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.

mentĭens, entis, Part., from mentior, q. v.

mentĭor, ītus, 4 (fut. mentibitur, for mentietur, Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 35; 2, 2, 99; v. Neue, Formenl. 2, p. 448), v. dep. n. and a. [prob. from root men-, whence mens, memini, q. v. Original meaning, to invent; hence],

  1. I. Neutr., to lie, cheat, deceive, etc.: mentiri palam, Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 89: mentire, id. Poen. 3, 5, 18: adversus aliquem, id. Aul. 4, 7, 9: apud aliquem, id. Poen. 1, 1, 24: sibi, id. Am. 1, 2, 6: mihi, id. Capt. 3, 5, 46; Ter. Eun. 4, 4, 35: aperte, Cic. Ac. 2, 6, 18: in re aliquā, id. Att. 12, 21, 4: de re aliquā, id. N. D. 3, 6, 14: adeo veritatis diligens, ut ne joco quidem mentiretur, Nep. Epam. 3, 1.
    With acc. and inf., to pretend, to declare falsely: certam me sum mentitus habere Horam, quae, etc., Ov. Tr. 1, 3, 53; Plin. 12, 15, 34, § 67: mentior nisi or si mentior, a form of asseveration, I am a liar, if, etc.: mentior, nisi et quae alunt illud, corpora sunt, Sen. Ep. 106, 5: si mentiar, inquit, Ultima, quā fallam, sit Venus illa mihi, Ov. F. 4, 227.
    Of things, to deceive, impose upon: frons, oculi, vultus persaepe mentiuntur, oratio vero saepissime, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 6: in quibus nihil umquam … vetustas mentita sit, id. N. D. 2, 5, 15.
    1. B. To deceive one’s self, mistake: mentire, gnate, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 83 Brix ad loc.
  2. II. Act., to lie or speak falsely about, to assert falsely, make a false promise about; to feign, counterfeit, imitate a shape, nature, etc.: cujus consilio tantam rem mentitus esset, had devised such a falsehood, Sall. C. 48: originem alicujus, Just. 35, 2, 4: auspicium, Liv. 10, 40: titulum Lyciscae, to assume falsely, Juv. 6, 123: noctem, to promise falsely, Prop. 3, 9, 1: cur sese daemonia mentiuntur, Tert. Apol. 23; also, to invent, feign, of a poetical fiction: ita mentitur (sc. Homerus), Hor. A. P. 151; cf.: poëtae Orionem mentiuntur in pelago incidentem, Lact. 4, 15, 21.
    Pass.: si a debitore, praelato die, pignoris obligatio mentiatur, Dig. 48, 10, 28.
    1. B. Trop., of inanim. subjects: semel fac illud, Mentitur tua quod subinde tussis, do what your cough keeps falsely promising, i. e. die, Mart. 5, 39, 6: mentiris juvenem tinctis capillis, id. 3, 43, 1: color, qui chrysocollam mentitur, Plin. 35, 6, 29, § 48: nec varios discet mentiri lana colores, Verg. E. 4, 42: sexum viris denegatum muliebri motu, Col. praef. 1.
      Hence,
      1. * 1. mentĭens, entis, m. subst., a fallacy, sophism: quomodo mentientem, quem ψευδόμενον vocant, dissolvas, Cic. Div. 2, 4, 11.
      2. 2. mentītus, a, um, Part., in pass. signif., imitated, counterfeit, feigned (poet.): mentita tela, Verg. A. 2, 422: figurae, Ov. M. 5, 326: fama, id. ib. 10, 28: nomen, id. ib. 10, 439; id. H. 11, 73; Sen. Contr. 5, 5, 3; Luc. 2, 512; Val. Fl. 6, 698; 7, 155; Sil. 15, 796; Stat. S. 4, 6, 21; id. Th. 1, 256; 7, 303; 10, 875; Poët. ap. Suet. Oth. 3; Prop. 4 (5), 7, 58: mentiti fictique terrores, Plin. Ep. 6, 20, 15; id. Pan. 81, 3: divinitas, Lact. 2, 16, 2; Quint. 12, 10, 76.