Lewis & Short

con-sisto, stĭti, stĭtum, 3, v. n., to place one’s self anywhere, to stand still, stand, halt, stop, make a stop (very freq. and class. in prose and poetry).

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen.: jam hunc non ausim praeterire, quin consistam et conloquar, Plaut. Aul. 3, 4, 14: otiose nunc jam ilico hic consiste, Ter. Ad. 2, 1, 2: ubi ad ipsum veni diverticulum, constiti, id. Eun. 4, 2, 7; cf. Hor. S. 1, 9, 62: uti et viatores consistere cogant, Caes. B. G. 4, 5: neque is (Demosthenes) consistens in loco, sed inambulans atque ascensu ingrediens arduo, Cic. de Or. 1, 61, 261: si ludius constitit aut tibicen repente conticuit, id. Har. Resp. 11, 23; cf. id. Arch. 8, 19: plura scribam ad te cum constitero: nunc eram plane in medio mari, id. Att. 5, 12, 3: constitit nusquam primo quam ad Vada venit, Brut. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 13, 2: in quibus oppidis consistere praetores et conventum agere solebant, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 11, § 28: Romae post praeturam, id. ib. 2, 1, 39, § 101: ire modo ocius, interdum consistere, Hor. S. 1, 9, 9: in muro consistendi potestas erat nulli, Caes. B. G. 2, 6: omnes ordines, tota in illā contione Italia constitit, Cic. Sest. 50, 107: ad mensam consistere et ministrare, id. Tusc. 5, 21, 61; so, ad aras, Ov. M. 10, 274: ad ramos, id. ib. 10, 510: ante domum, id. ib. 2, 766: ante torum, id. ib. 15, 653: in aede, id. ib. 15, 674: in medio, id. ib. 10, 601; and with a simple abl.: limine, id. ib. 4, 486; 9, 397; Stat. Th. 1, 123; Verg. A. 1, 541: post eum, Quint. 1, 10, 27: in pedes, Sen. Ep. 121, 9: calce aliquem super ipsum debere consistere, trample on, Cels. 8, 14, 19.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. To set, become hard or solid: frigore constitit Ister, has been frozen, Ov. Tr. 5, 10, 1; cf. unda, id. M. 9, 662: sanguis, Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 17, 38: alvus, Cato, R. R. 126; 156, 4; cf.: cum jam perfecte mustum deferbuit et constitit, Col. 12, 21, 3: album ex ovo, quo facilius consistat, Cels. 4, 20, 15.
      2. 2. Cum aliquo, to station or place one’s self with some one for conversation, to stand with: in hoc jam loco cum altero Constitit, Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 31; id. Curc. 4, 2, 16 sq.: cum hoc consistit, hunc amplexatur, Cic. Verr. 1, 7, 19.
      3. 3. To take one’s place, take position, assume a place or attitude for an action, etc.; of a musician: ut constitit, Suet. Ner. 21; of an actor: in scaenā vero postquam solus constitit, Phaedr. 5, 5, 13; of an orator: in communibus suggestis, Cic. Tusc. 5, 20, 59: Aesopus mediā subito in turbā constitit, Phaedr. 4, 5, 29; for shooting: post acer Mnestheus adducto constitit arcu, Verg. A. 5, 507; cf. of athletes, etc., id. ib. 5, 426; Plin. 7, 20, 19, § 83: inter duas acies, Liv. 7, 10, 9: cum aliquo, Petr. 19, 5.
        Hence,
      4. 4. Milit. t. t., to halt, make a halt, take a position, to make a stand (opp. to a march, flight, or disorder): locus, ubi constitissent, Caes. B. G. 1, 13: qui in superiore acie constiterant, id. ib. 1, 24; cf.: in sinistrā parte acies, id. ib. 2, 23: in fluctibus, id. ib. 4, 24: sub muro, id. ib. 7, 48: juxta, id. ib. 2, 26 al.: pro opere, Sall. J. 92, 8: equites Ariovisti pari intervallo constiterunt, Caes. B. G. 1, 43: constitit utrumque agmen, Liv. 21, 46, 4: sic regii constiterant, id. 42, 58, 10 et saep.: ut reliquae (legiones) consistere non auderent, Caes. B. G. 2, 17: in locis superioribus consistere, id. ib. 3, 6: a fugā, Liv. 10, 36, 11: naves eorum nostris adversae constiterunt, Caes. B. G. 3, 14.
      5. 5. Jurid. t. t., to appear as accuser before a court of justice: cum debitoribus, Dig. 5, 3, 49: cum matre, Sen. Ira, 2, 7, 3: adversus dominos, Dig. 5, 1, 53.
      6. 6. Poet.: fert animus propius consistere, i. e. take a nearer view, Ov. A. A. 3, 467.
      7. 7. To have a stand as a dealer, occupy a place of business: ede ubi consistas, Juv. 3, 296: in tabernā, Varr. L. L. 5, § 5 Müll.: IN SCHOLA, Inscr. Orell. 4085; cf.: locum consistendi Romanis in Galliā non fore, Caes. B. G. 7, 37; 7, 42.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen., to rest, remain, stand, Lucr. 2, 332; cf. id. 2, 322: patiamini eo transire illius turpitudinis infamiam, ubi cetera maleficia consistunt, Cic. Clu. 30, 83; cf.: ut unde orta culpa esset, ibi poena consisteret, Liv. 28, 26, 3: ante oculos rectum pietasque pudorque constiterant, Ov. M. 7, 73.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. To pause, to dwell upon, delay, stop: in uno nomine, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 38, § 95: ipsa mihi veritas manum inicit et paulisper consistere et commorari cogit, id. Rosc. Com. 16, 48; cf. id. de Or. 3, 31, 124: in singulis, id. Part. Or. 35, 120.
        Impers. pass.: ista quae spectantur, ad quae consistitur, Sen. Vit. Beat. 2, 4.
      2. 2. (Acc. to I. B. 2.) To be or remain firm, unshaken, immovable, steadfast, to be at rest, to stand one’s ground, to continue, endure, subsist, be, exist: mente consistere, Cic. Phil. 2, 28, 68; so, neque mente nec linguā neque ore, id. Q. Fr. 2, 3, 2: praeclare in forensibus causis, id. Or. 9, 30: in dicendo, id. Clu. 39, 108: verbo quidem superabis me ipso judice, re autem ne consistes quidem ullo judice, id. Caecin. 21, 59; cf. of the cause itself: quia magistratus aliquis reperiebatur, apud quem Alfeni causa consisteret, id. Quint. 22, 71; cf. also: modo ut tibi constiterit fructus otii tui, id. Fam. 7, 1, 1: in quo (viro) non modo culpa nulla, sed ne suspitio quidem potuit consistere, id. Rosc. Am. 52, 152; cf. id. Clu. 29, 78: confiteor … me consistere in meo praesidio sic, ut non fugiendi hostis sed capiendi loci causā cessisse videar, id. de Or. 2, 72, 294: vitam consistere tutam, to remain, continue safe, Lucr. 6, 11 Lachm. N. cr.: constitit in nullā qui fuit ante color, Ov. A. A. 1, 120: sunt certi denique fines, Quos ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum, Hor. S. 1, 1, 107; Plin. 14, 6, 8, § 68: quales cum vertice celso Aëriae quercus constiterunt, Verg. A. 3, 679: nullo in loco, nullā in personā … consistunt (ista quae vires atque opes humanae vocantur), Val. Max. 6, 9, ext. 7: spes est hunc miserum aliquando tandem posse consistere, to take a firm stand (the figure derived from fleeing soldiers), Cic. Quint. 30, 94: si prohibent consistere vires, Ov. M. 7, 573.
      3. * 3. Cum aliquo, to agree with: videsne igitur Zenonem tuum cum Aristone verbis consistere, re dissidere, cum Aristotele et illis re consentire, verbis discrepare, Cic. Fin. 4, 26, 72.
      4. 4. In gen., to be, exist: vix binos oratores laudabiles constitisse, Cic. Brut. 97, 333: sine agricultoribus nec consistere mortales nec ali posse manifestum est, Col. 1, praef. § 6; Varr. R. R. 3, 8 fin.: quadringentis centum Venerios non posse casu consistere, to occur, lake place, be thrown, Cic. Div. 2, 21, 48: summa studia officii inter nos certatim constiterunt, Lentul. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 34, 3: sed non in te quoque constitit idem Exitus, take or have place, Ov. M. 12, 297.
          1. (β) With in, ex, or the simple abl. (in Quint. also with circa and inter; v. infra), to consist in or of, to depend upon: major pars victūs eorum in lacte, caseo, carne consistit, Caes. B. G. 6, 22: omnis per se natura duabus Constitit in rebus, Lucr. 1, 420: e quibus haec rerum summa consistat, id. 1, 236; so with ex, id. 1, 839; 1, 873 al.; with abl.: deveniunt in talis disposturas, Qualibus haec rerum consistit summa, id. 1, 1028; 5, 61; 5, 66: vita omnis in venationibus atque in studiis rei militaris consistit, Caes. B. G. 6, 21: in eo salus et vita optimi cujusque consistit, Cic. Phil. 3, 8, 19: in hoc summa judicii causaque tota consistit, id. Quint. 9, 32; cf. id. de Or. 1, 40, 182: causam belli in personā tuā, id. Phil. 2, 22, 53: in quibus vita beata, id. Tusc. 5, 14, 40: in unā honestate omne bonum, id. ib. 5, 14, 42: in nomine controversia, Quint. 7, 3, 7; 8, 3, 57: in actu rhetoricen, id. 2, 18, 2; 6, 3, 42: spes omnis consistebat Datami in se locique naturā, Nep. Dat. 8, 3.
            With abl., Quint. 12, 10, 59: omnis quaestio circa res personasque consistere videtur, id. 3, 5, 7; 6, 3, 19: quaestio inter utile atque honestum consistet, id. 3, 8, 24.
      5. 5. As opp. to progressive motion, to come to a stand, stand still, stop, rest, take rest, cease: sola Ubi quiesco, omnis familiae causa consistit tibi, Plaut. As. 3, 1, 9: omnis administratio belli consistit, Caes. B. C. 2, 12: vel concidat omne caelum omnisque terra consistat necesse est, Cic. Tusc. 1, 23, 54: forensium rerum labor et ambitionis occupatio constitisset, id. de Or. 1, 1, 1: usura, id. Att. 6, 1, 7: διάρροια, id. Fam. 7, 26, 2; cf.: videndum, morbus an increscat, an consistat, an minuatur, remains unchanged, Cels. 3, 2; and: cursus pituitae, id. 6, 6: cum ad Trebiam terrestre constitisset bellum, Liv. 21, 49, 1: cum bellum Ligustinum ad Pisas constitisset, id. 35, 4, 1; 22, 32, 4: infractaque constitit ira, Ov. M. 6, 627: Gaius ejusque posteri in equestri ordine constitere usque ad Augusti patrem, Suet. Aug. 2; cf.: maledictum, quod intra verba constitit, stopped at, went no farther than, Quint. Decl. 279.
        Note: Consisto as v. a. = constituo formerly stood Lucr. 6, 11; Sall. J. 49, 6; but these passages are corrected in recent editions. It is now found only Gell. 5, 10, 9, a doubtful passage, where Hertz reads: cum ad judices coniiciendae [consistendae] causae gratiā venissent.