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.

impar (inp-), ăris (abl. sing. impari; but, metri grat., impare, Verg. E. 8, 75; id. Cir. 372; gen. plur. imparium, Cels. 3, 4 al.), adj. [2. in-par], uneven, unequal, dissimilar in number or quality (cf. dispar, dissimilis).

  1. I. In gen. (class.): stellarum numerus par an impar sit, nescitur, Cic. Ac. 2, 10, 32: congressus impari numero, Caes. B. C. 1, 40, 6; 1, 47, 3: numero deus impare gaudet, Verg. E. 8, 75 Serv.; cf.: imparem numerum antiqui prosperiorem hominibus esse crediderunt, Paul. ex Fest. p. 109 Müll.: (sonus) intervallis conjunctus imparibus, Cic. Rep. 6, 18; cf. Lucr. 5, 683: qui Musas amat impares, Hor. C. 3, 19, 13: imparibus carmina facta modis, i. e. hexameters and pentameters, Ov. Tr. 2, 220: impares tibiae numero foraminum discretae, Paul. ex Fest. p. 109 Müll.: ludere par impar, even or odd, Hor. S. 2, 3, 248: mensae erat pes tertius impar: Testa parem fecit, Ov. M. 8, 662: formae atque animi, Hor. C. 1, 33, 11; cf. formae, id. S. 2, 2, 30: si toga dissidet impar, Rides, uneven, awry, id. Ep. 1, 1, 96: acer coloribus impar, i. e. partycolored, Ov. M. 10, 95: quos quidem ego ambo unice diligo: sed in Marco benevolentia impari, Cic. Fam. 5, 8, 4: leges, Quint. 7, 7, 6: ad exhortationem praecipue valent imparia, id. 5, 11, 10.
          1. (β) With dat.: nil fuit umquam sic impar sibi, Hor. S. 1, 3, 19.
  2. II. In partic. (with the accessory notion of smaller, inferior), unequal to, not a match for, unable to cope with a thing; inferior, weaker (so perh. not till after the Aug. period).
          1. (α) With dat.: Phthius Achilles, Ceteris major, tibi (Apollini) miles impar, Hor. C. 4, 6, 5; Suet. Dom. 10: derepente velut impar dolori congemuit, unable to support his grief, Suet. Tib. 23: muliebre corpus impar dolori, Tac. A. 15, 57; cf.: senex et levissimis quoque curis impar, id. ib. 14, 54: Pygmaeus bellator impar hosti, Juv. 13, 169: optimatium conspirationi, Suet. Caes. 15: militum ardori, id. Oth. 9: bello, Tac. H. 1, 74: sumptui, Dig. 3, 5, 9: impar tantis honoribus, Suet. Tib. 67.
          2. (β) With abl. specif. (not ante-Aug.): sed viribus impar, Ov. M. 5, 610; cf.: par audaciā Romanus, consilio et viribus impar, Liv. 27, 1, 7: omni parte virium impar, id. 22, 15, 9: nec facies impar nobilitate fuit, Ov. F. 4, 306: Batavi impares numero, Tac. H. 4, 20: obsessi et impares et aqua ciboque defecti, Quint. 3, 8, 23.
          3. (γ) Absol.: juncta impari, to an inferior in rank, Liv. 6, 34, 9; cf.: pater consularis, avus praetorius, maternum genus impar, Tac. H. 2, 50: Julia Tiberium spreverat ut imparem, not her equal in birth, id. ib. 1, 53: simul odiorum invidiaeque erga Fabium Valentem admonebatur, ut inpar apud Vitellium gratiam viresque apud novum principem pararet, id. ib. 2, 99.
    1. B. Inequitable, unjust: videbam quam inpar esset sors, cum ille vobis bellum pararet, vos ei securam pacem praestaretis, Liv. 42, 13, 5.
    2. C. Poet. transf., unequal, i. e. beyond one’s strength, which one is not a match for: judice sub Tmolo certamen venit ad impar, to the unequal strife, Ov. M. 11, 156: pugna, Verg. A. 12, 216; cf.: imparibus certare, Hor. Epod. 11, 18.
          1. (β) With inf.: magnum opus et tangi nisi cura vincitur impar, Grat. Cyn. 61.
            * Adv.: impărĭter, unequally: versibus impariter junctis, i. e. in hexameters and pentameters, Hor. A. P. 75.