frēno (fraeno), āvi, ātum, 1 (archaic inf. pres. pass. frenarier, Prud. Psych. 191), v. a. [frenum], to furnish with a bridle, to bridle (mostly in poets).
- I. Lit.: frenati equi, Hirt. B. G. 8, 15, 4: equos, Verg. A. 5, 554; Hor. Ep. 1, 15, 13; cf. Liv. 21, 27: ora cervi capistris, Ov. M. 10, 125: colla draconum (Medea), id. ib. 7, 220; cf. dracones, id. Tr. 3, 8, 3: frenato delphine sedens Thetis, id. M. 11, 237; cf.: vecta est frenato pisce Thetis, Tib. 1, 5, 46: frenata acies, i. e. the cavalry (opp. pedestris), Sil. 11, 266.
- II. Transf., in gen., to bridle, curb, restrain, check (syn.: coerceo, comprimo, etc.).
- A. Prop.: (Aeolus ventos) Imperio premit ac vinclis et carcere frenat, Verg. A. 1, 54: agmina ductor, Sil. 9, 418: cum tristis hiems glacie cursus frenaret aquarum, Verg. G. 4, 136: alvum frenat brassica, Ser. Samm. 29: tussim medicamine, id. 17.
- B. Trop., to bridle, curb, check, restrain, govern: frenatam tot malis linguam resolvimus, Plin. Pan. 66, 5: qui eas (voluptates) sua temperantia frenavit ac domuit, Liv. 30, 14, 7: ejus (Clodii) furores, quos nullis jam legibus, nullis judiciis frenare poteramus, Cic. Mil. 28, 77: spes avidas, Sil. 10, 341: impetum (scribendi), Phaedr. 4, 25, 7: dolores corde, to shut up, Sil. 8, 290: gentes superbas justitiā (Dido), Verg. A. 1, 523; cf.: Aemoniam (Pelias), Val. Fl. 1, 22: ne quis temere frenari eos dicere posset, quominus de eo libere querantur, Liv. 26, 29, 7.