tardus, a, um, adj., slow, not swift, sluggish, tardy (freq. and class.; syn.: lentus, languidus).
I Lit., of motion or action: velox an tardus sit, Cic. Inv. 1, 24, 35: tardi sumus nos, Plaut. Poen. 3, 1, 66: aetate tardiores, id. ib. 3, 1, 6; cf. id. ib. 1 and 4: fatuus est, insulsus, tardus, stertit noctes et dies, Ter. Eun. 1079: redemptor non inertiā aut inopiā tardior fuit, Cic. Div. 2, 21, 47: qualem existimas, qui in adulterio deprehenditur? tardum, id. de Or. 2, 68, 275: nemo erat adeo tardus aut fugiens laboris, Caes. B. C. 1, 69: tarda aliqua et languida pecus, Cic. Fin. 2, 13, 40: asellus, Verg. G. 1, 273: juvenci, id. ib. 2, 206: aves, quas Hispania tardas appellat, Graecia ὠτίδας, Plin. 10, 22, 29, § 56: Caesar ubi reliquos esse tardiores vidit, Caes. B. G. 2, 25: ad injuriam tardiores, Cic. Off. 1, 11, 33: tardior ad judicandum, id. Caecin. 4, 9: ad deponendum imperium, id. Rep. 2, 12, 23: ad discedendum, id. Att. 9, 13, 4; cf.: Bibulus in decedendo erit, ut audio, tardior, id. ib. 7, 3, 5: proci loripedes, tardissimi, Plaut. Poen. 3, 1, 7: Apollo, i. e. unpropitious , Prop. 1, 8, 41. —
b Of things concr. and abstr.: tardiores tibicinis modi et cantus remissiores, Cic. de Or. 1, 60, 254: omnia tarda et spissa, id. Att. 10, 18, 2: fumus, Verg. A. 5, 682: frumenti tarda subvectio, Liv. 44, 8, 1: poena tardior, Cic. Caecin. 3, 7; Quint. 7, 2, 42: portenta deum tarda et sera nimis, Cic. poët. Div. 2, 30, 64 sic mihi tarda fluunt tempora, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 23: noctes, coming on late , Verg. G. 2, 482: tardiora fata, Hor. Epod. 17, 62: anne novum tardis sidus te mensibus addas, i. e. to the long summer months , Verg. G. 1, 32: nox, Ov. P. 2, 4, 26: tarda Genua labant, Verg. A. 5, 432: podagra, i. e. that makes one move slowly , Hor. S. 1, 9, 32: senectus, id. ib. 2, 2, 88; Tib. 2, 2, 19; cf. passus, Ov. M. 10, 49: abdomen, Juv. 4, 107: onus, Sen. Phoen. 568: sapor, i. e. that lingers long on the palate , Verg. G. 2, 126: lingua, Sen. Oedip. 293.—Poet., with gen.: tardus fugae, delaying his flight , Val. Fl. 3, 547; and with inf.: nectere tectos Numquam tarda dolos, Sil. 3, 234. —
II Trop., slow of apprehension , dull , heavy , stupid.
A In gen.: Ch. Prorsum nihil intellego. Sy. Hui, tardus es, Ter. Heaut. 776: sensus hebetes et tardi, Cic. Ac. 1, 8, 31: nimis indociles tardique, id. N. D. 1, 5, 12: si qui forte sit tardior, id. de Or. 1, 28, 127: tardi ingenii est, rivulos consectari, fontes rerum non videre, id. ib. 2, 27, 117: tardo ingenio esse, id. Agr. 3, 2, 6: mentes, id. Tusc. 5, 24, 68: ingenium, Quint. 1, 3, 2.—
B In partic., of speech or of a speaker, slow , not rapid , measured , deliberate : in utroque genere dicendi principia tarda sunt, Cic. de Or. 2, 53, 213: stilus, Quint. 10, 3, 5: tardior pronuntiatio, id. 10, 7, 22: tarda et supina compositio, id. 9, 4, 137: tardus in cogitando, Cic. Brut. 59, 216: Lentulus non tardus sententiis, id. ib. 70, 247.—Hence, adv.: tardē .
A Slowly , tardily : tarde percipere (opp. celeriter arripere), Cic. Rosc. Com. 11, 31; Plaut. Pers. 5, 1, 20; id. Ps. 4, 3, 15; Cic. Fam. 14, 5, 1; id. Att. 3, 7, 3; 5, 15, 3; 11, 22, 2; id. Mil. 20, 54; Verg. G. 2, 3. — Comp. : tardius moveri, Cic. N. D. 2, 20, 51; id. Tusc. 1, 31, 75; 4, 14, 32; id. Prov. Cons. 14, 35; Caes. B. G. 4, 23; id. B. C. 3, 28 al.— Sup. : tardissime judicare, Cic. Caecin. 2, 7. —
B Late , not in time , not early , Pall. 11, 14, 3.— Sup. : tardissime, at latest , Plin. 18, 7, 10, §§ 51 and 56: quam tardissime, as late as possible , Asin. Poll. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 33, 1.