Lewis & Short

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dŭbĭtanter, adv., doubtingly, v. dubito fin. A.

dŭbĭto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. freq. n. and a. [for duhibitare, freq. from duhibeo, i. e. duohabeo (cf. habitare from habeo), to have or hold, as two, v. dubius; cf. also Gr. δοιάζω from δοιοί; Germ. zweifeln from zwei], to vibrate from one side to the other, to and fro, in one’s opinions or in coming to a conclusion (freq. in all periods and sorts of composition; in class. prose usually with negations or in a negative interrogation, as: non dubito, haud dubito, quis dubitat? etc.

  1. I. To waver in opinion or judgment, to be uncertain, to be in doubt, to doubt, question.
          1. (α) Absol. (rare but class.): ne vinolenti quidem quae faciunt eadem approbatione faciunt qua sobrii; dubitant, haesitant, revocant se interdum, Cic. Ac. 2, 17, 52; cf. id. ib. 2, 23, 72: et interrogamus et dubitamus et affirmamus, Quint. 6, 3, 70; cf. id. 10, 1, 19; 10, 3, 19: Livius frequentissime dubitat, id. 2, 4, 19; 9, 2, 20: vivo equidem, ne dubita; nam vera vides, Verg. A. 3, 316: ut jam liceat una comprehensione omnia complecti non dubitantemque (= sine ulla dubitatione) dicere, Cic. Fin. 5, 9, 26; id. Fam. 5, 16, 4 Madv.; so id. Div. 1, 55, 125.
          2. (β) With de (class.): de indicando dubitat, Cic. Sull. 18, 52; id. Fam. 12, 17; Quint. 1, 10, 29; 4, 5, 13.
            With a negation: nec vero de hoc quisquam dubitare posset, nisi, etc., Cic. Tusc. 1, 30, 73: de aliqua re, id. N. D. 1, 8: de divina ratione, id. ib. 2, 39, 99: de tua erga me voluntate, id. Fam. 13, 45 fin.; cf. id. Att. 12, 26: de ejus fide, Caes. B. G. 7, 21, 1: cf. id. ib. 7, 77, 10; 1, 40 fin.: de carminibus, Quint. 10, 5, 4: de ultima illa (parte), id. 12, 2, 10: de se, Pompei ap. Cic. Att. 8, 12 A et saep.
            Pass. impers.: de armis dubitatum est, Cic. Caecin. 13, 38: de judicio Panaetii dubitari non potest, id. Off. 3, 3; so, de auctore, Quint. 7, 2, 8: de hac (virtute) nihil dubitabitur, id. 2, 20, 7.
          3. (γ) With acc. (in class. prose only with a neutr. pron.): haec non turpe est dubitare philosophos, quae ne rustici quidem dubitant? Cic. Off. 3, 19, 77; Quint. 2, 17, 2; Plaut. Ps. 2, 1, 2; Ov. H. 17, 37; id. M. 6, 194; id. Tr. 2, 331.
            In the pass.: causa prorsus, quod dubitari posset, nihil habebat, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 22; cf. id. ib. 28; Liv. 5, 3: dubitati tecta parentis, Ov. M. 2, 20: sidera, Stat. S. 1, 4, 2: ne auctor dubitaretur, Tac. A. 14, 7; cf. infra, ε: dicta haud dubitanda, Verg. A. 3, 170.
          4. (δ) With an interrog. pron. (good prose, but rare): ubi tu dubites, quid sumas potissimum, Ter. Ph. 2, 2, 29: non dubito, quid nobis agendum putes, Cic. Att. 10, 1, 2; id. Fam. 11, 17, 2; 15, 9; Caes. B. C. 2, 32, 10: cur dubitas, quid de re publica sentias? Cic. Rep. 1, 38 fin.; cf. id. ib. 3, 17 fin.; id. de Imp. Pomp. 16 fin.
            (ε) With interrog. particles (very freq. and class.): si me non improbissime tractasset, dubitassem fortasse utrum, etc., Cic. Att. 16, 15, 1: desinite dubitare, utrum sit utilius, etc. . . . an, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 89; cf. impers., id. Att. 4, 15, 7; Liv. 5, 3: honestumne factu sit an turpe dubitant, Cic. Off. 1, 3, 9: dubitavi, hos homines emerem, an non emerem, Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 95; cf. Sall. J. 74, 2; Hor. C. 1, 12, 35: recte necne, etc., id. Ep. 2, 1, 80: licet et dubitare num quid nos fugerit, Quint. 6, 1, 3: dubito, num, etc., Plin. Ep. 6, 27, 1; Tac. H. 2, 37; de L. Bruto fortasse dubitarim, an, etc., Cic. Tusc. 4, 22, 50 et saep.
            Cf. respecting the expression dubito an, the art. an, II., and Zumpt, Gramm. § 354.
            Poet. in pass. (cf. supra, γ): an dea sim, dubitor, Ov. M. 6, 208.
            (ζ) Non dubito, quin (very freq. and class.): non hercle dubito, quin tibi ingenio nemo praestiterit, Cic. Rep. 1, 23; id. Div. 1, 57, 129; id. de Sen. 10, 31; id. Att. 6, 2, 3; id. Fam. 13, 73 fin.; id. Verr. 2, 1, 40: numquid tu dubitas quin ego nunc perpetuo perierim? Have you a doubt? etc., Ter. Eun. 5, 8, 13; Caes. B. G. 1, 17, 4; 1, 31, 15; Quint. 12, 1, 42; Suet. Tib. 17; Ov. H. 17, 11; 245; id. Tr. 5, 7, 59 et saep.; cf. pass. impers.: dubitari (non) potest, quin, etc., Cic. Ac. 2, 23 fin.; id. Off. 3, 2, 9; Quint. 10, 2, 1: dubitari potest quin usque eo eicienda sit, Sen. Contr. 1, 3, 1: illud cave dubites, quin, etc., Cic. Fam. 5, 20, 6; quid dubitas, quin sit, etc., Plaut. Aul. 2, 1, 42; so in an interrog., id. Poen. 1, 1, 55; 4, 2, 59; Quint. 7, 6, 10; cf. Cic. N. D. 2, 38, 97; Caes. B. G. 7, 38, 8.
            (η) With acc. and inf. (freq. only since the Aug. period, and in gen. only negatively; not found in Plaut., Ter., or Cic.; but usual in Nepos): neque humorem dubitavi aurasque perire, Lucr. 5, 249: gratos tibi esse qui de me rumores afferuntur, non dubito, Cic. Fil. Fam. 16, 21, 2 (cf., on the contrary, § 7: noli dubitare, quin te sublevaturus sim): ignorabant aut dubitabant animas hominum immortales esse, Lact. 6, 3, 5: non dubito, fore plerosque qui, etc., Nep. praef. § 1; id. Milt. 3, 6; id. Lys. 3, 5; id. Alcib. 9, 5; id. Ages. 3, 1; id. Eum. 2, 3; id. Hann. 11, 2; Liv. 2, 64; 22, 55 Drak. et saep.; Quint. 3, 7, 5; 5, 10, 76; 9, 4, 114; Suet. Claud. 35 et saep.; cf. in an interrog.: an est quisquam qui dubitet, tribunos offensos esse? Liv. 5, 3; so, quis dubitat, Quint. 9, 4, 68; 130; 10, 1, 81.
            Pass. impers.: an dubitabitur, ibi partes oratoris esse praecipuas? id. prooem. § 12.
            Affirm.: piraticam ut musicam, fabricam dici adhuc dubitabant mei praeceptores, Quint. 8, 3, 34.
      1. 2. Transf., of inan. and abstr. subjects, to be uncertain, doubtful: si tardior manus dubitet, Quint. 5, 10, 124: suspensa ac velut dubitans oratio, id. 10, 7, 22: aut vincere aut, si fortuna dubitabit (= adversabit), etc., Liv. 21, 44 fin.: nec mox fama dubitavit, cum, etc., Flor. 1, 1, 2.
    1. B. Meton., to reflect upon, to ponder, consider, deliberate: in utramque partem cogitare, deliberare, etc. (very rare): haec dum dubitas, menses abierunt decem, Ter. Ad. 4, 5, 57: restat, judices, ut hoc dubitemus, uter, etc., Cic. Rosc. Am. 31, 88: percipe porro, quid dubitem, Verg. A. 9, 191: dubitaverat Augustus Germanicum rei Romanae imponere, had considered whether he should, Tac. A. 4, 57.
  2. II. To waver in coming to a conclusion, to be irresolute; to hesitate, delay.
          1. (α) With inf. (so most commonly): non dubitaverim me gravissimis tempestatibus obvium ferre, Cic. Rep. 1, 4; so with a negation, id. ib. 1, 15; id. Lael. 1; id. de Or. 1, 40 et saep.; Caes. B. G. 2, 23, 2: flumen transire, 6, 8, 1; id. B. C. 1, 71, 2; 2, 33, 2 and fin.; Verg. A. 7, 311; 8, 614 et saep.: quid dubitamus pultare atque huc evocare ambos foras? Plaut. Bacch. 5, 1, 29; so in an interrog., id. Mil. 4, 2, 17; id. Ps. 2, 2, 30; id. Poen. 3, 5, 44; Caes. B. C. 2, 34, 4; Quint. 12, 5, 3; 12, 10, 63; Verg. A. 6, 807 al.
            Very seldom affirmatively: quod ea illi nubere dubitabat, Sall. C. 15, 2: accusat fratrem, quod dubitet omnia quae ad beatam vitam pertineant ventre metiri, Cic. N. D. 1, 40, 113: dubitat agnoscere matrem, Stat. Achill. 1, 250: si forte dubitaret quod afferretur accipere, Curt. 4, 5: isdem mandatum ut occiderent, si venire dubitaret, id. 10, 8.
            Ellipt.: quod dubitas, ne feceris, Plin. Ep. 1, 18, 5.
          2. (β) Non dubito quin (rare in Cic. and Caes.): nemo dubitabat, quin, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 13; id. Mil. 23, 63; id. Agr. 2, 26, 69: tum dubitandum non existimavit, quin proficisceretur, Caes. B. G. 2, 2, 5; id. B. C. 3, 71, 1; cf.: nolite dubitare, quin huic uni credatis omnia, Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 23, 68; and in an interrog.: dubitabitis, judices, quin? etc., id. Fl. 17, 40; id. de Imp. Pomp. 16, 49.
          3. (γ) Absol. (rare): te neque umquam dubitasse, neque timuisse, Caes. B. G. 1, 41, 3: sed mora damnosa est, nec res dubitare remittit, Ov. M. 11, 377: quid igitur ego dubito? Plaut. Am. 1, 2, 283; so in an interrog., id. Men. 5, 7, 6; Caes. B. G. 5, 44, 3; Verg. A. 9, 12: magnitudine supplicii dubitantes cogit, Caes. B. G. 7, 4, 9; id. ib. 7, 63, 3; Sall. C. 28, 1 al.: dubitantia lumina, failing, Sil. 10, 154.
            Hence,
    1. A. dŭbĭtanter, adv.
      1. * 1. Doubtingly: sine ulla affirmatione, dubitanter unum quodque dicemus, Cic. Inv. 2, 3, 10.
      2. 2. Hesitatingly, with hesitancy (very rare): illum verecunde et dubitanter recepisse, Cic. Brut. 22, 87; cf. Asin. Pollio ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 31, 2.
    2. B. dŭbĭ-tātim, adv. (i. q. dubitanter, 2.), hesitatingly, with hesitation (only in the foll. passages), Sisenn. ap. Non. 98, 33; so Cael. Ann. ib.