āmento, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [amentum].
- I. Lit., to furnish with a strap or thong; esp. of the javelin, to the middle of which a strap was fastened, so that it might be thrown with greater force (very rare; only twice in Cic.): hastae amentatae, Cic. Brut. 78, 271.
Trop., of discourse: amentatae hastae (i. e. apta et parata argumenta), Cic. de Or. 1, 57, 242 (so Juv. sagittae and jaculator, q. v.).
Hence,
- II. Transf., poet., to hurl or dart the javelin by means of a thong: cum jaculum parvā Libysamentavit habenā, * Luc. 6, 221.
And of the wind, which gives an impetus to motion, as a thong to the dart: amentante Noto, Sil. 14, 422.