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.

1. lābes, is (abl. labi for labe, Lucr. 5, 930), f. [1. lābor], a fall, falling down, sinking in.

  1. I. Lit. (rare but class.): dare labem, Lucr. 2, 1145: motus terrae Rhodum … gravi ruinarum labe concussit, Just. 30, 4, 3: tantos terrae motus in Italia factos esse, ut multis locis labes factae sint terraeque desederint, subsidences of the earth, Cic. Div. 1, 35, 78; cf.: labes agri, id. ib. 1, 43, 97: terrae, Liv. 42, 15; so absol.: si labes facta sit, omnemque fructum tulerit, Dig. 19, 2, 15, § 2: labes imbris e caelo, Arn. 5, 185.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. A fall, stroke, ruin, destruction: hinc mihi prima mali labes, the first blow of misfortune, Verg. A. 2, 97: haec prima mali labes, hoc initium impendentis ruinae fuit, Just. 17, 1, 5: metuo legionibu’ labem, Enn. ap. Diom. p. 378 P. (Ann. v. 283 Vahl.): quanta pernis pestis veniet, quanta labes larido, Plaut. Capt. 4, 3, 3: innocentiae labes ac ruina, Cic. Fl. 10, 24: labes in tabella, id. Lael. 12, 41: regnorum labes, Val. Fl. 5, 237.
    2. B. Meton., ruin, destruction; of a dangerous person, one who causes ruin: (Verres) labes atque pernicies provinciae Siciliae, Cic. Verr. 1, 1, 2: labes popli, Plant. Pers. 3, 3, 4.
      Of a bad law: labes atque eluvies civitatis, Cic. Dom. 20, 53.
      1. 2. In partic., the falling sickness, epilepsy, Ser. Samm. 57, 1018.
        Hence, in gen., disease, sickness, Grat. Cyneg. 468.

2. lābes, is, f. [Gr. λώβη, λωβεύω; cf. Curt. Griech. Etym. p. 372]. a spot, blot, stain, blemish, defect.

  1. I. Lit. (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): tractata notam labemque remittunt Atramenta, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 235: sine labe toga, Ov. A. A. 1, 514: purum et sine labe salinum, Pers. 3, 25: victima labe carens, Ov. M. 15, 130: aliqua corporis labe insignis, Suet. Aug. 38: item quae (virgo) lingua debili sensuve aurium deminuta, aliave qua corporis labe insignita sit, Gell. 1, 12, 3.
  2. II. Trop., a stain, blot, stigma, disgrace, discredit: labes macula in vestimento dicitur, et deinde μεταφορικῶς transfertur in homines vituperatione dignos, Paul. ex Fest. p. 121 Müll. (freq. and class.): animi labes nec diuturnitate evanescere, nec amnibus ullis elui potest, Cic. Leg. 2, 10, 24: saeculi labes atque macula, id. Balb. 6, 15: labem alicujus dignitati aspergere, a stain, disgrace, id. Vatin. 6, 15: labem alicui inferre, id. Cael. 18, 42: famae non sine labe meae, Prop. 4 (5), 8, 20: domus sine labe, Juv. 14, 69: vita sine labe peracta, Ov. P. 2, 7, 49: abolere labem prioris ignominiae, Tac. H. 3, 24: donec longa dies … concretam eximit labem, purumque relinquit sensum, Verg. A. 6, 746.
    Of an immoral custom: dedit hanc contagio labem, Juv. 2, 78.
    Plur.: conscientiae labes habere, Cic. Off. 3, 21, 85: peccatorum labibus inquinati, Lact. 4, 26; id. Ira Dei, 19.
        1. b. Meton. (abstr. pro concreto), a disgrace, i. e. a good-for-nothing fellow, a wretch: habeo quem opponam labi illi atque caeno, Cic. Sest. 8, 20: caenum illud ac labes, id. ib. 11, 26.

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.