mītĭgo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [mitis-ago], to make mild, soft, or tender, make ripe or mellow; to make tame, to tame (class.).
I Lit.: cum aestivā maturitate alia mitigaverit, alia torruerit, Cic. Rep. 4, 1, 6 (cited ap. Non. 343, 21): mitiget auctumnus, quod maturaverit aestas, Aus. Idyll. 8: cibum, to make soft or tender, to soften by boiling or roasting, Cic. N. D. 2, 60, 151.—Comically: misero mihi mitigabat sandalio caput, mellowed, broke , Turp. ap. Non. l. l.: hic, qui dura sedens porrecto saxa leone Mitigat, i. e. makes soft for sitting on by spreading over them a lion's skin , Mart. 9, 44, 2: Indus agros, laetificat et mitigat, to make fruitful , Cic. N. D. 2, 52, 130: vina diluendo, Plin. 14, 22, 29, § 149: silvestres arbores, id. 17, 10, 12, § 66: amaritudinem frugum, to soften, mitigate , id. 18, 16, 40, § 141: cervicum duritias, id. 20, 22, 92, § 250: rabiem suum, id. 10, 63, 83, § 182: pilos, to thin , id. 35, 6, 19, § 37: animal, to tame , Sen. Ben. 1, 3: valetudinem temperantia, to mitigate , Plin. Ep. 1, 12, 9.—
II Trop., to make mild or gentle, to pacify, soothe, calm, assuage, appease, mitigate : animum alicujus, Cic. Balb. 26, 57: te aetas mitigabit, id. Mur. 31, 65: iras, Ov. Tr. 4, 6, 15: querimonias, Col. praef.: tristitiam ac severitatem, Cic. de Or. 2, 58, 236; cf.: acerbam severitatem condimentis humanitatis, id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 7: dolores, id. Att. 3, 15, 2: labores, id. de Or. 3, 4, 14: aliquem pecuniā, Tac. H. 1, 66: temporum atrocitatem, Suet. Tib. 48: acrimonia mitigabitur laude, Auct. Her. 4, 37, 50: aures, to soothe with explanatory representations, Quint. 12, 1, 14: metus, id. 12, 2, 28: feritatem animalium, Plin. 24, 17, 102, § 167: alicui aliquem, to reconcile : Hannibalem Romanis, Just. 31, 4, 4; cf.: vix revocanti patri mitigatus est, id. 9, 7, 6.
III —Hence, mītĭganter , adv., in a soothing manner; in order to soothe , Cael. Aur. Tard. 5, 1, 13; 4, 3, 62; id. Acut. 1, 11, 76.