impĭus (inp-), a, um, adj. [2. in-pius], without reverence or respect for God, one's parents, or one's country; irreverent, ungodly, undutiful, unpatriotic; abandoned, wicked, impious (rare but class.; cf.: nefarius, sacrilegus).
I Lit.: me fugerat, deorum immortalium has esse in impios et consceleratos poenas certissimas constitutas, Cic. Pis. 20, 46: numero impiorum et sceleratorum haberi, Caes. B. G. 6, 13, 7; cf.: scelerosus atque impius, Ter. Eun. 643: (deos) piorum et impiorum habere rationem, Cic. Leg. 2, 7, 15: impius ne audeto placare donis iram deorum, id. ib. 2, 9, 22: dixerunt impium pro parricida, Quint. 8, 6, 30; 7, 1, 52: impius erga parentes, Suet. Rhet. 6: impium, qui dividere nolit cum fratre, Quint. 7, 1, 45: necesse est, iste, qui affinem fortunis spoliare conatus est, impium se esse fateatur, Cic. Quint. 6, 26: (Danaides) Impiae sponsos potuere duro Perdere ferro! Hor. C. 3, 11, 31: Titanes, id. ib. 3, 4, 42; cf.: cohors Gigantum, id. ib. 2, 19, 22: Saturnus, id. ib. 2, 17, 22: miles, Verg. E. 1, 71: Carthago, Hor. C. 4, 8, 17: gens, Verg. G. 2, 537: di, invoked in imprecations , Tac. A. 16, 31: poëtae, i. e. accursed , Cat. 14, 7: expiari impium non posse, Varr. L. L. 6, § 30 Müll.— Sup. : impiissimus filius, Dig. 28, 5, 46, § 1; Aus. Grat. Act. 17.—
II Transf., of inanim. or abstr. things (mostly poet.): si impias propinquorum manus effugeris, Cic. Rep. 6, 12; so, manus, Hor. Epod. 3, 1: cervix, id. C. 3, 1, 17: pectora Thracum, id. Epod. 5, 13: ratis, id. C. 1, 3, 23; id. Epod. 10, 14: ensis, Ov. M. 14, 802: tura, id. H. 14, 26: Tartara, Verg. A. 5, 733: bellum injustum atque impium, Cic. Rep. 2, 17: caedes, Hor. C. 3, 24, 25: proelia, id. ib. 2, 1, 30: furor, Verg. A. 1, 294: facta, Ov. H. 10, 100: verba, Tib. 1, 3, 52: tumultus, Hor. C. 4, 4, 46: clamor, id. ib. 1, 27, 6: fama, Verg. A. 4, 298: vivacitas, Quint. 6 praef. § 3. — Prov.: Impia sub dulci melle venena latent, Ov. Am. 1, 8, 104.— Plur. as substt.
α impii , ōrum, m., wicked , abandoned men (opp. innoxii), Plaut. Rud. 1, 3, 11.—
β impĭa , ōrum, n., profane words , impious sayings : impia et illicita dicere, Gell. 1, 15, 17. —
B In partic., impia herba, a plant , perh. the French everlasting , Gnaphalium Gallicum, Plin. 24, 19, 113, § 173.—Adv.: im-pĭē , irreligiously , undutifully , wickedly : quae (astra) qui videat, non solum indocte, sed etiam impie faciat, si deos esse neget, Cic. N. D. 2, 16, 44: impie commissum, id. Leg. 2, 9, 22: impie ingratus esse, id. Tusc. 5, 2, 6: fecisti, Quint. 7, 1, 53: loqui, i. e. treasonably , Suet. Dom. 10: deserere regem, Curt. 5, 12.— Sup. : impiissime, Salv. de Avar. 3.