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.

2. fātus, ūs, m. [for].

  1. I. A word, saying, Mart. Cap. 7, § 802.
    1. B. Esp., an oracle, a prophecy: Deliaco fatu, Mart. Cap. 1, § 24: ficta fatu, Sid. Ep. 9, 13.
      Plur.: Apollinis fatus, Mart. Cap. 1, § 23.
  2. II. Fate: incerto fatu fortunae aliorsum prorupit eventus, Amm. 23, 5, 8; Petr. 42, 77 al.; v. fatum, II. A.

1. fătŭus, a, um, adj. [root fa, cf. for; properly, garrulous], foolish, silly, simple (class.; syn.: stultus, stolidus, insipiens, desipiens, stupidus, hebes, ineptus, insulsus, absurdus).

  1. I. Adj.: ego me ipsum stultum existimo, fatuum esse non opinor, Afran. ap. Isid. Orig. 10, 246: stulti, stolidi. fatui, fungi, bardi, blenni, buccones, Plaut. Bacch. 5, 1, 2: fatuus est, insulsus, Ter. Eun. 5, 9, 49: non modo nequam et improbus, sed etiam fatuus et amens es, Cic. Deiot. 7, 21: monitor, id. de Or. 2, 24, 99: homo, Poët. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 67, 274: puer, Cic. Att. 6, 6, 3: nisi plane fatui sint, id. Fin. 2, 22, 70: mores, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 18.
    1. B. Poet. transf.
      1. 1. Insipid, tasteless, of food: ut sapiant fatuae, fabrorum prandia, betae, Mart. 13, 13.
      2. 2. Awkward, clumsy, unwieldy: illa bipennem Insulsam et fatuam dextra tenebat, Juv. 6, 658.
  2. II. Subst.: fătŭus, i, m., and fătŭa, ae, f., a fool, simpleton, a jester, buffoon.
    1. A. In gen., one who acts foolishly: paene ecfregisti, fatue, foribus cardines, Plaut. Am. 4, 2, 6; Cat. 83, 2; Juv. 9, 8.
    2. B. Esp., kept by Romans of rank for their amusement: Harpasten, uxoris meae fatuam, scis hereditarium onus in domo mea remansisse … si quando fatuo delectari volo, me rideo, Sen. Ep. 50, 2; Lampr. Comm. 4, 3.
      Hence, fătŭe, adv., foolishly, absurdly: plerumque studio loquendi fatue modo accedendum, Quint. 6, 4, 8 dub. (Spald. and Zumpt, fatui); Tert. adv. Herm. 10; id. de Pat. 6.
      Hence,

2. Fātŭus, i. m., another name for the prophesying Faunus; also called Fātŭ-ellus; while his sister, Fauna, who prophesied to females, was also called Fātŭa and Fātŭella, Lact. 1, 22, 9; Arn. 5, 18; Macr. S. 1, 12; Mart. Cap. 2, § 167; Just. 43, 1; Plin. 27, 12, 83, § 117 (dub.; Jan. fatuos).