mĕdĭō̆cris, e (ō usually; rarely ŏ), adj. [medius], in a middle state between too much and too little, middling, moderate, tolerable, ordinary; sometimes also, not remarkable, indifferent, mediocre.
I In gen. (class.).
A Lit., of size, quantity, degree, etc., in material things: castellum, Sall. J. 92, 5: spatium, Caes. B. G. 5, 43: agmen, Hirt. B. G. 8, 9: intervallum, Auct. B. Alex. 30.—
B Of mind, character, ability, acts, achievements, etc.: C. L. Memmii fuerunt oratores mediocres, Cic. Brut. 36, 136: L. Cotta in mediocrium oratorum numero, id. ib. 36, 137: non mediocres viri, sed maximi et docti, id. Rep. 3, 11, 19: homines, id. de Or. 1, 21, 94: vir, Just. 1, 4, 4: poëta, Hor. A. P. 372: in mediocribus vel studiis vel officiis, Cic. Rep. 1, 3, 4: amicitia, id. Lael. 6, 10: malum, id. Tusc. 3, 10, 22: artes, id. de Or. 1, 2, 6: eloquentia, id. ib. 1, 29, 133: ingenium, id. ib. 2, 27, 119: excusare ... mediocris est animi, narrow, small , Caes. B. C. 3, 20: ut mediocris jacturae te mergat onus, Juv. 13, 7.—
II Esp.
A Per litoten , with non (haud, nec), not insignificant, not common or trivial : Jugurthae non mediocrem animum pollicitando accendebant, i. e. ardent, ambitious , Sall. J. 8, 1: non mediocris hominis haec sunt officia, Ter. Ad. 966: haud mediocris hic, ut ego quidem intellego, vir fuit, Cic. Rep. 2, 31, 55: nec mediocre telum ad res gerendas, id. Lael. 17, 61: non mediocrem sibi diligentiam adhibendam intellegebat, uncommon, extraordinary , Caes. B. G. 3, 20: praemium non mediocre, Suet. Vesp. 18: non mediocris dissensio, Quint. 9, 1, 10 et saep.—*
B With syllaba, common = anceps: syllabarum longarum et brevium et mediocrium junctura, Gell. 16, 18, 5.—Hence, adv.: mĕdĭō̆crĭ-ter .
1 Moderately, tolerably, ordinarily, not particularly, not very, not remarkably, not much (class.): ordo annalium mediocriter nos retinet, Cic. Fam. 5, 12, 5: corpus mediocriter aegrum, id. Tusc. 3, 10, 22.—
β By litotes, with haud, ne, non (cf.: supra, mediocris, II. A.): flagitium, et damnum haud mediocriter, Plaut. Merc. 2, 1, 13: non mediocriter, in no moderate degree , Caes. B. G. 1, 39: reprehensus est non mediocriter, i. e. greatly, exceedingly, very much , Quint. 11, 1, 17; so id. 8, 2, 2; 9; 11, 1, 57 al.—
γ Very little : ne mediocriter quidem disertus, not in the least , Cic. de Or. 1, 20, 91.—
2 With moderation, calmly, tranquilly = modice (rare, and perh. only in Cic.): quod mihi non mediocriter ferendum videtur, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 41, § 95.— Comp. : hoc vellem mediocrius, Cic. Att. 1, 20, 5.