ăb-horrĕo, ui, ēre, 2, v. n. and a., to shrink back from a thing, to shudder at, abhor.
- I. Lit. (syn. aversor; rare but class.); constr. with ab or absol., sometimes with the acc. (not so in Cicero; cf. Haase ad Reisig Vorles. p. 696): retro volgus abhorret ab hac, shrinks back from, Lucr. 1, 945; 4, 20: omnes aspernabantur, omnes abhorrebant, etc., Cic. Clu. 14, 41: quid tam abhorret hilaritudo? Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 56: pumilos atque distortos, Suet. Aug. 83; so id. Galb. 4; Vit. 10.
- II. Transf., in gen.
- A. To be averse or disinclined to a thing, not to wish it, usu. with ab: a nuptiis, Ter. Hec. 4, 4, 92: ab re uxoriā, id. And. 5, 1, 10; and so often in Cic.: Caesaris a causā, Cic. Sest. 33: a caede, id. ib. 63: ab horum turpitudine, audaciā, sordibus, id. ib. 52, 112: a scribendo abhorret animus, id. Att. 2, 6: animo abhorruisse ab optimo statu civitatis, id. Phil. 7, 2: a ceterorum consilio, Nep. Milt. 3, 5 al.
- B. In a yet more general sense, to be remote from an object, i. e. to vary or differ from, to be inconsistent or not to agree with (freq. and class.): temeritas tanta, ut non procul abhorreat ab insaniā, Cic. Rosc. Am. 24, 68: a vulgari genere orationis atque a consuetudine communis sensus, id. de Or. 1, 3, 12: oratio abhorrens a personā hominis gravissimi, id. Rep. 1, 15: ab opinione tuā, id. Verr. 2, 3, 20: Punicum abhorrens os ab Latinorum nominum prolatione, Liv. 22, 13; so id. 29, 6; 30, 44: a fide, to be incredible, id. 9, 36: a tuo scelere, is not connected with, Cic. Cat. 1, 7 al.
Hence, like dispar, with dat.: tam pacatae profectioni abhorrens mos, not accordant with, Liv. 2, 14.
- 2. To be free from: Caelius longe ab istā suspicione abhorrere debet, Cic. Cael. 4.
- 3. Absol.
- (α) To alter: tantum abhorret ac mutat, alters and changes, Cat. 22, 11.
- (β) To be unfit: sin plane abhorrebit et erit absurdus, Cic. de Or. 2, 20, 85; cf.: absurdae atque abhorrentes lacrimae, Liv. 30, 44, 6; and: carmen abhorrens et inconditum, id. 27, 37, 13.