ingĕnĭōsus (ingĕnŭ-), a, um, adj. [ingenium], intellectual, superior in intellect, endowed with a good capacity, gifted with genius, of good natural talents or abilities, clever, ingenious.
- I. Lit.: Aristoteles quidem ait, omnes ingeniosos melancholicos esse, Cic. Tusc. 1, 33, 80: ingeniosi vocantur, id. Fin. 5, 13, 36: vir ingeniosus et eruditus, id. Att. 14, 20, 3: quo quisque est solertior et ingeniosior, id. Rosc. Com. 11, 31: homo ingeniosissimus, id. Mur. 30, 62: ad aliquid, Ov. M. 11, 313: dandis ingeniosa notis, id. Am. 1, 11, 4: esse in aliqua re, Mart. praef. 1: in poenas, Ov. Tr. 2, 342: res est ingeniosa dare, giving requires good sense, id. Am. 1, 8, 62.
- II. Transf., of inanimate things.
- A. Ingenious, clever: argumentum, Plin. 35, 10, 36, § 69.
- B. Adapted to, apt, fit for any thing: vox mutandis ingeniosa sonis, Ov. Am. 2, 6, 18: terra ingeniosa colenti, id. H. 6, 117: ad segetes ager, id. F. 4, 684.
Sup.: ingenuosissimus, Inscr. Murat. 1742, 15.
Adv.: ingĕnĭōsē, acutely, wittily, ingeniously: tractantur ista ingeniose, Cic. Ac. 2, 27, 87: electas res collocare, id. Inv. 1, 6, 81: dicere, Quint. 1, 6, 36.
Comp., Plin. 15, 13, 12, § 42.
Sup.: homo ingeniosissime nequam, Vell. 2, 48, 3.