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.

flĕo, flēvi, flētum, 2 (contr. forms flēsti, Ov. H. 5, 43; 45: flēmus, Prop. 2, 7, 2; cf. Lachm. ad Lucr. p. 291: flērunt, Verg. G. 4, 461; Stat. S. 2, 1, 175: flēsset, id. ib. 145: flēsse, Ov. M. 6, 404; Liv. 30, 44, 7), v. n. and a. [for flev-o, root φλυ-; Gr. φλύω, to bubble up, etc.; L. fluo, fluvius, etc.; cf. Curt. Gr. Etym. p. 301 sq.].

  1. I. Neutr.
    1. A. Lit., to weep, cry, shed tears (syn.: ploro, lugeo, lacrimo): maerentes, flentes, lacrimantes, commiserantes, Enn. ap. Diom. p. 442 P. (Ann. 107 ed. Vahl.): fleo, quia dijungimur, Plaut. Mil. 4, 8, 18: quin fles, id. Ps. 1, 1, 73: nimium haec flet, id. Mil. 4, 8, 14: ne fle, mulier! id. Ep. 4, 2, 31: quid fles, Asterie? Hor. C. 3, 7, 1: ille me complexus atque osculans flere prohibebat, Cic. Rep. 6, 14 fin.: haec cum pluribus verbis flens a Caesare peteret, Caes. B. G. 1, 20, 5; cf. id. ib. 7, 26, 3; id. B. C. 1, 76, 1; 3, 98, 2: deceptus quoniam flevit et ipse, deus, Prop. 2, 16 (3, 8), 54: felix qui potuit praesenti flere puellae, before, in the presence of, Prop. 1, 12, 15; cf. Tib. 1, 10, 64: o multa fleturum caput! Hor. Epod. 5, 74: lapides mehercule omnes flere et lamentari coëgisses, Cic. de Or. 1, 57, 245.
      Pass. impers.: ad sepulcrum venimus: in ignem posita est: fletur, Ter. And. 1, 1, 102: minus est, quod flendum meo nomine quam quod gaudendum illius est, Quint. 6 praef. § 8; so id. 6, 2, 3; 11, 1, 52.
    2. B. Transf.
      1. * 1. Of horses, to neigh: equorum greges comperit ubertim flere, Suet. Caes. 81.
      2. 2. Of things, to drop, trickle (ante- and post-class.): uberibus flent omnia guttis, Lucr. 1, 349: flevit in templis ebur, Sen. Thyest. 702: imber, Prud. Cath. 5, 24.
  2. II. Act., to weep for, bewail, lament, a person or thing; to sing mournfully (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose; once in Cic.): He. Ne fle. Er. Egone illum non fleam? egone non defleam Talem adolescentem? Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 36: unicum (filium) mater, Cat. 39, 5: parentes Troĭlon, Hor. C. 2, 9, 17: Gygen, id. ib. 3, 7, 1; amissas amicitias, Cat. 96, 4: * Pisonem eis verbis flens meum casum vexavit, Cic. Sest. 28, 60: filii necem, Tac. A. 6, 10; 2, 71: suam vicem, Curt. 10, 5, 21: servitutem tristem, Phaedr. 1, 2, 6: amissum conjugem, Just. 28, 4, 4: fidem mutatosque deos, Hor. C. 1, 5, 6: moechos arrogantes, id. ib. 1, 25, 10: catellam raptam sibi, id. Ep. 1, 17, 56: amorem testudine, id. Epod. 14, 11: feralia carmina, to sing, Col. poët. 10, 350: virum, Sen. Contr. 2, 11, 1: amissum fratrem, id. ib. 4, 29, 8: adlatum ad se Pompeii caput, id. ib. 10, 32, 1.
    In part. perf.: multum fleti ad superos, bewailed, lamented, Verg. A. 6, 481; Stat. Th. 4, 103.
          1. (β) With object-clause: agmina septem Flebis in aeterno surda jacere situ, Prop. 1, 7, 18; Val. Fl. 1, 633.
            Hence, flē-tus, a, um, P. a., weeping: mater fleta et lacrimosa, App. M. 7, p. 199 fin. (but in Lucr. 2, 631 the correct read. is sanguinolenti).

1. flētus, a, um, Part. and P. a., from fleo.

2. flētus, ūs, m. [fleo], a weeping, wailing, lamenting.

  1. I. Lit. (class.; in sing. and plur.): nemo me lacrimis decoret nec funera fletu Faxit, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 15, 34 (Epigr. 1, 3, p. 162 ed. Vahl.); cf.: quantum fletum factum audivi! Cato ap. Gell. 10, 3, 17; and: quod usque eo visum est indignum, ut urbe tota fletus gemitusque fieret, Cic. Rosc. Am. 9, 24: lugubris lamentatio fletusque maerens, id. Tusc. 1, 13, 30: mulierum, id. Verr. 2, 4, 21, § 47: fletus cum singultu, id. Planc. 31, 76: prae fletu et dolore, for tears, id. Att. 11, 7, 6: assiduo fletu sororis, id. Clu. 6, 15: haec magna cum misericordia fletuque pronuntiantur, Caes. B. C. 2, 12 fin.: clamore ac fletu omnia compleri, id. B. G. 5, 33 fin.: fletum populo movere, Cic. de Or. 1, 53, 228: fletum reprimere, id. Rep. 6, 15: magno fletu auxilium petere, Caes. B. G. 1, 32, 1: virginum precibus et fletu excitati, id. B. C. 2, 4, 3: cum ille erumpit fletus, Quint. 6, 2, 7: fletibus natos, laetitia defunctos prosequi, id. 5, 11, 38: nullis ille movetur fletibus, Verg. A. 4, 439.
  2. II. Transf., concr., = lacrimae, tears: fletu super ora refuso, Ov. M. 11, 658; so ib. 673.