vĕrēcundus, a, um, adj. [vereor], feeling shame (at any thing good or bad), shamefaced, bashful, shy, coy, modest, diffident, etc.
- I. Lit.: nimis verecunda es (uxor), Plaut. Am. 3, 2, 22: decet verecundum esse adulescentem, id. As. 5, 1, 6: homo non nimis verecundus, Cic. de Or. 2, 88, 361: misi ad te quattuor admonitores non nimis verecundos, id. Fam. 9, 8, 1: innocentes et verecundi, id. Leg. 1, 19, 50: populus, Hor. A. P. 207: saepe verecundum laudasti, id. Ep. 1, 7, 37: Bacchus, moderate, id. C. 1, 27, 3 (cf.: modicus Liber, id. ib. 1, 18, 7): orator in transferendis verecundus et parcus, Cic. Or. 24, 81: vultus, Ov. M. 14, 840: ore loqui, Mart. 8, 1, 2: color, a blush, Hor. Epod. 17, 21: rubor, Ov. M. 1, 484: pudor, id. Tr. 4, 4, 50: verecunda debet esse translatio, Cic. de Or. 3, 41, 165: oratio, Quint. 11, 3, 96: verba, id. 10, 1, 9: causa, id. 4, 5, 19: vita, Ov. Tr. 2, 354.
With subj.clause: transire in diversa subsellia, parum verecundum est, Quint. 11, 3, 133: hoc dicere verecundum est, i. e. I am ashamed, id. 7, 1, 56.
Comp.: verecundior in postulando, Cic. Phil. 14, 5, 11: verecundior in loquendo, id. Fam. 7, 33, 2: partes, i. e. the private parts, Arn. 4, 133: translatio, Quint. 9, 2, 41: confessio, id. 4, 2, 8.
Sup.: Pompejus in appetendis honoribus immodicus, in gerendis verecundissimus, Vell. 2, 33, 3.
- II. Transf., objectively, worthy of reverence, venerable (late Lat.): nomen populi Romani, Amm. 14, 6, 6; cf. id. 21, 16, 11; 30, 8, 4: praetor, Capitol. Ver. 8.
Adv. (acc. to I.), shamefacedly, bashfully, shyly, modestly.
- (α) Form vĕrēcundē, Cic. Fin. 5, 2, 6; id. Brut. 22, 87; Liv. 26, 49, 16.
- * (β) Form vĕrēcundĭter, Pompon. ap. Non. 516, 23.
- b. Comp.: verecundius, Cic. de Or. 1, 37, 171; Quint. 4, 1, 13; 11, 1, 84.