ūtĭlis, e, adj. [utor].
I In gen.
A Useful , serviceable , beneficial , profitable , advantageous , etc. (cf. commodus).
1 Absol. : hae hamae utiles sunt, Cato R. R. 135, 2: non faciat quod utile sit, quod expediat? Cic. Off. 3, 19, 76: utiles et salutares res, id. N. D. 1, 15, 38: quid Sophocles et Aeschylus utile ferrent, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 163: quernaque glans victa est utiliore cibo, Ov. F. 1, 676.—
2 With dat. pers. : tibi, Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 10: quam id mihi sit facile atque utile, Aliorum exempla commonent, Ter. And. 811: nec clam te est, quam illi utraeque res nunc utiles Et ad pudicitiam et ad rem tutandam sient, id. ib. 287; id. Hec. 151: si eam legem vobis adcommodatam atque utilem esse intellegerem, Cic. Agr. 2, 6, 14: sic fuit utilius finiri ipsique tibique, id. Tusc. poët. 1, 48, 115; id. Inv. 1, 1, 1: non enim mihi est vita utilior quam animi talis affectio, id. Off. 3, 6, 29 dub.; Nep. Milt. 3, 5; id. Them. 7, 6: alicui utiles esse amicos, Caes. B. G. 4, 7: quod tibi utilissimum erit consilii capies, Dolab. ap. Cic. Fam. 9, 9, 2: loci muniti et sibi utiles, Sall. J. 97, 1.—So with dat. of thing benefited: fons ... Infirmo capiti fluit utilis, utilis alvo, Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 14: vivit siliquis et pane secundo; Militiae quamquam piger et malus, utilis urbi, id. ib. 2, 1, 124: glycyrrhizae sucus utilissimus voci, Plin. 22, 9, 11, § 25: palmae non utiles stomacho, id. 23, 4, 51, § 97: ver utile silvis, Verg. G. 2, 323; Prop. 4 (5), 1, 138.—
3 With ad and acc.: quem hominem inveniemus ad eam rem utilem, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 108; cf. Ter. And. 287 (supra, A. 2.): nonne igitur sapiens, si fame ipse conficiatur, abstulerit cibum alteri, homini ad nullam rem utili? Cic. Off. 3, 6, 29; cf.: quaecumque herba potens ad opem radixque medendi Utilis, Ov. H. 5, 148.—
4 With abl. instr. : ter et viciens volneratus est, ob id neutrā manu, neutro pede satis utilis, Plin. 7, 28, 29, § 104: pedibus, naribus, Ov. M. 3, 212: bis pomis utilis arbos, Verg. G. 2, 150.—
5 With inf. (poët.): adspirare et adesse choris erat utilis (tibia), Hor. A. P. 204.—
B Neutr. absol. : ūtĭle , is, n., what is useful , the useful : omne tulit punctum, qui miscuit utile dulci, Hor. A. P. 343: bonus atque fidus Judex honestum praetulit utili, id. C. 4, 9, 41: utilium tardus provisor, id. A. P. 164: sententiae de utilibus honestisque, Quint. 3, 8, 13; cf. id. 1, 2, 29. —
C Utile est, with a subject-clause : amicum castigare ob meritam noxiam ... est utile Et conducibile, Plaut. Trin. 1, 1, 2: numquam est utile peccare, Cic. Off. 3, 15, 64: nimirum sapere est abjectis utile nugis, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 141: id arbitror Apprime in vitā esse utile, ut ne quid nimis, Ter. And. 61; cf.: ut tu, si arbitrarere utile exque re publicā esse, persequerere bello Dolabellam, Cic. Ep. ad Brut. 1, 5, 1: utilissimum ratus inpendentem evitare tempestatem, Nep. Alcib. 4, 4.—
II In partic.
A Fit , suitable , adapted , proper , etc.: utilissimus ad vitilia holoschoenos, Plin. 21, 18, 69, § 113: hic castrensibus utilis armis, Prop. 3, 9 (4, 8), 19: utilium bello studiosus equorum, Ov. M. 14, 321: fraxinus hastis, id. ib. 10, 93: lignum Navigiis, Verg. G. 2, 442: passo psithia utilior, id. ib. 2, 93: calamus fistulis, Plin. 16, 36, 66, § 164: ventri lactuca movendo utilis, Mart. 11, 52, 6: (lapathum) silvestre ad multa medicamina utile est, Plin. 19, 12, 60, § 185.—Poet. with gen.: radix medendi Utilis, Ov. H. 5, 147.—
B In jurid. lang.: utilis actio, exceptio, interdictum, judicium, etc., i. e. which was brought on general principles of justice , in cases for which there was no express legal provision , or, as we say, in equity : actio, Dig. 13, 5, 5, § 9; 39, 3, 22 fin. al.: exceptio, ib. 4, 4, 41: interdictum, ib. 43, 20, 1, § 35 sq.: judicium, ib. 10, 2, 2, § 11.— Hence, adv.: ūtĭlĭter , usefully , profitably , beneficially , advantageously.
1 In gen.: utiliter a naturā permotiones istas animis nostris datas, Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 44, 135: modo ne laudarent iracundiam et dicerent utiliter a naturā datam, id. Off. 1, 25, 89; 2, 5, 17: utiliter in certamen respondere, Liv. 4, 6, 2 Weissenb. ad loc.; 28, 19, 3; Quint. 4, 1, 45; 6, 1, 8: serviet utiliter (captivus), Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 70 al.— Comp. : utilius starent etiam nunc moenia Phoebi, Ov. H. 1, 67.— Sup. : a Cicerone quidem utilissime praedicta sunt omnia, Quint. 4, 2, 57; Plin. 17, 14, 24, § 110.—
2 In partic., in jurid. lang., rightly , duly , lawfully : stipulari, Dig. 45, 1, 97; 45, 1, 45; 45, 1, 46: agere ex empto, ib. 19, 1, 30 fin.