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.

impĭus (inp-), a, um, adj. [2. in-pius], without reverence or respect for God, one’s parents, or one’s country; irreverent, ungodly, undutiful, unpatriotic; abandoned, wicked, impious (rare but class.; cf.: nefarius, sacrilegus).

  1. I. Lit.: me fugerat, deorum immortalium has esse in impios et consceleratos poenas certissimas constitutas, Cic. Pis. 20, 46: numero impiorum et sceleratorum haberi, Caes. B. G. 6, 13, 7; cf.: scelerosus atque impius, Ter. Eun. 4, 3, 1: (deos) piorum et impiorum habere rationem, Cic. Leg. 2, 7, 15: impius ne audeto placare donis iram deorum, id. ib. 2, 9, 22: dixerunt impium pro parricida, Quint. 8, 6, 30; 7, 1, 52: impius erga parentes, Suet. Rhet. 6: impium, qui dividere nolit cum fratre, Quint. 7, 1, 45: necesse est, iste, qui affinem fortunis spoliare conatus est, impium se esse fateatur, Cic. Quint. 6, 26: (Danaides) Impiae sponsos potuere duro Perdere ferro! Hor. C. 3, 11, 31: Titanes, id. ib. 3, 4, 42; cf.: cohors Gigantum, id. ib. 2, 19, 22: Saturnus, id. ib. 2, 17, 22: miles, Verg. E. 1, 71: Carthago, Hor. C. 4, 8, 17: gens, Verg. G. 2, 537: di, invoked in imprecations, Tac. A. 16, 31: poëtae, i. e. accursed, Cat. 14, 7: expiari impium non posse, Varr. L. L. 6, § 30 Müll.
    Sup.: impiissimus filius, Dig. 28, 5, 46, § 1; Aus. Grat. Act. 17.
  2. II. Transf., of inanim. or abstr. things (mostly poet.): si impias propinquorum manus effugeris, Cic. Rep. 6, 12; so, manus, Hor. Epod. 3, 1: cervix, id. C. 3, 1, 17: pectora Thracum, id. Epod. 5, 13: ratis, id. C. 1, 3, 23; id. Epod. 10, 14: ensis, Ov. M. 14, 802: tura, id. H. 14, 26: Tartara, Verg. A. 5, 733: bellum injustum atque impium, Cic. Rep. 2, 17: caedes, Hor. C. 3, 24, 25: proelia, id. ib. 2, 1, 30: furor, Verg. A. 1, 294: facta, Ov. H. 10, 100: verba, Tib. 1, 3, 52: tumultus, Hor. C. 4, 4, 46: clamor, id. ib. 1, 27, 6: fama, Verg. A. 4, 298: vivacitas, Quint. 6 praef. § 3.
    Prov.: Impia sub dulci melle venena latent, Ov. Am. 1, 8, 104.
    Plur. as substt.
          1. (α) impii, ōrum, m., wicked, abandoned men (opp. innoxii), Plaut. Rud. 1, 3, 11.
          2. (β) impĭa, ōrum, n., profane words, impious sayings: impia et illicita dicere, Gell. 1, 15, 17.
    1. B. In partic., impia herba, a plant, perh. the French everlasting, Gnaphalium Gallicum, Plin. 24, 19, 113, § 173.
      Adv.: im-pĭē, irreligiously, undutifully, wickedly: quae (astra) qui videat, non solum indocte, sed etiam impie faciat, si deos esse neget, Cic. N. D. 2, 16, 44: impie commissum, id. Leg. 2, 9, 22: impie ingratus esse, id. Tusc. 5, 2, 6: fecisti, Quint. 7, 1, 53: loqui, i. e. treasonably, Suet. Dom. 10: deserere regem, Curt. 5, 12.
      Sup.: impiissime, Salv. de Avar. 3.