Lewis & Short

fingo, finxi, fictum, 3, v. a. [Sanscr. dih-, dēhmi, smear; Gr. θιγ, θιγγάνω, touch; whence figulus, figura, etc.; prop., to handle].

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. To touch, handle, stroke, touch gently (rare): mulcere alternos, et corpora fingere lingua, Verg. A. 8, 634: saepe manus aegras manibus fingebat amicis, Ov. F. 5, 409.
    2. B. Esp., to form, shape, fashion, frame, make (class.), whence also figulus: esse aliquam vim, quae finxerit, vel, ut tuo verbo utar, quae fabricata sit hominem, Cic. Ac. 2, 27, 87; cf.: ab aliquo deo ficti esse videantur, id. de Or. 1, 25, 115: fingere et construere nidos, build, id. ib. 2, 6, 23: favos, id. Off. 1, 44, 157: ut illa bestia fetum ederet informem, lambendo postgea fingeret, etc., Gell. 17, 10, 3.
    3. C. In partic.
      1. 1. Of the plastic art, to form or fashion by art (in wax, clay, stone, etc.), to mould or model, as a statuary: quorum alterum fingere opinor e cera solitum esse, alterum esse pictorem, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 13, § 30; cf.: in ceris aut fictilibus figuris, id. N. D. 1, 26, 71: similitudines ex argilla, Plin. 35, 12, 43, § 151; cf., sarcastically: hic homullus, ex argilla et luto fictus Epicurus, Cic. Pis. 25, 59: pocula de humo, Ov. Tr. 2, 489: Alexander ab Apelle potissimum pingi et a Lysippo fingi volebat … qui neque pictam neque fictam imaginem suam passus est esse, etc., Cic. Fam. 5, 12, 7; cf.: fingendi ars, of making statues, statuary, id. de Or. 3, 7, 26: corpora fingendo pingendove efficere, Quint. 5, 12, 21.
      2. 2. With the access. notion of arranging, adorning, etc., to set to rights, arrange; to adorn, dress, trim (poet. syn.: componere, excolere, ornare): Bene cum lauta est (mulier), tersa, ornata, ficta est: infecta est tamen, Plaut. Stich. 5, 5, 4: cum se non finxerit ulli, Ov. R. Am. 341: isti ficti, compositi, crispi cincinni, Plaut. Truc. 2, 2, 32; cf.: canas fingere comas, Tib. 1, 2, 92: comas presso pollice, Prop. 3, 10 (4, 9), 14; Ov. A. A. 1, 306; Mart. 6, 57; cf.: comas auro, Stat. Th. 5, 228: crinem, Verg. A. 4, 148; cf. also Phaedr. 2, 2, 9: vitem putando, Verg. G. 2, 407 Forbig.
      3. 3. With the access. notion of untruth, to alter, change, for the purpose of dissembling: hi neque vultum fingere, neque interdum lacrimas tenere poterant, Caes. B. G. 1, 39, 4; cf.: vultus quoque hominum fingit scelus, i. e. makes men change countenance, Ter. Heaut. 5, 1, 14.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen., to form, fashion, make: Ly. multa eveniunt homini quae volt, quae nevolt. Ph. Mentire, gnate, nam sapiens quidem pol ipsus fingit fortunam sibi, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 84; cf. the vv. foll.: natura fingit homines et creat imitatores et narratores facetos, Cic. de Or. 2, 54, 219: animos fingere, formare, id. Brut. 38, 142: cf.: moderari et fingere mentem ac voluntates, id. Leg. 3, 18, 40: ea quae nobis non possumus fingere, vultus, facies, sonus, id. de Or. 1, 28, 127: formam totius rei publicae velim mittas, ex qua me fingere possim, regulate myself, i. e. proceed, act, id. Att. 6, 3, 4; cf.: ad eorum (qui audiunt) arbitrium et nutum totos se fingunt et accommodant, id. Or. 8, 24: ea (verba) nos sicut mollissimam ceram ad nostrum arbitrium formamus et fingimus, id. de Or. 3, 45, 177; cf. also: arbitrio fingere, id. Brut. 79, 274: fortuna humana fingit artatque ut lubet, Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 54; cf.: vitam subito flecti fingique posse, shaped, directed, Cic. Sull. 28, 79; cf. id. ib. 25, 69: jure erat semper idem voltus, cum mentis, a qua is fingitur, nulla fieret mutatio, id. Tusc. 3, 15, 31; cf.: circumspexit amictus et finxit vultum, composed, Ov. M. 4, 318: lingua vocem immoderate profusam fingit et terminat, forms, Cic. N. D. 2, 59, 149; cf.: Peripateticorum institutis commodius fingeretur oratio, id. Brut. 31, 119: ego apis Matinae more modoque operosa parvus carmina fingo (like the Gr. πλάττω), make, compose, Hor. C. 4, 2, 32: carmina, id. Ep. 2, 1, 227; id. A. P. 331; 240: versus, id. ib. 382: poëmata, Suet. Tit. 3: opprobria in quemvis, Hor. Ep. 1, 15, 30.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. With a double predicate, to form, make into something or in a certain manner: finxit te ipsa natura ad honestatem, gravitatem … ad omnes denique virtutes magnum hominem et excelsum, Cic. Mur. 29, 60: nec, si miserum fortuna Sinonem Finxit, vanum etiam mendacemque improba finget, Verg. A. 2, 79: (illum) spissae nemorum comae Fingent Aeolio carmine nobilem, Hor. C. 4, 3, 12: di bene fecerunt, inopis me quodque pusilli Finxerunt animi, id. S. 1, 4, 18: timui, mea me finxisse minora putarer Dissimulator opis propriae, to have lessened, i. e. purposely disparaged it, id. Ep. 1, 9, 8.
      2. 2. To form by instruction, to instruct, teach, train: idem mire finxit filium, i. e. caused him to play his part, Ter. Heaut. 5, 1, 25; cf.: voce paterna Fingeris ad rectum, Hor. A. P. 367: fingitur artibus, id. C. 3, 6, 22: fingit equum tenera docilem cervice magister Ire viam, qua monstret eques, id. Ep. 1, 2, 64.
      3. 3. To form mentally or in speech, to represent in thought, to imagine, conceive, think, suppose; to sketch out: fingite animis … fingite cogitatione imaginem hujus condicionis meae, etc., Cic. Mil. 29, 79; cf.: omnia quae cogitatione nobismet ipsi possumus fingere, id. N. D. 3, 18, 47: fingere animo, id. de Sen. 12, 41: cf. also: animo et cogitatione, id. Tusc. 5, 24, 68: ex sua natura ceteros, to conceive of, id. Rosc. Am. 9, 26: quid magis exercitum dici aut fingi potest? id. Mil. 2, 5: maleficium, id. Rosc. Am. 40, 116: tu, stulta, deos, tu fingis inania vera, Prop. 3, 20 (4, 19), 5: qui utilitatum causa fingunt amicitias, suppose, Cic. Lael. 14, 51: principatum sibi ipse opinionis errore finxerat, had imagined to himself, id. Off. 1, 8, 26: in summo oratore fingendo, in representing, sketching out, id. Or. 2, 7: finge tamen te improbulum, Juv. 5, 72.
          1. (β) With double acc.: quod si qui me astutiorem fingit, Cic. Fam. 3, 8, 6: Tiresiam sapientem fingunt poetae … at vero Polyphemum Homerus immanem finxit, id. Tusc. 5, 39, 115.
          2. (γ) With an object-clause, and in pass., with a subject-clause: finge, aliquem nunc fierisapientem, nondum esse, suppose, Cic. Ac. 2, 36, 117: finge solum natum nothum, Quint. 3, 6, 100.
            Ellipt.: interfecti aliqui sunt; finge a nobis, assume, grant, Liv. 39, 37, 11: fingamus Alexandrum dari nobis, Quint. 1, 1, 24: non omnia corpora fingunt in medium niti, Lucr. 1, 1083; cf. id. 2, 175: qui naufragus fingitur se suspendisse, Quint. 8, 5, 22: qui suos artus morsu lacerasset, fingitur in scholis supra se cubasse, id. 8, 2, 20.
        1. b. Pregn., with the access. notion of creating by thinking, to contrive, devise, invent, feign something (esp. untrue): argento comparando fingere fallaciam, Plaut. As. 2, 1, 2; 4: fallacias, Ter. Heaut. 3, 2, 22: fallaciam, id. And. 1, 3, 15; cf.: nonne ad senem aliquam fabricam fingit? id. Heaut. 3, 2, 34: fingit causas, ne det, sedulo, id. Eun. 1, 2, 58: falsas causas ad discordiam, id. Hec. 4, 4, 71: si mihi aliquam (rem publicam), ut apud Platonem Socrates, ipse finxero, Cic. Rep. 2, 1 fin.; cf. id. ib. 2, 11: ex eventis fingere, id. Fam. 6, 6, 4: (crimina) in istum fingere, id. Verr. 1, 5, 15: ea quae sunt in usu vitaque communi, non ea, quae finguntur aut optantur, id. Lael. 5, 18: in faciem moresque meos nova crimina fingis, Ov. H. 12, 177: fingere qui non visa potest, commissa tacere Qui nequit, Hor. S. 1, 4, 84: quaelibet in quemvis opprobria fingere, id. Ep. 1, 15, 30: finguntur et testamenta, Quint. 7, 4, 39: nemo dolorem fingit in hoc casu, Juv. 13, 132: qui sub obtentu monituum deorum scientes eos fingunt, Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 15, 2, 6.
          With double acc.: bonois se ac liberales, Sen. Ben. 4, 17, 3.
          With inf.: ignorare fingit, Claud. in Eutrop. 2, 306.
          Hence, fic-tus, a, um, P. a., feigned, fictitious, false: in amicitia nihil fictum est, nihil simulatum, Cic. Lael. 8, 26; cf. id. ib. 18, 65: ficto officio et simulata sedultiate conjunctus, id. Caecin. 5, 14: in re ficta (opp. in vera), id. Lael. 7, 24: falsum est id totum neque solum fictum, sed etiam imperite absurdeque fictum, id. Rep. 2, 15: commenticii et ficti dii, id. N. D. 2, 28, 70: fabula, id. Off. 3, 9, 39: in rebus fictis et adumbratis, id. Lael. 26, 97: amor, Lucr. 4, 1192: gemitus, Ov. M. 6, 565: cunctatio, Tac. A. 1, 46: ficto pectore fatur, Verg. A. 2, 107.
          Poet. and in post-Aug. prose also, of persons: pro bene sano Ac non incauto fictum astutumque vocamus, dissembling, false, Hor. S. 1, 3, 62: alii fictum (eum), ingratum, immemorem loquuntur, Plin. Ep. 8, 18, 3; but: ficta pellice plorat, imaginary, Juv. 6, 272.
          Poet., subst.: fictum, i, n., deception, fiction: ficti pravique tenax, Verg. A. 4, 188: jam consumpserat omnem Materiam ficti, Ov. M. 9, 767.
          Adverb.: fictumque in colla minatus, Crura subit, Stat. Th. 6, 876.
          Adv.: ficte, feignedly, fictitiously: ficte et simulate quaestus causa insusurrare, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 4, § 13: ficte reconciliata gratia, id. Fam. 3, 12, 4.