mītis, e, adj. [etym. dub.; cf. Sanscr. mith-, to associate; Lat. mutuus], mild, mellow, mature, ripe; of the soil, mellow, light, kindly, fruitful; of a river, calm, gentle, placid (class.; syn.: lenis, placidus, comis).
I Lit.: sunt nobis mitia poma, Verg. E. 1, 81: uva, id. G. 1, 448: Bacchus (i. e. vinum), mellow , id. ib. 1, 344: suci, Ov. M. 14, 690: mite solum Tiburis, Hor. C. 1, 18, 2: mitis (fluvius) in morem stagni, Verg. A. 8, 88: flamma, harmless, innoxious , Sil. 16, 120.—
II Trop., mild, soft, gentle .
A In gen.: nihil tam vidi mite, nihil tam placatum, quam tum meus frater erat in sororem tuam, Cic. Att. 5, 1, 3: mitis tranquillusque homo, Plaut. Truc. 4, 3, 2: homo mitissimus atque lenissimus, Cic. Cat. 4, 5, 10: ex feris et immanibus, mites reddidit et mansuetos, id. Inv. 1, 2, 2.— Poet., with acc., in respect of: nec Mauris animum mitior anguibus, Hor. C. 3, 10, 18. —With dat.: mites hostibus, Ov. P. 2, 1, 48: poenitentiae mitior, towards the penitent , Tac. Agr. 16.—
B Of things: mitis et misericors animus, Cic. Inv. 1, 55, 106: consilium, Ov. Tr. 1, 5, 5: doctrina, Cic. Mur. 29, 160: malum, blandum atque dolosum, Lucil. ap. Non. 343, 9: mitius exsilium, Ov. Tr. 2, 185: servitium, Prop. 3, 13, 20: opes, acquired through a long peace , Sil. 14, 653: affectus mitiores, Quint. 5, 13, 2: ingenium, Juv. 4, 82; 13, 184: animus, id. 14, 15.—
C Of speech: Thucydides si posterius fuisset, multo maturior fuisset et mitior, riper and mellower, more palalable , Cic. Brut. 83, 288: mitis et compta oratio, id. Sen. 9, 28: non hac tam atroci, sed illa lege mitissima, causam dicere, id. Verr. 2, 1, 9, § 26.—
III Comically, made soft, mellow with beating: mitis sum equidem fustibus, Plaut. Mil. 5, 31; cf. Ter. Ad. 276.—Hence, adv.: mīte , mildly, soflly, gently (rare; not in Cic.): mite connivere, Ap. Met. 10, 32, 19.— Comp. : mitius ille perit, Ov. P. 3, 7, 27. — Sup. : mitissime legatos appellare, Caes. B. G. 7, 43.