hŏnesto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [honestus], to clothe or adorn with honor; to honor, dignify; to adorn, grace, embellish (class.; cf. honoro), with personal or inanimate objects.
- 1. With personal objects quom me tanto honore honestas, Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 106; 2, 1, 50; cf.: quod non dignos homines honore honestatos videbam, Sall. C. 35, 3 Kritz.: tantam laudem, quantā vos me vestris decretis honestatis, nemo est assecutus, Cic Cat 4, 10, 20: Saturnini imagine mortem ejus honestare, id. Rab. Perd. 9, 24; id. Sull. 29, 81; id. Off. 1, 39, 139: haec famigeratio Te honestet, me autem collutulet, Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 67: ad eum augendum atque honestandum, Cic. Off. 2, 6, 21: a quibus, si interdum ad forum deducimur, si uno basilicae spatio honestamur, diligenter observari videmur et coli, are honored by being accompanied through the basilica, id. Mur. 34, 70: summi viri Gracchorum et Flacci sanguine non modo se non contaminarunt, sed etiam honestarunt, id. Cat. 1, 12, 29: quem vultus honestat, Dedecorant mores, Claud. Laud. Stil. 1, 26; cf.: arma auro et argento distincta corpus rarae magnitudinis honestabant, Curt. 8, 44, 7: ingens corpus erat (Navii), et arma honestabant, Liv. 26, 5, 16.
II. With inanimate objects: nec domo dominus, sed domino domus honestanda est, Cic. Off. 1, 39, 139: L. Pauli currum rex nobilissimus Perses honestavit, id. Cat. 4, 10, 21: caput (avis) plumeo apice honestante (with distinguere), Plin. 10, 2, 2, § 3; cf. Curt. 8, 13: formam pudor honestabat, id. 6, 2; 3, 6 fin.: exornatio est, qua utimur rei honestandae et locupletandae causa, adorn, Auct. Her. 2, 18, 28; Plaut. Stich. 2, 1, 7.