finxit, vanum etiam mendacemque improba finget, Verg. A. 2, 79: (illum) spissae nemorum comae Fingent Aeolio carmine nobilem, Hor. C. 4, 3, 12: di bene fecerunt, inopis me quodque pusilli Finxerunt animi, id. S. 1, 4, 18: timui, mea me finxisse minora putarer Dissimulator opis propriae, to have lessened , i. e. purposely disparaged it , id. Ep. 1, 9, 8.—
2 To form by instruction , to instruct , teach , train : idem mire finxit filium, i. e. caused him to play his part , Ter. Heaut. 898; cf.: voce paterna Fingeris ad rectum, Hor. A. P. 367: fingitur artibus, id. C. 3, 6, 22: fingit equum tenera docilem cervice magister Ire viam, qua monstret eques, id. Ep. 1, 2, 64.—
3 To form mentally or in speech , to represent in thought , to imagine , conceive , think , suppose; to sketch out : fingite animis ... fingite cogitatione imaginem hujus condicionis meae, etc., Cic. Mil. 29, 79; cf.: omnia quae cogitatione nobismet ipsi possumus fingere, id. N. D. 3, 18, 47: fingere animo, id. de Sen. 12, 41: cf. also: animo et cogitatione, id. Tusc. 5, 24, 68: ex sua natura ceteros, to conceive of , id. Rosc. Am. 9, 26: quid magis exercitum dici aut fingi potest? id. Mil. 2, 5: maleficium, id. Rosc. Am. 40, 116: tu, stulta, deos, tu fingis inania vera, Prop. 3, 20 (4, 19), 5: qui utilitatum causa fingunt amicitias, suppose , Cic. Lael. 14, 51: principatum sibi ipse opinionis errore finxerat, had imagined to himself , id. Off. 1, 8, 26: in summo oratore fingendo, in representing , sketching out , id. Or. 2, 7: finge tamen te improbulum, Juv. 5, 72.—
β With double acc. : quod si qui me astutiorem fingit, Cic. Fam. 3, 8, 6: Tiresiam sapientem fingunt poetae ... at vero Polyphemum Homerus immanem finxit, id. Tusc. 5, 39, 115.—
γ With an object-clause , and in pass. , with a subject-clause : finge, aliquem nunc fierisapientem, nondum esse, suppose , Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 36, 117: finge solum natum nothum, Quint. 3, 6, 100.—Ellipt.: interfecti aliqui sunt; finge a nobis, assume , grant , Liv. 39, 37, 11: fingamus Alexandrum dari nobis, Quint. 1, 1, 24: non omnia corpora fingunt in medium niti, Lucr. 1, 1083; cf. id. 2, 175: qui naufragus fingitur se suspendisse, Quint. 8, 5, 22: qui suos artus morsu lacerasset, fingitur in scholis supra se cubasse, id. 8, 2, 20.—
b Pregn., with the access. notion of creating by thinking, to contrive , devise , invent , feign something (esp. untrue): argento comparando fingere fallaciam, Plaut. As. 2, 1, 2; 4: fallacias, Ter. Heaut. 533: fallaciam, id. And. 220; cf.: nonne ad senem aliquam fabricam fingit? id. Heaut. 545: fingit causas, ne det, sedulo, id. Eun. 138: falsas causas ad discordiam, id. Hec. 693: si mihi aliquam (rem publicam), ut apud Platonem Socrates, ipse finxero, Cic. Rep. 2, 1 fin. ; cf. id. ib. 2, 11: ex eventis fingere, id. Fam. 6, 6, 4: (crimina) in istum fingere, id. Verr. 1, 5, 15: ea quae sunt in usu vitaque communi, non ea, quae finguntur aut optantur, id. Lael. 5, 18: in faciem moresque meos nova crimina fingis, Ov. H. 12, 177: fingere qui non visa potest, commissa tacere Qui nequit, Hor. S. 1, 4, 84: quaelibet in quemvis opprobria fingere, id. Ep. 1, 15, 30: finguntur et testamenta, Quint. 7, 4, 39: nemo dolorem fingit in hoc casu, Juv. 13, 132: qui sub obtentu monituum deorum scientes eos fingunt, Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 15, 2, 6. —With double acc. : bonois se ac liberales, Sen. Ben. 4, 17, 3.—With inf.: ignorare fingit, Claud. in Eutrop. 2, 306.
XVII —Hence, fic-tus , a, um, P. a., feigned , fictitious , false : in amicitia nihil fictum est, nihil simulatum, Cic. Lael. 8, 26; cf. id. ib. 18, 65: ficto officio et simulata sedultiate conjunctus, id. Caecin. 5, 14: in re ficta (opp. in vera), id. Lael. 7, 24: falsum est id totum neque solum fictum, sed etiam imperite absurdeque fictum, id. Rep. 2, 15: commenticii et ficti dii, id. N. D. 2, 28, 70: fabula, id. Off. 3, 9, 39: in rebus fictis et adumbratis, id. Lael. 26, 97: amor, Lucr. 4, 1192: gemitus, Ov. M. 6, 565: cunctatio, Tac. A. 1, 46: ficto pectore fatur, Verg. A. 2, 107.—Poet. and in post-Aug. prose also, of persons: pro bene sano Ac non incauto fictum astutumque vocamus, dissembling , false , Hor. S. 1, 3, 62: alii fictum (eum), ingratum, immemorem loquuntur, Plin. Ep. 8, 18, 3; but: ficta pellice plorat, imaginary , Juv. 6, 272.—Poet., subst.: fictum , i, n., deception , fiction : ficti pravique tenax, Verg. A. 4, 188: jam consumpserat omnem Materiam ficti, Ov. M. 9, 767.—Adverb.: fictumque in colla minatus, Crura subit, Stat. Th. 6, 876.—Adv.: ficte , feignedly , fictitiously : ficte et simulate quaestus causa insusurrare, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 4, § 13: ficte reconciliata gratia, id. Fam. 3, 12, 4.