mĕtus, ūs, m. (fem.: nulla in me est metus, Enn. ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 123 Müll.: metus ulla, id. ap. Non. 214, 11; cf. Ann. v. 537, and Trag. v. 179 Vahl.; dat. metu, Tac. A. 11, 32; 15, 69), fear, dread, apprehension, anxiety; constr. with gen. object., with ne, with acc. and inf.
I Lit.: est metus futurae aegritudinis sollicita exspectatio, Cic. Tusc. 5, 18, 52; cf. id. ib. 4, 30, 64: metum excitari vel propriis vel communibus periculis, Mart. Cap. 5, § 505: in metu esse, to be in fear, be fearful , Cic. Cat. 1, 7, 18: est et in metu peregrinantium, ut, etc., they are also afraid , Plin. 31, 6, 37, § 71: mihi etiam unum de malis in metu est, fratris miseri negotium, a subject of fear , Cic. Att. 3, 9, 3: metum habere, to entertain fear, be afraid , id. Fam. 8, 10, 1: metum concipere, to become afraid , Ov. F. 1, 485: capere, Liv. 33, 27: accipere, Ter. Heaut. 337: metum facere alicui, to make afraid, put in fear, frighten , Ov. Tr. 5, 10, 28: metum inicere, Caes. B. G. 4, 19: incutere, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 4, 2: inferre, Liv. 26, 20: affere, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 54, § 135: offerre, id. Fam. 15, 1, 5: obicere, id. Tusc. 2, 4, 10: intentare, Tac. A. 15, 54: metu territare, to alarm greatly, fill with fear , Caes. B. G. 5, 6: metum pati, Quint. 6, 2, 21: alicui adimere, to take away, remove , Ter. Heaut. 341: metu exonerare, to relieve from fear , Liv. 2, 2: removere metum, to take away, remove , id. ib.: levare alicui, Cic. Tusc. 2, 24, 59: alicui deicere, id. Verr. 2, 5, 49, § 130: solvere, to remove, dismiss , Verg. A. 1, 463: civitati metum, formidinem oblivionem inicere, Ser. Samm. ap. Macr. S. 3, 9, 7: metu et impressione alicujus terroris mentiri, Paul. Sent. 5, 1, 4: metu mortis furem occidere, Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 7, 3, 3: quis metus aut pudor est umquam properantis avari? Juv. 14, 178: reddere metu, non moribus, id. 13, 204.— Poet. in plur., Hor. C. 1, 26, 1.—
β With gen. object. : vulnerum metus, Cic. Tusc. 2, 24, 59: ne reliquos populares metus invaderet parendi sibi, Sall. J. 35, 9: id bellum excitabat metus Pompei victoris Hiempsalem in regnum restituentis, Sall. H. 1, 39; v. Gell. 9, 2, 14; Non. p. 96: propter metum alicujus, for fear of : Judaeorum, Vulg. Johan. 7, 13; 19, 38.—
γ With ne : quod ubi Romam est nuntiatum, senatui metum injecit, ne, etc., Liv. 5, 7, 4: ne lassescat fortuna, metus est, Plin. 7, 40, 41, § 130.—
δ With acc. and inf.: quantus metus est mihi, venire huc salvum nunc patruum! Ter. Phorm. 482.—
ε With ab : metus a praetore Romano, Liv. 2, 24, 3; 23, 15, 7; 25, 33, 5; cf.: metus poenae a Romanis, id. 32, 23, 9; 45, 26, 7.—
ζ With pro : metus pro universā republicā, Liv. 2, 24, 4.—
η With ex : metus ex imperatore, Tac. A. 11, 20.—
B Poet., religious awe, holy dread : laurus Sacra comam multosque metu servata per annos, Verg. A. 7, 60.— Poetic awe : evoe! recenti mens trepidat metu, Hor. C. 2, 19, 5.—
II Transf.
A Conor., a cause of fear, a terror (poet.): metus Libyci, i. e. the head of Medusa , Stat. Th. 12, 606: nulli nocte metus, alarms , Juv. 3, 198.—
B Personified: Mĕtus , the god of fear or terror , Cic. N. D. 3, 17, 44; Verg. G. 3, 552; id. A. 6, 276.