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lăbo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. [from the same root as 1. labor], to totter, be ready to fall, begin to sink, to give way, be loosened (syn.: vacillo, titubo, nato).

  1. I. Lit.: labat, labuntur saxa, caementae cadunt, Enn. ap. Non. 196, 3 (Trag. v. 142 Vahl.): signum labat, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 43, 95: si ex ictu … labant dentes, Cels. 7, 12, 1: labat ariete crebro Janua, Verg. A. 2, 492: labant curvae naves, roll, Ov. M. 2, 163: pressaeque labant sub gurgite turres, id. ib. 1, 290: (turris) qua summa labantis Juncturas tabulata dabant, Verg. A. 2, 463: littera labat, written with a trembling hand, Ov. H. 10, 140: labare sermone, to stutter, speak indistinctly, Plin. 14, 22, 28, § 146: si labat oculus et hac atque illac movetur, is unsteady, Cels. 7, 7, 14: tarda trementi genua labant, sink, Verg. A. 5, 432; so, pedes, Ov. F. 6, 676: vincla labant, are loosed, id. A. A. 2, 85.
    Poet., of dying persons: inde labant populi, fall, sink, Luc. 6, 93; cf.: omnia tum vero vitaï claustra lababant, Lucr. 6, 1153.
    With Gr. acc.: egressi labant vestigia prima, Verg. A. 10, 283 Forbig. (Rib. egressisque).
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. To waver, to be unstable, undecided, to hesitate (in opinion, resolution, etc.): si res labat, Itidem amici collabascunt, Plaut. Stich. 4, 1, 16; cf.: scito, labare meum consilium illud, quod satis jam fixum videbatur, Cic. Att. 8, 14, 2: labamus mutamusque sententiam, id. Tusc. 1, 32, 78: cum ei labare M. Antonius videretur, id. Phil. 6, 4, 10: animumque labantem inpulit, Verg. A. 4, 22: labantia corda, id. ib. 12, 223: socii labant, waver in fidelity, Liv. 22, 61; cf.: fides sociorum, id. 32, 30, 9: animus regis, id. 40, 54; 2, 39: quīs lababat fides, whose fidelity was wavering, Sil. 2, 392: mens, Ov. M. 6, 629: tu mente labantem dirige me, Luc. 2, 244: ex nimia matrem pietate labare sensit, Ov. M. 6, 629: memoria labat, becomes weak, Liv. 5, 18; cf.: mens in illis (phreneticis) labat, in hoc (cordiaco) constat, Cels. 3, 19: nec dubium habebatur labare hostes, Tac. A. 2, 26: labante jam Agrippina, id. H. 14, 22: labantem ordinem contirmare, Suet. Caes. 14: acies labantes restituere, Tac. G. 8 init.: sustinere labantem aciem, id. H. 3, 23; 5, 18.
    2. B. To sink, fall to pieces, go to ruin: quid non sic aliud ex alio nectitur, ut non, si unam litteram moveris, labent omnia? Cic. Fin. 3, 22, 74: omnes rei publicae partes aegras et labantes sanare et confirmare, id. Mil. 25, 68; cf.: sustinuisse labantem fortunam populi Romani, Liv. 26, 41: sicuti populo Romano sua fortuna labet, id. 42, 50: labante egregia quondam disciplina, id. 36, 6: cum res Trojana labaret, Ov. M. 15, 437: labantibus Vitellii rebus, Tac. H. 2, 86: si quid in moribus labaret, id. A. 2, 33.

1. lābor, lapsus (inf. parag. labier, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 94; part. labundus, Att. ap. Non. 504, 31; Trag. Fragm. v. 570 Rib.), 3, v. dep. n. [cf. lăbo; Sanscr. lamb- (ramb-), to glide, fall], to move gently along a smooth surface, to fall, slide; to slide, slip, or glide down, to fall down, to sink as the beginning of a fall; constr. absol., or with ad, in, inter, per, sub, super, ab, de, ex, or with abl. alone.

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen.
      1. 1. Of living beings: non squamoso labuntur ventre cerastae, Prop. 3 (4), 22, 27: per sinus crebros et magna volumina labens, Ov. M. 15, 721: pigraque labatur circa donaria serpens, Ov. Am. 2, 13, 13: ille inter vestes et levia pectora lapsus volvitur, Verg. A. 7, 349: (angues) in diversum lapsi, Jul. Obseq. 119.
        Of floating: ut rate felice pacata per aequora labar, Ov. H. 10, 65: dum Stygio gurgite labor, id. M. 5, 504: tua labens navita aqua, Prop. 2, 26 (3, 21), 8.
        Of flying: tollunt se celeres, liquidumque per aera lapsae, Verg. A. 6, 202: vade, age, nate, voca Zephyros et labere pennis, id. ib. 4, 223: pennis lapsa per auras, Ov. M. 8, 51: labere, nympha, polo, Verg. A. 11, 588.
        Of sinking, slipping down: labor, io! cara lumina conde manu, Ov. A. A. 7, 342: labitur infelix (equus), Verg. G. 3, 498; cf. Luc. 5, 799: labitur exsanguis, Verg. A. 11, 818; 5, 181: super terram, Ov. M. 13, 477: equo, Hor. S. 2, 1, 15: temone, Verg. A. 12, 470 limite, Luc. 9, 712: in vulnera, id. 7, 604: in colla mariti, Val. Fl. 2, 425: alieno vulnere, Luc. 2, 265: in rivo, Cic. Fat. 3, 5: pondere lapsi pectoris arma sonant, Luc. 7, 572.
        Of gliding upwards: celeri fuga sub sidera, Verg. A. 3, 243.
      2. 2. Of things: splendida signa videntur labier, Lucr. 4, 445; Cic. Tusc. 4, 18, 42: umor in genas Furtim labitur, Hor. C. 1, 13, 7: stellas Praecipites caelo labi, Verg. G. 1, 366: perque genas lacrimae labuntur, Ov. H. 7, 185; id. M. 2, 656: lapsi de fontibus amnes, id. ib. 13, 954; cf.: catenae lapsae lacertis sponte sua, id. ib. 3, 699: lapsuram domum subire, about to tumble down, id. Ib. 511; Luc. 1, 25; cf. with cado: multa in silvis Lapsa cadunt folia, Verg. A. 6, 310: ipsaque in Oceanum sidera lapsa cadunt, Prop. 4 (5), 4, 64: lapsis repente saxis, Tac. A. 4, 59: ab arbore ramus, Ov. M. 3, 410.
        Of the eyes, to fall, close: labentes, oculos condere, Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 44: lumina, Verg. A. 11, 818; Prop. 1, 10, 7; 2, 5, 17.
    2. B. Transf.
      1. 1. To glide away, glide along, slip or haste away: labitur uncta carina: volat super impetus undas, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 379 Vahl.); so id. ap. Isid. Orig. 19, 1 (Ann. v. 476 Vahl.); cf.: labitur uncta vadis abies, Verg. A. 8, 91; Cic. Ac. 1, 8, 31: sidera, quae vaga et mutabili ratione labuntur, id. Univ. 10.
        Esp., of a transition in discourse, to pass: a dispositione ad elocutionis praecepta labor, Quint. 7, 10, 17.
      2. 2. To slip away, escape: lapsus custodiā, Tac. A. 5, 10; 11, 31: e manibus custodientium lapsus, Curt. 3, 13, 3; Prop. 1, 11, 5; Amm. 26, 3, 3.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen., to come or go gently or insensibly, to glide, glide or pass away: ilico res foras labitur, Plaut. Trin. 2, 1, 21: brevitate et celeritate syllabarum labi putat verba proclivius, Cic. Or. 57; 56: sed labor longius, ad propositum revertor, id. Div. 2, 37, 79; id. Leg. 1, 19, 52: labitur occulte fallitque volubilis aetas, Ov. Am. 1, 8, 49: labi somnum sensit in artus, id. M. 11, 631: nostro illius labatur pectore vultus, Verg. E. 1, 64.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. Of speech, to die away, be lost, not be heard (very rare): ne adjectae voces laberentur atque errarent, Cic. N. D. 2, 57, 114; cf. Sil. 7, 745.
      2. 2. Of time, to glide, pass away, elapse: eheu fugaces labuntur anni, Hor. C. 2, 14, 2: anni tacite labentis origo, Ov. F. 1, 65: labentia tempora, id. Tr. 3, 11; id. F. 6, 771; id. Tr. 4, 10, 27: aetas labitur, Tib. 1, 8, 48; cf.: labente officio, when the attendance or service is ended, Juv. 6, 203.
      3. 3. Pregn., to sink, incline, begin to fall, go to ruin, perish: quantis opibus, quibus de rebus lapsa fortuna accidat, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 19, 44 (Trag. v. 396 Vahl.); cf.: cetera nasci, occidere, fluere, labi, Cic. Or. 3, 10: labentem et prope cadentem rem publicam fulcire, id. Phil. 2, 21, 51: equitem Romanum labentem excepit, fulsit, sustinuit, id. Rab. Post. 16, 43; id. Ep. ad Brut. 1, 18, 2: sustinuit labentem aciem Antonius, Tac. H. 3, 23: vidi labentes acies, Prop. 4 (5), 2, 53: eo citius lapsa res est, Liv. 3, 33: mores lapsi sunt, id. praef.; Tac. A. 6, 50: fides lapsa, Ov. H. 2, 102: labentur opes, will be lost, Tib. 1, 6, 53: res, Lucr. 4, 1117: hereditas lapsa est, Dig. 4, 4, 11, § 5.
      4. 4. To slip or fall away from a thing, to lose it: hac spe lapsus, deceived or disappointed in this hope, Caes. B. G. 5, 55, 3: hoc munere, Sil. 7, 740: facultatibus, to lose one’s property, become poor, Dig. 27, 8, 2, § 11; 26, 7, 9, § 1: mente, to lose one’s senses, go mad, Cels. 5, 26, 13; Suet. Aug. 48; cf.: lapsae mentis error, Val. Max. 5, 3, 2.
        Hence, lapsus, a, um, ruined, unfortunate, Prop. 1, 1, 25.
      5. 5. To fall into or upon, to come or turn to: labor eo, ut assentiar Epicuro, Cic. Ac. 2, 45, 139; id. Att. 4, 5, 2: ad opinionem, id. Ac. 2, 45, 138: in adulationem, Tac. A. 4, 6: in gaudia, Val. Fl. 6, 662: in vitium, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 94.
      6. 6. To fall into error, to be mistaken, to err, mistake, commit a fault: labi, errare, nescire, decipi et malum et turpe ducimus, Cic. Off. 1, 6, 18: in aliqua re labi et cadere, id. Brut. 49, 185: in minimis tenuissimisque rebus, id. de Or. 1, 37, 169; id. Fam. 2, 7, 1: lapsus est per errorem suum, id. Q. Fr. 3, 9, 8: consilio, … casu, id. Agr. 2, 3, 6: propter inprudentiam, Caes. B. G. 5, 3: in officio, Cic. Tusc. 2, 4, 12: in verbo, Ov. Am. 2, 8, 7: ne verbo quidem labi, Plin. Ep. 2, 3: it vera ratione, Lucr. 2, 176.
      7. 7. Esp., to fall away from the true faith, to become apostate (eccl. Lat.): lapsorum fratrum petulantia, Cypr. Ep. 30, 1 al.