Lewis & Short

ĭn-hĭbĕo, ŭi, ĭtum, 2, v. a. [in-habeo], to lay hold of a thing, in order to keep it back or to put it forward.

  1. I. To keep back, restrain, curb, check.
    1. A. Lit.: tela, Verg. A. 12, 693; Liv. 30, 10, 15: crudelissimas manus, Petr. 105: frenos, Liv. 1, 48, 6: equos, Ov. M. 2, 128: cruorem, id. ib. 7, 849: alvum, Plin. 19, 8, 40, § 2: remos, to cease rowing, Quint. 12 prooem. § 4: inhibere, or inhibere remis, or inhibere remis puppim, or inhibere retro navem, to row the ship backwards without turning it round; cf.: inhibere est verbum totum nauticum: sed arbitrabar sustineri remos, cum inhibere essent jussi remiges. Id non esse ejusmodi, didici heri … non enim sustinent, sed alio modo remigant: id ab ἐποχῇ remotissimum est, Cic. Att. 13, 21, 3. (Cicero himself has used the term in the incorrect signif. here found fault with: Ut concitato navigio, cum remiges inhibuerunt, retinet tamen ipsa navis motum et cursum suum, intermisso impetu pulsuque remorum, Cic. de Or. 1, 33, 153.) In the foll. passages it is used in its proper acceptation: cum divellere se ab hoste cupientes inhiberent Rhodii, Liv. 37, 30, 10: ite cessim inhibete remis, et a bello discedite, Just. 2, 12: Tyrii inhibentes remis aegre evellere navem quae haerebat, Curt. 4, 4: retro navem inhibere, Liv. 26, 39, 12: postquam inhibent remis puppes, Luc. 3, 659.
    2. B. Transf., to restrain, hinder, prevent, inhibit: impetum victoris, Liv. 39, 21, 10: facinus, Petr. 108: urentis oculos, blasting or evil eyes, Pers. 2, 34.
          1. (β) Ab aliqua re: a turpi mente inhibere probro, Cat. 91, 4.
          2. (γ) With quominus: nec tamen potuit inhibere (Cato), quominus Romae quoque ponerentur (statuae), Plin. 34, 6, 14, § 31.
          3. (δ) With inf.: inhibentur rectum agere cursum, Plin. 2, 16, 13, § 69: inhibenda tamen est (mater mori), Sen. Herc. Oet. 1030; Quint. 10, 1, 18.
  2. II. Sometimes in the sense of adhibere, exercere, to set in operation, to practise, perform, use, employ: hocine hic pacto potest inhibere imperium magister, exert authority, Plaut. Bacch. 3, 3, 43: utrum fontine an Libero imperium te inhibere mavis? id. Stich. 5, 4, 17: imperium in deditos, Liv. 36, 28, 5: imperium si quis inhiberet, id. 3, 50, 12: neque animis ad imperium inhibendum imminutis, id. 3, 38, 1: eadem supplicia alicui, to inflict the same punishment on one, Cic. Phil. 13, 18, 37; cf. coërcitionem, to inflict, Liv. 4, 53, 7.