Lewis & Short

con-cĭpĭo, cēpi, ceptum, 3, v. a. [capio], to take or lay hold of, to take to one’s self, to take in, take, receive, etc. (class. in prose and poetry).

  1. I. Prop.
    1. A. In gen.: nuces si fregeris, vix sesquimodio concipere possis, Varr. R. R. 1, 7, 3: truleum latius, quo concipiat aquam, id. L. L. 5, § 118 Müll.; cf. Lucr. 6, 503; and: concipit Iris aquas, draws up, Ov. M. 1, 271: madefacta terra caducas Concepit lacrimas, id. ib 6, 397: imbres limumque, Col. Arb. 10, 3.
      Of water, to take up, draw off, in a pipe, etc.: Alsietinam aquam, Front. Aquaed. 11; 5 sqq.
      Pass., to be collected or held, to gather: pars (animae) concipitur cordis parte quādam, Cic. N. D. 2, 55, 138: ut quisque (umor) ibi conceptus fuerit, quam celerrime dilabatur, Col. 1, 6, 5.
      Hence, con-cepta, ōrum, n. subst., measures of fluids, capacity of a reservoir, etc.: amplius quam in conceptis commentariorum, i. e. the measures described in the registers, Front. Aquaed. 67; 73.
      Of the approach of death: cum jam praecordiis conceptam mortem contineret, Cic. Tusc. 1, 40, 96: ventum veste, Quint. 11, 3, 119; cf.: plurimum ventorum, Plin. 16, 31, 57, § 131; and: magnam vim venti, Curt. 4, 3, 2: auram, id. 4, 3, 16; cf. Ov. M. 12, 569: aëra, id. ib. 1, 337: ignem, Lucr. 6, 308; so Cic. de Or. 2, 45, 190; Liv. 21, 8, 12; 37, 11, 13; Ov. M. 15, 348.
      Of lime slaked: ubi terrenā silices fornace soluti concipiunt ignem liquidarum aspergine aquarum, Ov. M. 7, 108 al.; cf.: lapidibus igne concepto, struck, Vulg. 2 Macc. 10, 3: flammam, Caes. B. C. 2, 14: flammas, Ov. M. 1, 255; cf. of the flame of love: flammam pectore, Cat. 64, 92: ignem, Ov. M. 9, 520; 10, 582: validos ignes, id. ib. 7, 9: medicamentum venis, Curt. 3, 6, 11: noxium virus, Plin. 21, 13, 44, § 74: morbum, Col. 7, 5, 14: in eā parte nivem concipi, is formed, Sen. Q. N. 4, 2, 1.
      Of disease: is morbus aestate plerumque concipitur, Col. 7, 5, 14: si ex calore et aestu concepta pestis invasit, id. 7, 5, 2.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. To take or receive (animal or vegetable) fecundation, to conceive, become pregnant.
          1. (α) Absol.: more ferarum putantur Concipere uxores, Lucr. 4, 1266; Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 17: cum concepit mula, Cic. Div. 2, 22, 50: ex illo concipit ales, Ov. M. 10, 328 et saep.: (arbores) concipiunt variis diebus et pro suā quaeque naturā, Plin. 16, 25, 39, § 94.
          2. (β) With acc.: ut id, quod conceperat, servaret, Cic. Clu. 12, 33: Persea, quem pluvio Danaë conceperat auro, Ov. M. 4, 611: aliquem ex aliquo, Cic. Clu. 11, 31; Suet. Aug. 17; id. Claud. 27: ex adulterio, id. Tib. 62: de aliquo, Ov. M. 3, 214: alicujus semine, id. ib. 10, 328: ova (pisces), Plin. 9, 51, 75, § 165.
            Poet.: concepta crimina portat, i. e. fetum per crimen conceptum, Ov. M. 10, 470 (cf. id. ib. 3, 268): omnia, quae terra concipiat semina, Cic. N. D. 2, 10, 26: frumenta quaedam in tertio genu spicam incipiunt concipere, Plin. 18, 7, 10, § 56.
            Subst.: conceptum, i, n., the fetus: ne praegnanti medicamentum, quo conceptum excutitur, detur, Scrib. Ep. ad Callist. p. 3: coacta conceptum a se abigere, Suet. Dom. 22.
        1. * b. In Ovid, meton., of a woman, to unite herself in marriage, to marry, wed: Dea undae, Concipe. Mater eris juvenis, etc., Ov. M. 11, 222.
      2. 2. Concipere furtum, in jurid. Lat., to find out or discover stolen property, Just. Inst. 4, 1, § 4; cf.: penes quem res concepta et inventa est, Paul. Sent. 2, 31, 5; Gell. 11, 18, 9 sq.; Gai Inst. 3, 186.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. To take or seize something by the sense of sight, to see, perceive (cf. comprehendo, II. A.): haec tanta oculis bona concipio, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 65.
      Far more freq.,
    2. B. To perceive in mind.
      1. 1. In gen., to comprehend intellectually, to take in, imagine, conceive, think: agedum, inaugura fierine possit, quod nunc ego mente concipio, Liv. 1, 36, 3; so, aliquid animo, id. 9, 18, 8; cf.: imaginem quandam concipere animo perfecti oratoris, Quint. 1, 10, 4; cf. id. 2, 20, 4; 9, 1, 19 al.: quid mirum si in auspiciis imbecilli animi superstitiosa ista concipiant? Cic. Div. 2, 39, 81: quantalibet magnitudo hominis concipiatur animo, Liv. 9, 18, 8 Drak. ad loc.: de aliquo summa concipere, Quint. 6, prooem. § 2: onus operis opinione prima concipere, id. 12, prooem. § 1: protinus concepit Italiam et arma virumque, conceived the plan of the Æneid, Mart. 8, 56, 19.
      2. 2. In partic., to understand, comprehend, perceive: quoniam principia rerum omnium animo ac mente conceperit, Cic. Leg. 1, 22, 59: quae neque concipi animo nisi ab iis qui videre, neque, etc., Plin. 36, 15, 24, § 124: fragor, qui concipi humanā mente non potest, id. 33, 4, 21, § 73: concipere animo potes, quam simus fatigati, Plin. Ep. 3, 9, 24.
        With acc. and inf.: quod ita juratum est, ut mens conciperet fleri oportere, id servandum est, Cic. Off. 3, 29, 107: forsitan et lucos illic concipias animo esse, Ov. M. 2, 77: concepit, eos homines posse jure mulceri, Vell. 2, 117, 3; Cels. 7 praef. fin.
    3. C. To receive in one’s self, adopt, harbor any disposition of mind, emotion, passion, evil design, etc., to give place to, foster, to take in, receive; to commit (the figure derived from the absorbing of liquids; hence): quod non solum vitia concipiunt ipsi, sed ea infundunt in civitatem, Cic. Leg. 3, 14, 32: inimicitiae et aedilitate et praeturā conceptae, Caes. B. C. 3, 16; so, mente vaticinos furores, Ov. M. 2, 640: animo ingentes iras, id. ib. 1, 166: spem, id. ib. 6, 554; cf.: spemque metumque, id. F. 1, 485: aliquid spe, Liv. 33, 33, 8: amorem, Ov. M. 10, 249: pectore tantum robur, Verg. A. 11, 368: auribus tantam cupiditatem, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 45, § 101 al.: re publicā violandā fraudis inexpiabiles concipere, id. Tusc. 1, 30, 72: malum aut scelus, id. Cat. 2, 4, 7: scelus in sese, id. Verr. 2, 1, 4, § 9: flagitium cum aliquo, id. Sull. 5, 16.
    4. D. To draw up, comprise, express something in words, to compose (cf. comprehendo, II. C.): quod ex animi tui sententiā juraris, sicut verbis concipiatur more nostro, Cic. Off. 3, 29, 108: vadimonium, id. Q. Fr. 2, 13 (15), 3: jusjurandum, Liv. 1, 32, 8; Tac. H. 4, 41; cf.: jurisjurandi verba, id. ib. 4, 31; and verba, Liv. 7, 5, 5: edictum, Dig. 13, 6, 1: libellos, ib. 48, 19, 9: stipulationem, ib. 41, 1, 38: obligationem in futurum, ib. 5, 1, 35: actionem in bonum et aequum, ib. 4, 5, 8: foedus, Verg. A. 12, 13 (id est conceptis verbis: concepta autem verba dicuntur jurandi formula, quam nobis transgredi non licet, Serv.): audet tamen Antias Valerius concipere summas (of the slain, etc.), to report definitely, Liv. 3, 5, 12.
      T. t., of the lang. of religion, to make something (as a festival, auspices, war, etc.) known, to promulgate, declare in a set form of words, to designate formally: ubi viae competunt tum in competis sacrificatur: quotannis is dies (sc. Compitalia) concipitur, Varr. L. L. 6, § 25 Müll.: dum vota sacerdos Concipit, Ov. M. 7, 594: sic verba concipito, repeat the following prayer, Cato, R. R. 139, 1; 141, 4: Latinas sacrumque in Albano monte non rite concepisse (magistratus), Liv. 5, 17, 2 (cf. conceptivus): auspicia, id. 22, 1, 7: locus quibusdam conceptis verbis finitus, etc., Varr. L. L. 7, § 8 Müll.: ut justum conciperetur bellum, id. ib. 5, § 86 ib.
      So of a formal repetition of set words after another person: senatus incohantibus primoribus jus jurandum concepit, Tac. H. 4, 41: vetus miles dixit sacramentum … et cum cetera juris jurandi verba conciperent, etc., id. ib. 4, 31: verba jurationis concipit, with acc. and inf., he takes the oath, that, etc., Macr. S. 1, 6, 30.
      Hence, conceptus, a, um, P. a., formal, in set form: verbis conceptissimis jurare, Petr. 113, 13.
      Hence, absol.: mente concepta, things apprehended by the mind, perceptions: consuetudo jam tenuit, ut mente concepta sensus vocaremus, Quint. 8, 5, 2; cf. id. 5, 10, 4.