plăcĕo, cŭi and cĭtus, cĭtum, 2, v. n. (part. fut. pass.: dos placenda, Plaut. Trin. 5, 2, 35; v. I. A. fin.) [cf. placo], to please, to be pleasing or agreeable, to be welcome, acceptable, to satisfy (class.).
- I. Lit.
- A. In gen.: ungor ut illi placeam, Plaut. Cas. 2, 3, 11: meo neque cara’st cordi neque placet, id. Ep. 1, 2, 30: si placeo, utere, Ter. Phorm. 3, 2, 43: non placet Antonio consulatus meus: at placuit P. Servilio, Cic. Phil. 2, 5, 12; Ter. Ad. 1, 1, 34: et quae vobis placita est condicio, datur. id. Hec. 2, 1, 44: nec dubito, quin mihi (Erigona) placitura sit, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 4, § 13: exspecto quid illis placeat de epistolā ad Caesarem, id. Att. 13, 1: tibi Ne Enipeus Plus justo placeat, Hor. C. 3, 7, 24: dis, quibus septem placuere colles, id. C. S. 7; id. Ep. 1, 7, 45; 1, 17, 35: quid placet aut odio est, id. ib. 2, 1, 101: quod spiro et placeo (si placeo) tuum est, id. C. 4, 3, 24; Plin. 12, 7, 14, § 29: sibi non placere, quod (Aristides) cupide elaborasset, ut, etc., Nep. Arist. 1, 4: quis gener hic placuit censu minor, Juv. 3, 160: Deo placere non possunt, Vulg. Rom. 8, 8.
As act.: si illa tibi placet, placenda dos quoque’st quam dat tibi, must be pleasing, Plaut. Trin. 5, 2, 35.
- B. In partic.
- 1. In scenic lang., of players or pieces presented, to please, find favor, give satisfaction: primo actu placeo, Ter. Hec. prol. alt. 31: cui scenico placenti, Suet. Ner. 42; id. Galb. 12; id. Vit. 11: populo ut placerent quas fecisset fabulas, Ter. And. prol. 3; id. Hec. prol. alt. 12: ubi (fabulae) sunt cognitae, Placitae sunt, id. ib. 13.
- 2. Placere sibi, to be pleased or satisfied with one’s self, to flatter one’s self, to pride or plume one’s self: ego numquam mihi minus quam hesterno die placui, Cic. de Or. 2, 4, 15: nolo tibi tam valde placeas, Petr. 126; Plin. 35, 9, 36, § 63: tu tibi tunc curruca places, Juv. 6, 276: omnes competitores placebant sibi, omnes omnibus displicebant, Sid. Ep. 7, 9.
- II. Transf.: placet mihi (tibi, etc.), or simply placet, it pleases me, it seems good, right, or proper to me; it is my opinion, I am of opinion, I hold, believe, intend, purpose; and in perf., placuit, or placitum est, it is decided, resolved, determined (mihi, nobis, etc., or absol.).
- A. In gen.
- (α) With dat.: ut ipsi auctori hujus disciplinae placet, Cic. Fin. 1, 9, 29: ut doctissimis sapientissimisque placuit, id. Div. 1, 49, 110: postea mihi placuit, ut summorum oratorum Graecas orationes explicarem, id. de Or. 1, 34, 155: ita nobis placitum est, ut, etc., Auct. Her. 2, 1, 1: sic Justitiae placitumque Parcis, Hor. C. 2, 17, 16: si placitum hoc Superis, Val. Fl. 3, 296.
With subject-clause: duo placet esse Carneadi genera visorum, Cic. Ac. 2, 31, 99; id. Rep. 1, 38, 60: sic visum Veneri, cui placet impares Formas, etc., mittere, Hor. C. 1, 33, 10: quis paria esse fere placuit peccata, laborant, Cum, etc., id. S. 1, 3, 96.
- (β) Without dat., Cic. Rep. 1, 46, 70: sed, si placet, in hunc diem hactenus, id. ib. 2, 44, 71; id. Sest. 51: placitum est, ut in aprico maxime pratuli loco considerent, id. Rep. 1, 12, 18.
With neutr. pron. as subj.: hocine placet? Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 16.
With subj.: placuit ad hunc primum ferremus aditum, App. M. 4, 9.
With subject-clause: placet enim esse quiddam in re publicā praestans et regale, etc., Cic. Rep. 1, 45, 69; 1, 36, 56: si enim pecunias aequari non placet, id. ib. 1, 32, 49: hos corripi placitum, Tac. A. 4, 19; 6, 7; Hor. S. 1, 3, 96.
- B. In partic.
- 1. In publicists’ lang., to resolve, will, order, determine: senatui placere, ut C. Pansa, etc., Cic. Phil. 14, 14, 38: senatui placere, C. Cassium, etc., id. ib. 11, 12, 30: deliberatur de Avarico in communi concilio, incendi placeret an defendi, Caes. B. G. 7, 15: quamobrem placitum est mihi, ut, etc., Cic. Att. 8, 12, A, § 4: edixit, mulieres ante horam quintam venire in theatrum non placere, Suet. Aug. 44 fin.; cf.: quid placeat, die, your decision, Juv. 10, 338.
- 2. Si dis placet, please the gods; and in eccl. writers: Deo placere, Vulg. Num. 23, 27; v. deus.
Hence,
- * A. plăcens, entis, P. a., pleasing, charming, dear: expetendum esse quod non placens sit, Cic. Fin. 3, 8: placens uxor, Hor. C. 2, 14, 21.
Acceptable: hostia placens Deo, Vulg. Phil. 4, 18: sibi placentes, self-willed, id. 2 Pet. 2, 10.
- B. plăcĭtus, a, um, P. a., pleasing, agreeable, acceptable (mostly poet.): placita es simplicitate tuā, you are pleasing, you please, Ov. Am. 2, 4, 18: oliva, Verg. G. 2, 425: amor, id. A. 4, 38: bona, Ov. H. 17, 98: in locum ambobus placitum exercitus conveniunt, Sall. J. 81, 1: artes, Tac. A. 2, 66: exemplum, id. ib. 4, 37: eum (regem creari) quasi placitissimum diis. qui, etc., Just. 18. 3. 9 (the reading acceptissimum is a later emendation).
Abl. absol.: sic placito ocius surrexit. App. M. 2, 24: placiti dies, appointed days, Vulg. 1 Reg. 13, 11.
- 2. Subst.: plăcĭtum, i, n.
- a. Prop., that which is pleasing or agreeable: ultra placitum laudare, more than is agreeable, Verg. E. 7, 27.
- b. Transf.
- (α) An opinion, sentiment (post-Aug.): Catonis placita de olivis, Plin. 15, 5, 6, § 20.
- (β) A determination, prescription, order: medicorum placita, Plin. 14, 22, 28, § 143.
- (γ) A maxim, principle: ipse (Rubellius) placita majorum colebat, Tac. A. 14, 22: sapientium placita, id. ib. 16, 19: Stoicorum, id. H. 3, 81: philosophorum, id. Or. 19: nec est quare hoc inter nostra placita mireris, Sen. Ep. 66, 45: decreta, quae Graeci vocant dogmata, nobis vel decreta licet adpellare vel scita vel placita, Sen. Ep. 95, 10: philosophiae placita, id. ib. § 37: Babyloniorum, Plin. 2, 79, 81, § 191; Col. 9, 2, 1.