Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

cunctor (in many MSS. and edd. also contor), ātus, 1 (archaic inf. cunctarier, Lucr. 3, 67), v. dep. [cf. Sanscr. çank, to be anxious; Gr. ὄκνος], to delay action (from deliberation or indolence), to linger, loiter, hesitate, doubt (freq. and class.); constr. absol., with the inf. or a subj.-clause.

  1. I. Of personal subjects.
          1. (α) Absol., so the verse of Ennius upon the dictator Q. Fab. Maximus Cunctator: unus homo nobis cunctando restituit rem, Enn. ap. Cic. Off. 1, 24, 84 (Ann. v. 313 Vahl.; also cited Cic. Sen. 4, 10; id. Att. 2, 19, 2; Liv. 30, 26, 9); imitated by Verg., A. 6, 846, Ov. F. 2, 242 (the idea contained in cunctando is expressed by sedendo, Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 2; cf.: sedendo et cunctando bellum gerebat, Liv. 22, 24, 10; and by non pugnando, Plin. 22, 5, 5, § 10): assequor omnia si propero, si cunctor amitto, Cic. Att. 10, 8, 5: an etiam tunc quiesceretis, cunctaremini, timeretis? id. Sest. 38, 81; cf.: ne quis cesset … qui cunctatus fuerit, etc., Liv. 35, 35, 17, and v. cesso: nostris militibus cunctantibus, Desilite, inquit, etc., Caes. B. G. 4, 25: alius alium exspectantes cunctamini, Sall. C. 52, 28; Ov. M. 8, 753 et saep.: in vitā cunctatur et haeret, Lucr. 3, 407; cf. Cic. Tusc. 1, 46, 111: inter metum et iram cunctatus, Tac. A. 2, 66: ille inter pudorem et iram cunctatus, id. ib. 14, 49: cunctante ad ea Mithridate, id. ib. 12, 46: ut ad laborem capessendum nihil cunctentur, Gell. 2, 29, 12.
            Impers. pass.: nec cunctatum apud latera, Tac. A. 3, 46: non esse cunctandum, Cic. Fam. 1, 7, 5: non cunctandum neque cessandum esse, Liv. 35, 18, 8.
          2. (β) With inf.: non est cunctandum profiteri, hunc, etc., Cic. Univ. 3 fin.: utrisque cunctantibus periculum summae rerum facere, Liv. 25, 39, 18; 31, 7, 5: ne cunctetur ipse propius accedere, Sall. C. 44, 6; id. J. 13, 6; Col. 8, 15 fin.; Suet. Caes. 70; id. Vesp. 16: ne cunctaretur Agrippam morte adficere, Tac. A. 1, 6.
          3. (γ) With rel.-clause (rare): vos cunctamini etiam nunc, quid faciatis? Sall. C. 52, 25: diu cunctatus an, etc., Suet. Caes. 81; id. Aug. 8: primum cunctati, utrumne … an, etc., id. Caes. 80: non cunctandum existimavit quin, etc., Caes. B. G. 3, 23 fin.
  2. II. Poet. transf., of things as subjects: tardum cunctatur olivum, runs slowly, Lucr. 2, 392: refrigescit cunctando plaga, id. 4, 703: turpis contemptus et acris egestas … videntur cunctarier, id. 3, 67; cf.: cunctatur et amnis Rauca sonans revocatque pedem Tiberinus ab alto, Verg. A. 9, 124.
    Hence, cunctans, antis, P. a., delaying, lingering, dilatory, slow, tardy.
      1. 1. Of persons (post-Aug. and rare): erat cunctantior cautiorque, Plin. Ep. 9, 13, 6; cf. id. ib. 2, 16, 4: ad dimicandum cunctantior, Suet. Caes. 60; cf.: familia cunctans ad opera, Col. 11, 1, 14: naturā ac senectā cunctantior, Tac. H. 3, 4.
        With acc. respect.: alternos aegro cunctantem poplite gressus, Val. Fl. 2, 93.
      2. 2. Of things, tenacious, tough, slow, resisting, etc. (poet. and rare): mellis cunctantior actus, Lucr. 3, 193: corripit Aeneas extemplo avidusque refringit Cunctantem (ramum), Verg. A. 6, 211: glaebas cunctantis exspecta, id. G. 2, 236: corda viri, Val. Fl. 3, 693: ira, Stat. Th. 5, 680.
        Adv.: cunctanter, slowly, with delay (rare), Liv. 1, 36, 4; 10, 4, 8; Tac. H. 2, 52 al.
        Comp., Suet. Galb. 12; id. Caes. 19; Tac. A. 1, 71.