Lewis & Short

lĭto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. and a., to make an offering which exhibits favorable prognostics, to sacrifice under favorable auspices, to obtain favorable omens.

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. Neutr.: si istuc umquam factum est, tum me Juppiter Faciat, ut semper sacrificem nec umquam litem, Plaut. Poen. 2, 41: nec auspicato, nec litato instruunt aciem, without favorable omens, Liv. 5, 38: Manlium egregie litasse, id. 8, 9, 1: non facile litare, id. 27, 23; 29, 10, 6; Suet. Caes. 81; curt. 7, 7, 29: impia tam saeve gesturus bella litasti, Luc. 7, 171.
      Prov.: mola tantum salsa litant, qui non habent tura, i. e. a man can give no more than he has, Plin. praef. § 11.
          1. (β) With dat.: cum pluribus dis immolatur, qui tandem evenit, ut litetur aliis, aliis non litetur, Cic. Div. 2, 17, 38: litatum est ei deo, Plin. 10, 28, 40, § 75.
          2. (γ) With abl.: proximā hostiā litatur saepe pulcherrime, Cic. Div. 2, 15, 36; so Plin. 8, 45, 70, § 183: humanis hostiis, Tac. G. 9.
      1. 2. Of the victim itself, to give a favorable omen, promise a successful event: victima Diti patri caesa litavit, Suet. Oth. 8; id. Aug. 96: non quacunque manu victima caesa litat, Mart. 10, 73, 6.
      2. 3. Transf., in gen., to make an offering, offer sacrifice: qui hominem immolaverint, exve ejus sanguine litaverint … capite puniuntur, Paul. Sent. 5, 23, 16.
    2. B. Act., to offer acceptably (poet. and in post-class. prose): exta litabat ovis, Prop. 4 (5), 1, 24: sacra bove, Ov. F. 4, 630: sacris litatis, Verg. A. 4, 50: sacris ex more litatis, Ov. M. 14, 156: Phoebe, tibi enim haec sacra litavi, Stat. Th. 10, 338: tibi litavi hoc sacrum, Luc. 1, 632: diis sanguinem humanum, Flor. 3, 4, 2: hostias, Just. 20, 2, 14.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. To bring an offering to, to make atonement to, to propitiate, appease, satisfy: litemus Lentulo, parentemus Cethego, Cic. Fl. 38, 96: publico gaudio, Plin. Pan. 52, 4: aliquid poenā, Auct. B. Hisp. 24.
      Impers. pass.: sanguine quaerendi reditus, animāque litandum Argolicā, Verg. A. 2, 118: postquam litatum est Ilio Phoebus redit, Sen. Agm. 577: de alicujus sanguine legibus, App. M. 2, p. 132 fin.
    2. B. To devote, consecrate: plura non habui, dolor, tibi quae litarem, Sen. Med. fin.: honorem deo, Tert. Patient. 10: victimam, Prud. Cath. 7, 5.