Lewis & Short

ignāvus, a, um, adj. [in-gnavus, navus], inactive, lazy, slothful, idle, sluggish, listless, without spirit, cowardly, dastardly (syn.: iners, socors; opp.: strenuus, alacer, fortis).

  1. I. Lit., of living beings (freq. and class.): homines, Plaut. Rud. 3, 5, 49: si non fecero Ei male aliquo pacto, me esse dicito ignavissimum, id. Bacch. 3, 6, 27: quid ergo ille ignavissumus mi latitabat? id. Trin. 4, 2, 82; 1, 2, 128; id. Poen. 4, 2, 24: homo inertior, ignavior, magis vir inter mulieres proferri non potest, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 78, § 192: ignavus miles ac timidus, id. Tusc. 2, 23, 54; cf.: compertum habeo, milites neque ex ignavo strenuum neque fortem ex timido exercitum oratione imperatoris fieri, Sall. C. 58, 1: feroces et inquieti inter socios, ignavi et imbelles inter hostes, Liv. 26, 2, 11: ignavissimus ac fugacissimus hostis, id. 5, 28, 8: ignavissimi homines (opp.: fortissimi viri), Sall. C. 12 fin.: canis Ignavus adversum lupos, Hor. Epod. 6, 2: (apes) Ignavaeque fame et contracto frigore pigrae, Verg. G. 4, 259: ignavum, fucos, pecus a praesepibus arcent, id. A. 1, 435: genus ignavum quod lecto gaudet, Juv. 7, 105.
    Subst.: cedentibus ignavis et imbecillis, Cic. Rep. 1, 32: in bello poena ignavis ab imperatoribus constituitur, id. Caecin. 16, 46: in victoria vel ignavis gloriari licet, adversae res etiam bonos detractant, Sall. J. 53 fin.; cf.: gloriam, honorem, imperium bonus ignavus aeque sibi exoptant, id. C. 11, 2: favimus ignavo, Ov. Am. 3, 2, 73.
          1. (β) With gen.: legiones operum et laboris ignavae, Tac. A. 11, 18; cf.: possis ignavus haberi et subiti casus improvidus, si, etc., Juv. 3, 272.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Of inanim. and abstr. things (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose): quae vitia non sunt senectutis, sed inertis, ignavae, somniculosae senectutis, Cic. de Sen. 11, 36: nemora, i. e. unfruitful, Verg. G. 2, 208: globus, i. e. immovable, Plin. 2, 8, 6, § 33; cf. gravitas, Ov. M. 2, 821: stagna jacentis aquae, Luc. 5, 442: ignavo stupuerunt verba palato, i. e. speechless, Ov. Am. 2, 6, 47: mora, id. A. A. 1, 186: anni, spent in idleness, id. Am. 1, 15, 1; cf. otia, id. Tr. 1, 7, 25: septima lux, i. e. the Jewish Sabbath, Juv. 14, 106: ignavum conferunt stipendium, only money, not soldiers, arms, etc., Vell. 2, 39, 1: sucus meconium vocatur, multum opio ignavior, weaker, less efficacious, Plin. 20, 18, 76, § 202: quorundam flos tantum jucundus, reliquae partes ignavae, ut violae ac rosae, without smell, id. 21, 7, 18, § 37: cornicula ante oculos ignava, i. e. of no use, id. 11, 28, 34, § 100: ignavum est rediturae parcere vitae, Luc. 1, 492.
    2. B. Of things that produce inactivity or indolence, that renders slothful or inactive: nec nos impediet illa ignava ratio, quae dicitur: appellatur enim quidam a philosophis ἀργὸς λόγος, cui si pareamus, nihil omnino agamus in vita. Sic enim interrogant: Si fatum tibi est, etc. … Recte genus hoc interrogationis ignavum et iners nominatum est, quod eadem ratione omnis e vita tolletur actio, relaxing, Cic. Fat. 12, 28 sq.: frigus, Ov. M. 2, 763: aestus, id. ib. 7, 529: dolor, Plin. 11, 18, 20, § 64.
      Hence, adv. in two forms, ignāvē and ignā-vĭter.
          1. (α) Ignave, sluggishly, slothfully, without spirit: ne quid abjecte, ne quid timide, ne quid ignave, ne quid serviliter muliebriterve faciamus, Cic. Tusc. 2, 23, 55: dicere multa, flatly, tamely, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 67.
          2. (β) Ignaviter, lazily, sluggishly, tardily: ignaviter quaerere, Lucil. ap. Non. 513, 14; Quadrig. ap. Prisc. p. 1010 P.; Hirt. ap. Cic. Att. 15, 6, 2.
        1. b. Comp.: carpere ignavius herbas, Verg. G. 3, 465.