Lewis & Short

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ingĕnĭum, ii, n. [in-geno, from gigno], innate or natural quality, nature.

  1. I. In gen. (so mostly poet.; in Sall. and in postAug. prose; not in Cic. or Cæs.): pro ingenio ego me liberum esse ratus sum, pro imperio tuo tibi servire aequom censeo, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 22: ite in frundiferos locos Ingenio arbusta ubi nata sunt, non obsita, by their own nature, Naev. ap. Non. 323, 1 (Trag. Rel. v. 28 Rib.); so, loci, Sall. H. 3, 18 Dietsch: locorum hominumque ingenia, Liv. 28, 12, 11; Tac. A. 6, 41; id. H. 1, 51; Flor. 2, 6, 16 al.: terrae, Liv. 37, 54, 21: montis, Tac. H. 2, 4; cf.: campi suopte ingenio humentes, id. ib. 5, 14: arvorum, Verg. G. 2, 177; and, portūs, Sil. 14, 283: arbores sui cujusque ingenii poma ferunt, Col. 3, 1, 2: lactis ingenia et proprietates, Gell. 12, 1, 14: ingenium velox igni, Sev. Aetn. 214: crines ingenio suo flexi, naturally, Petr. 126: ut magistratus imperio suo vehemens mansueto permitteretur ingenio, Liv. 2, 30, 4; cf.: cum honesta suopte ingenio peterentur, in consequence of its own nature, Tac. A. 3, 26: mitis ingenio, id. ib. 6, 15: cunctator ingenio, id. ib. 15, 1: ingenio trux, id. H. 1, 21.
    Rarely of beasts: mitior ad feras bestias, praecipitia ingenia sortitas, Curt. 8, 1, 35.
  2. II. In partic., of persons.
    1. A. Natural disposition, temper, mode of thinking, character, bent, inclination: feci ego ingenium meum, have acted out, Plaut. Merc. 4, 1, 2: ita ingenium meumst, id. Am. 3, 2, 18: ut ingenium est omnium hominum ab labore proclive ad lubidinem, Ter. And. 1, 1, 50: liberale, id. ib. 4, 5, 59: pium ac pudicum, id. Hec. 1, 2, 77: durum atque inexorabile, id. Phorm. 3, 2, 12: inhumanum, id. Eun. 5, 2, 41: lene in liberos, id. Heaut. 1, 1, 99: utinam nunc matrescam ingenio, Pac. Con. Rel. v. 139 Rib. (1 Rib., maturescam): mobile, Plin. Ep. 2, 11, 22: cicur et mansuetum, Varr. L. L. 7, § 91 Müll.: inverecundum animi, Cic. Inv. 1, 45, 83: vera loqui etsi meum ingenium non moneret. Liv. 3, 68, 9: ingenio suo vivere, id. 3, 36, 1: redire ad ingenium, to return to one’s natural bent, to one’s old courses, Ter. Ad. 1, 1, 46: Volscis levatis metu suum rediit ingenium, Liv. 2, 22, 3: quae maxime ad muliebre ingenium efficaces preces sunt, id. 1, 9, 16: vanum dictatoris, id. 1, 27, 1: mitis ingenii juvenem, id. 1, 46, 4: Turni ferox, id. 1, 51, 7: temperare suum, to control his temper, id. 8, 36, 5: horrida, Curt. 4, 6, 3: molliora, id. 5, 6, 18: humana, id. 5, 10, 13: felix, Sen. Ep. 95, 36: rapax, id. ad Helv. 17, 4: atrox, Tac. A. 4, 50: procax, id. H. 3, 32: ingenium ingeni, in Plautus, signifies peculiarity of disposition, Stich. 1, 2, 69.
      1. 2. Concr. collect.: tanto corruptius iter immixtis histrionibus et spadonum gregibus et cetero Neronianae aulae ingenio, the people who gave character to the court, Tac. H. 2, 71.
    2. B. With respect to intelligence.
      1. 1. Natural capacity, talents, parts, abilities, genius: docilitas, memoria, quae fere appellantur uno ingenii nomine, Cic. Fin. 5, 13, 36: ingenium ad fingendum, id. Font. 14, 30: excellens ac singulare, id. de Or. 2, 74, 298: vir acerrimo ingenio, id. Or. 5, 18: cujus tanta vis ingenii est, ut, etc., id. de Or. 2, 74, 299: tardum, id. ib. 2, 27, 117: acutum aut retusum, id. de Div. 1, 36, 72: eximium, id. Tusc. 5, 24, 68: praestantissimum, id. Fin. 2, 16, 51: magnum, id. Ac. 2, 1, 1: illustre, id. Cael. 1, 1: oratorium, Tac. Dial. 10: pulcherrimum et maximum, Plin. Ep. 8, 12, 4: hebetatum, fractum, contusum, id. ib. 8, 14, 9: celeres ingenii motus, Cic. de Or. 1, 25, 113: ingenii acies, id. ib. 3, 5, 20: ingenii lumen, id. Brut. 15, 59: ingenii vis, id. Phil. 5, 18, 49: ingenii vena, Hor. C. 2, 18, 9: ingenii vigor, Ov. M. 8, 254: ingenii celeritas, Nep. Eum. 1: ingenii docilitas, id. Att. 1: ingenio abundare, Cic. Fam. 4, 8, 1: ingenio valere, Quint. 1, 8, 8: ingenio divino esse, Cic. Ac. 2, 36, 117: ingenio hebeti esse, id. Phil. 10, 8, 17: in eo ingenium ejus elucere videbatis, id. Cael. 19, 45: colere et imbuere ingenium artibus, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 16: acuere, Quint. 1, 4, 7: alere, id. 1, 8, 8: exercere multiplici variāque materiā, id. 2, 4, 20: versabatur in hoc nostro studio cum ingenio, with cleverness, Cic. Fam. 13, 10, 2; so, cum ingenio, Dig. 1, 16, 9: ingenii memoria immortalis est, Sen. Polyb. 18, 2.
        Plur.: acutiora ingenia et ad intellegendum aptiora eorum, qui, etc., Cic. N. D. 2, 16, 42: aliae (partes agrorum) quae acuta ingenia gignant, aliae quae retusa, intellects, id. Div. 1, 36, 79 fin.
      2. 2. Transf.
        1. a. A genius, i. e. a man of genius, a clever, ingenious person: excepi voluntatem tam excellens ingenium fuisse in civitate, Cic. Brut. 40, 147; id. Rep. 2, 1, 2; Liv. 41, 4, 3: nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit, Sen. Tranq. An. 17, 10.
          Plur.: ut saepe summa ingenia in occulto latent, Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 62: decora, Tac. A. 1, 1: magna, id. H. 1, 1: nostra (i. e. oratores, id. Dial. 1; id. Agr. 2; Sen. Ep. 2, 1; id. ad Polyb. 27, 1: candidissimus omnium magnorum ingeniorum aestimator Livius, id. Suas. 6, 22: ingenia et artes vel maxime fovit, Suet. Vesp. 18; id. Aug. 89: id in magnis animis ingeniisque plerumque contingit, Cic. Off. 1, 22, 74.
        2. b. Of things, an invention, a clever thought: exquisita ingenia cenarum, Plin. Pan. 49, 7; cf. Tac. H. 3, 28: noctium suarum ingenia (= flagitiosae libidinis inventiones), voluptuous inventions, id. A. 16, 20.