flecto, xi, xum, 3, v. a. and n. [root in Gr. φολκός, bandy-legged; φάλκης, the bent rib of a ship; L. falx; falco, so called from the curve of its claws or beak; cf. Germ. Falke; Engl. falcon].
I Act. , to bend , bow , curve , turn , turn round (freq. and class.; syn.: plecto, plico, curvo).
A Lit.
1 In gen.: animal omne membra quocumque vult, flectit, contorquet, porrigit, contrahit, Cic. Div. 1, 53, 120: ora retro, Ov. M. 3, 188: vultus ad illum, id. ib. 4, 265; 10, 236: lumina a gurgite in nullam partem, id. ib. 8, 367: geminas acies huc, to turn , direct , Verg. A. 6, 789; cf. oculos, id. ib. 8, 698: equos brevi moderari ac flectere, Caes. B. G. 4, 33 fin. : equum, Hor. C. 3, 7, 25: currum de foro in Capitolium, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 30, § 77: plaustrum, Ov. M. 10, 447: navem, Auct. B. Alex. 64 fin. : habenas, Ov. M. 2, 169: cursus in orbem, id. ib. 6, 225; cf.: cursus in laevum, id. Tr. 1, 10, 17: iter ad Privernum, Liv. 8, 19, 13 Drak. N. cr. : iter Demetriadem, id. 35, 31, 3: tu (Bacche) flectis amnes, tu mare barbarum, Hor. C. 2, 19, 17: arcus, to bend , Ov. M. 4, 303; cf.: flexos incurvant viribus arcus, Verg. A. 5, 500: flexum genu, Ov. M. 4, 340: artus, Liv. 21, 58, 9: flexi crines, curled , Mart. 3, 63, 3; 10, 65, 6; Juv. 6, 493: flexum mare, i.e. a bay , Tac. A. 14, 4: flexi fractique motus, contorted , Cic. Fin. 5, 12, 35: hinc (silva) se flectit sinistrorsus, Caes. B. G. 6, 25, 3.—Mid.: quasi amnis celeris rapit, sed tamen inflexu flectitur, Naev. ap. Non. 191, 34 (Trag. Rel. v. 42 Rib.): (milvus) flectitur in gyrum, wheels , Ov. M. 2, 718: modo flector in anguem, I bend , wind myself into a snake , id. ib. 8, 883: sol ab ea (Cancri) meta incipit flecti, Plin. 18, 28, 68, § 264: Euphrates ad meridiem flectitur, id. 6, 26, 30, § 125.—
2 In partic., naut. t. t., to go round or double a promontory: cum in flectendis promontoriis ventorum mutationes maximas saepe sentiant, Cic. Div. 2, 45, 94: Leucaten flectere molestum videbatur, id. Att. 5, 9, 1.—
B Trop.
1 In gen., to bend , turn , direct : ducere multimodis voces et flectere cantus, Lucr. 5, 1406: vocem, Ov. Am. 2, 4, 25: qui teneros et rudes cum acceperunt, inficiunt et flectunt, ut volunt, Cic. Leg. 1, 17, 47; cf.: imbecillitatem animorum torquere et flectere, id. ib. 1, 10, 29: suam naturam huc et illuc torquere ac flectere, id. Cael. 6, 13: vitam flectere fingereque, id. Sull. 28, 79: mentes suas ad nostrum imperium nomenque, id. Balb. 17, 39: aliquem a proposito, Liv. 28, 22, 11: scribentis animum a vero, id. 1 praef. 5: animus ab aliqua opinione flectendus, Quint. 4, 2, 80: animos ad publica carmina, Ov. Tr. 5, 1, 23: quo vobis mentes ... dementes sese flexere viaï? Enn. ap. Cic. de Sen. 6, 16 (Ann. v. 209 ed. Vahl.): est viri et ducis oblata casu flectere ad consilium, Liv. 28, 44, 8: juvenis cereus in vitium flecti, Hor. A. P. 163: quod procul a nobis flectat Fortuna gubernans, turn aside , avert , Lucr. 5, 108.—
2 In partic.
a To bend (in opinion or in will), to move , persuade , prevail upon , overcome , soften , appease (cf.: moveo, afficio): quibus rebus ita flectebar animo atque frangebar, ut, etc., Cic. Sull. 6, 18: sed quid te oratione flectam? ... qua re flecte te, quaeso, id. Phil. 1, 14, 35: facile Achivos flexeris, Enn. ap. Gell. 11, 4, 3 (Trag. v. 229 ed. Vahl.): judices, Quint. 6, 1, 9: flectere mollibus jam durum imperiis, Hor. C. 4, 1, 6: precibus si flecteris ullis, Verg. A. 2, 689: flectere si nequeo Superos, Acheronta movebo, id. ib. 7, 312; cf.: nisi dii immortales suo numine prope fata ipsa flexissent, Cic. Cat. 3, 8, 19: desine fata deum flecti sperare precando, Verg. A. 6, 376: animos commutare atque omni ratione flectere, Cic. de Or. 2, 52 fin. : ingenium alicujus aversum, Sall. J. 102, 3: si quem a proposito spes mollitiave animi flexisset, divert , dissuade , Liv. 28, 22, 11: dictis nostris sententia flexa est, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 257 Müll. (Ann. v. 264 ed. Vahl.): si flectitur ira deorum, Ov. M. 1, 378: cf. id. Tr. 3, 5, 41: hortaturque simul flectitque labores, soothes , Stat. S. 5, 1, 119: ad deditionem primos, Liv. 5, 43, 1.—Mid.: plurimum valet miseratio, quae judicem flecti non tantum cogit, sed, etc., to let himself be moved , Quint. 6, 1, 23: flexi in misericordiam, Amm. 12, 27.—
b (Acc. to I. A. 2.) To turn aside from , to avoid a thing: ut eam (viam) flectas, te rogo, Cic. Att. 11, 18, 2 (but B. and K. ex conj. C. F. Hermann read ira, v. a. sup.); cf.: flexit viam, Liv. 1, 60, 1: dolo a se flexos imputavit civilis, Tac. H. 5, 24.—
c To refer to or apply to any one: versus qui in Tiberium flecterentur, Tac. A. 6, 29: Augustus quaedam ex horrida illa antiquitate ad praesentem usum flexisset, id. ib. 4, 16.—
d In grammar.
α To form a word from another language: verba derivare, flectere, conjungere, Quint. 8, 3, 36: hoc vocabulum (pollex) de Graeco flexum est, Gell. 4, 3 fin. —
β To decline , conjugate , inflect , Varr. L. L. 10, 2, 29 al.—
γ Flectere syllabam, to mark with the circumflex accent , and hence, to lengthen , Quint. 1, 5, 23 Spald. and Zumpt.
II Neutr. , to turn , go , or march in any direction (post-Aug.).
A Lit.: cum procul hos laevo flectentes limite cernunt, Verg. A. 9, 372: ex Gabino in Tusculanos flexere colles, Liv. 3, 8, 6; Hasdrubal ad Oceanum flectit, id. 28, 16, 3: inde Vitellius Cremonam flexit, Tac. H. 2, 70: in Capitolium, Suet. Tib. 20.—
B Trop., of thought or speech, to turn in any direction: ad providentiam sapientiamque, Tac. A. 13, 3: in ambitionem, id. ib. 4, 37: a veneratione Augusti orsus flexit ad victorias Tiberii, id. ib. 1, 34.
XVIII —Hence, flexus , a, um, P. a.
A Lit., bent , winding : error, Ov. M. 8, 160: zodiacus circa Cancrum Capricornumque flexior, Mart. Cap. 8, § 878.—In neutr. plur. subst. : collium flexa, Minuc. Fel. Octav. 17.—
B Trop., of tones, lengthened : infinito magis illa flexa et circumducta sunt, Quint. 11, 3, 172.