ob-lecto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [2. lacto],
I to delight, please, divert, entertain, amuse (class.; most freq. with se and mid.; syn. delecto); constr. usually aliquem (aliquid, se), with abl., with cum , with in and abl.
α With abl.: ut quam diutissime te jucundā opinione oblectarem, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 1, § 1: cum eorum inventis scriptisque se oblectent, id. Rep. 1, 17, 28: se agri cultione, id. Sen. 16, 56; Ter. Eun. 195: aliquem falso gaudio, Plaut. Poen. 5, 4, 102: Musae me oblectant carmine, Cat. 66, 8.—With an impers. object: legentium animos fictis oblectare, Tac. H. 2, 50; so, ironically: paulum praesidii, qui familiarem suam vitam oblectet modo, cheer, comfort , Plaut. Pers. 1, 3, 46: vitam sordido pane, id. As. 1, 2, 16.—Mid.: in communibus miseriis hac tamen oblectabar speculā, Cic. Fam. 2, 16, 5: ludis oblectamur, id. Mur. 19, 39.—
β With cum : oblecta te cum Cicerone quam bellissime, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 13, 4: cum his me oblecto, qui res gestas scripserunt, id. de Or. 2, 14, 61; cf. elliptically: ego me interea cum libellis, id. Att. 12, 3, 1.—
γ With in : in eo me oblecto, I delight in him, he is my delight , Ter. Ad. 49: se in hortis, Cic. Off. 3, 19, 58: ego me in Cumano et Pompeiano satis commode oblectabam, i. e. amused myself excellently well in Cumanum , id. Q. Fr. 2, 12, 1.—
δ With acc.: minime equidem me oblectavi, id. ib. 1, 2, 10: hortulos emere ubi se oblectare posset, Cic. Off. 3, 14, 58: ut te oblectes scire cupio, id. Q. Fr. 2, 3, 7: populum, Hor. A. P. 321.—With an impers. object: haec studia adulescentiam alunt, senectutem oblectant, Cic. Arch. 7, 16; Ter. Phorm. 434: animos, Ov. R. Am. 169; Tac. H. 2, 50: animum, Juv. 14, 265.—
II Transf., to spend or pass time agreeably : studio lacrimabile tempus, Ov. Tr. 5, 12, 1: iners otium, Tac. A. 12, 49: inter cenam oblectamus otium temporis, Plin. Ep. 4, 14, 15.—
B Hence, to delay, detain : ego illum interea hic oblectabo, Plaut. As. 2, 2, 83: dic mi ubi, Philotis, te oblectāsti tam diu, Ter. Hec. 84.