jējūnus, a, um, adj. [kindr. to Sanscr. yam, refrenare, cohibere; intens. yanyam, Bopp. Gloss. p. 276, a], fasting, hungry, abstinent, not partaking of food.
I Lit.: in scenam qui jejunus venerit, Plaut. Ps. prol. 12: sic expletur jejuna cupido, hunger , Lucr. 4, 876; so, jejuna aviditas, Plin. 10, 3, 3, § 8: misera ac jejuna plebecula, Cic. Att. 1, 16, 11: cum quidem biduum ita jejunus fuissem, ut, etc., id. Fam. 7, 26, 1: canis, Hor. Epod. 5, 23: jejuna fessaque corpora, Liv. 21, 55.—Of inanimate things: lupus jejunis dentibus acer, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 29: Cerberus jejuno sono, with hungry howlings , Prop. 4 (5), 5, 4: tam jejuna fames? so extreme , Juv. 5, 10: pullus ad quem volat mater jejuna, id. 10, 232: odium, i. e. on an empty stomach , id. 15, 51: saliva, fasting spittle , Plin. 28, 4, 7, § 35.—
2 Thirsty : vilem jejunae saepe negavit aquam, Prop. 3, 13 (4, 14), 18.—
B Transf.
1 Dry, barren, unproductive : corpora suco jejuna, Lucr. 2, 845: ager, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 37, § 84: glarea, Verg. G. 2, 212: pars jejunior humi, Col. 2, 4, 7.—
2 Scanty, insignificant in quantity: summaque jejunā sanie infuscatur arena, Verg. G. 3, 493.—
II Trop.
A Poor, barren, powerless : ut quosdam nimis jejuno animo et angusto monerem uti, etc., Cic. Phil. 14, 6, 17: pusillus animus atque ipsā malevolentiā jejunus atque inanis, id. Fam. 2, 17, 7.—
B Insignificant, trifling, contemptible, mean, low : solivaga cognitio et jejuna, Cic. Off. 1, 44, 157: frigida et jejuna calumnia, id. Caecin. 21, 61: jejunum hoc nescio quid et contemnendum, id. Fam. 15, 17: aliquid humile et jejunum, id. ib. 3, 10, 7.—
C Of speech, meagre, dry, feeble, spiritless : si quis aut Antonium jejuniorem, aut Crassum fuisse pleniorem putet, Cic. de Or. 3, 4, 16: Theodorus, in arte subtilior, in orationibus jejunior, id. Brut. 12, 48.—With gen., Cic. Or. 40: concertatio verborum, id. de Or. 2, 16, 68; Quint. 1, 4, 5; 10, 2, 17 al.—
D Destitute of, without, deprived of : divitiarum avidi ac jejuni, Just. 38, 6, 8: pecunia, Val. Max. 4, 4, 9.—Adv.: jējūnē , meagrely, dryly, jejunely, without ornament or spirit : jejune et exiliter disputare, Cic. de Or. 1, 11, 50; Plin. Ep. 1, 20, 20; Gell. 19, 3: agere, Cic. Ac. 2, 35, 112.— Comp. : dicere jejunius, Cic. Fin. 3, 5, 17; id. Att. 12, 21, 1.