narro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [for gnarigo (gnarigavit, Fest. p. 95) from gnarus; Sanscr. gnā, know; Gr. γιγνώσκω; cf.: nosco (gnosco), ignoro], to tell, relate, narrate, report, recount, set forth (syn.: memoro, nuntio, trado).
I Lit.: quid mihi istaec narras? Ter. Hec. 784: ego tibi ea narro quae tu melius scis, quam ipse, qui narro, Cic. Fam. 9, 6, 6: garrula pericula, Juv. 12, 82.—With acc. and inf.: mihi Philargyrus narravit, te interdum sollicitum esse vehementius, Cic. Fam. 6, 1, 6: Clitarchus tibi narravit Darium ab Alexandro esse superatum, id. ib. 2, 10, 3: ne narres te sudavisse ferendo Carmina, Hor. Ep. 1, 13, 16: narrare virtutem alicujus, Ter. Ad. 536; Plin. 6, 22, 24, § 84: cibos suos homini narrabimus, set forth, explain , id. 20 praef.: narrat, ut virgo ab se integra etiam tum siet, Ter. Hec. 145.— Pass. : ut ita narrentur ut gestae res erunt, Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 29: haec inter paucos palam secreto narrantur, id. Fam. 8, 1, 4: in comoediis res ipsa narratur, id. ib. 9, 22, 1: quae in provinciis facta narrabantur, Liv. 39, 6, 6; Quint. 3, 8, 11; 4, 2, 76; Plin. Ep. 7, 27, 3; Suet. Calig. 22: rationes ... satis narratas, Tac. A. 11, 11.—With de : quā (epistulā) Crassi libertum ais tibi de meā sollicitudine macieque narrāsse, Cic. Att. 3, 15, 1: mores ejus, de quo narres, id. de Or. 2, 59, 241: de quibus nos narrabimus, Auct. Her. 3, 14, 24; cf. in the foll.: male, bene narrare, to tell bad or good news : male narras de Nepotis filio, Cic. Att. 16, 14, 4: Othonem quod speras posse vinci, sane bene narras, id. ib. 13, 33, 2.—Of things: quid istaec tabellae narrant? Plaut. Pers. 4, 3, 29: si res publica tibi narrare posset, quomodo sese haberet, Cic. Fam. 3, 1, 1: cum ejus oratio de animo tuo, de sermonibus, quos de me haberes cotidie, mihi narraret, id. ib. 3, 1, 1: narratur and narrant, it is said, they say : Paridis propter narratur amorem Graecia Barbariae lento collisa duello, Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 6; Ov. H. 6, 19: versiculos in me narratur scribere Cinna, Mart. 3, 9, 1; but narratur with acc. and inf. is rare: nunc Chamavos et Angrivarios immigrāsse narratur, Tac. G. 33 init. : eoque terrore aves tunc siluisse narratur, Plin. 35, 11, 28, § 121 (Jan. narrantque; cf. Zumpt, Gram. § 607): narrant, et in Ponto Caecian in se trahere nubes, Plin. 2, 47, 48, § 126; 2, 106, 110, § 236; 32, 7, 24, § 75 et saep.: narror, narraris = narratur de me, de te, to be the subject of talk, it is said of me, thee, etc.: rideor ubique, narror, ostendor, Quint. Decl. 14, 12 init. : dulcis in Elysio narraris fabula campi, Mart. 12, 52, 5: Sibi narrare, to inform one's self, learn : Cape has tabellas; tute hinc narrato tibi, quae me miseria contabefecit, Plaut. Ps. 1, 1, 18.—
II Transf., in gen., to say, speak, tell : narra, quid est, quid ait? Plaut. Poen. 5, 2, 67: ego quid narres nescio, Ter. And. 477; id. Phorm. 401: non possum satis narrare quos ludos praebueris intus, id. Eun. 1010: quantum distet ab Inacho Codrus, Hor. C. 3, 19, 3.— Hence, narro tibi, I tell you, I assure you, in fact, seriously , a form of asseveration: narro tibi: plane relegatus mihi videor, postea quam in Formiano sum, Cic. Att. 2, 11, 1: narro tibi, haec loca venusta sunt, abdita certe, id. ib. 15, 16, A; 15, 21, 1: navita de ventis, de tauris narrat arator, talks , Prop. 2, 1, 43: ne res per quemquam narraretur, Just. 1, 9, 19.—
B Esp., to dedicate : librum alicui, Plin. praef. § 1.—Hence, P. a. as subst.: narrātum , i, n., that which is told or narrated : hoc quoque, Tiresia, praeter narrata petenti Responde, Hor. S. 2, 5, 1.