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.

2. ob-tentus (opt-), ūs, m. [obtendo].

  1. I. A drawing, spreading, or placing before (poet. and post-Aug.).
    1. A. Lit.: obtentu togae, tamquam se amiciens, ne videretur, Gell. 11, 18, 14: frondis, Verg. A. 11, 66: nubium, Plin. 31, 1, 1, § 2.
    2. B. Trop., a pretence, pretext, color (cf.: simulatio, species): obtentum habere, Tac. A. 12, 7: tempora reipublicae obtentui sumpta, assumed as a pretext, id. ib. 1, 10: sub obtentu liberationis, Just. 5, 8, 12: damnationis, Lact. 2, 4, 36: sub obtentu monituum deorum quaedam enuntiare, Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 15, 3, 6.
  2. II. (Acc. to obtendo, II.) A covering, cover, veil (post-class.): quia secundae res mire sunt vitiis optentui, Sall. H. 1, 41, 24: vera sunt, quae loquuntur poëtae, sed obtentu aliquo specieque velata, disguise, allegorical dress, Lact. 1, 11: non terror obtentui est, a hinderance, Nazar. Pan. Constant. 5.