Lewis Short
(v. a.P. a.) : fallo, fĕfelli, falsum, 3 (archaic
* Inf. praes. pass. fallier, Pers. 3, 50; perf. pass. fefellitus sum, Petr. Fragm. 61, MSS.), v. a. Sanscr. sphal, sphul, to waver; Gr. σφάλλω, ἀ-σφαλής, to deceive, trick, dupe, cheat, disappoint (freq. and class.; syn.: decipio, impono, frustror, circumvenio, emungo, fraudo).
* In gen.
* Of living objects: T. Roscius non unum rei pecuniariae socium fefellit, verum novem homines honestissimos ejusdem muneris, etc. ... induxit, decepit, destituit, omni fraude et perfidia fefellit,Cic. Rosc. Am. 40, 116 sq.; so, aliquem dolis,Ter. And. 3, 2, 13; cf. id. Heaut. 3, 1, 61: senem,Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 43: referam gratiam, atque eas itidem fallam, ut ab illis fallimur,Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 93: tu illum fructu fallas, Poët. ap. Cic. N. D. 3, 29, 73: id ipsum sui fallendi causa milites ab hostibus factum existimabant,Caes. B. G. 7, 50, 2: tum laqueis captare feras et fallere visco Inventum,Verg. G. 1, 139; cf. Ov. M. 15, 474: is enim sum, nisi me forte fallo, qui, etc.,Cic. Phil. 12, 8, 21: num me fefellit, Catilina, non modo res tanta, verum dies?id. Cat. 1, 3, 7: nisi me fallit animus,id. Rosc. Am. 17, 48; cf.: neque eum prima opinio fefellit,Caes. B. C. 3, 67, 3: ne spes eum fallat,Cic. Fam. 1, 3; Caes. B. G. 2, 10, 4: si in hominibus eligendis spes amicitiae nos fefellerit,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 11, § 28: in quo cum eum opinio fefellisset,Nep. Ages. 3, 5: nisi forte me animus fallit,Sall. C. 20, 17: nisi memoria me fallit,fails me,Gell. 20, p. 285 Bip.: nisi me omnia fallunt,Cic. Att. 8, 7, 1; cf.: omnia me fallunt, nisi, etc.,Sen. Ep. 95 med.: nisi quid me fallit,Cic. Fam. 5, 20, 6; cf.: si quid nunc me fallit in scribendo,id. ib. 3, 5, 4: dominum sterilis saepe fefellit ager,Ov. A. A. 1, 450: certe hercle hic se ipsus fallit, non ego,Ter. And. 3, 2, 15: tam libenter se fallunt, quam si una fata decipiunt,Sen. Brev. Vit. 11, 1: cum alios falleret, se ipsum tamen non fefellit,Lact. 1, 22, 5.— Pass. in mid. force, to deceive one's self, be deceived, to err, be mistaken: errore quodam fallimur in disputando,Cic. Rep. 3, 35: qua (spe) possumus falli: deus falli qui potuit?id. N. D. 3, 31, 76: memoriā falli,Plin. 10, 42, 59, § 118: jamque dies, nisi fallor, adest,Verg. A. 5, 49; Cic. Att. 4, 17, 1; 16, 6, 2: ni fallor,Ov. F. 4, 623; Lact. 2, 19, 1; cf.: ordinis haec virtus erit et venus, aut ego fallor,Hor. A. P. 42.—With object-clause: dicere non fallar, quo, etc.,Luc. 7, 288: quamquam haut falsa sum, nos odiosas haberi,Plaut. Aul. 2, 1, 4; cf.: id quam facile sit mihi, haud sum falsus,id. Men. 5, 2, 3; Ter. And. 4, 1, 23; Sall. J. 85, 20: neque ea res falsum me habuit,did not deceive me,id. ib. 10, 1: ut falsus animi est!Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 43.
* In partic.
* Impers.: fallit (me) I deceive myself, I mistake, am mistaken: sed nos, nisi me fallit, jacebimus,Cic. Att. 14, 12, 2; cf.: nisi me propter benevolentiam forte fallebat,id. Cael. 19, 45; id. Sest. 50, 106: nec eum fefellit,id. Off. 2, 7, 25: vide, ne te fallat,Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 25. And cf. under II. B. 2.
* To deceive in swearing, to swear falsely: is jurare cum coepisset, vox eum defecit in illo loco: SI SCIENS FALLO,Cic. Fam. 7, 1, 2; cf.: lapidem silicem tenebant juraturi per Jovem haec verba dicentes: SI SCIENS FALLO, TVM ME DISPITER, etc., Paul. ex Fest. s. v. lapidem, p. 115 Müll.: si sciens fefellisset,Plin. Pan. 64, 3; cf. Liv. 21, 45, 8; Prop. 4, 7, 53: expedit matris cineres opertos Fallere,i. e. to swear falsely by the ashes of your mother,Hor. C. 2, 8, 10.
* With respect to one's knowledge or sight, for the more usual latēre: to lie concealed from, to escape the notice, elude the observation of a person (so in Cic., Sall., and Caes. for the most part only impers., v. 2. infra).
* With acc.: neque enim hoc te, Crasse, fallit, quam multa sint et quam varia genera dicendi,Cic. de Or. 1, 60, 255: tanto silentio in summum evasere, ut non custodes solum fallerent, sed, etc.,Liv. 5, 47, 3: nec fefellit veniens ducem,id. 2, 19, 7; Curt. 7, 6, 4; cf.: quin et Atridas duce te (Mercurio) ... Priamus ... Thessalosque ignes et iniqua Trojae Castra fefellit,Hor. C. 1, 10, 16: quos fallere et effugere est triumphus,id. ib. 4, 4, 52: Spartacum si qua potuit vagantem Fallere testa,id. ib. 3, 14, 20; Suet. Caes. 43: nec te Pythagorae fallant arcana,Hor. Epod. 15, 21; id. Ep. 1, 6, 45: nec quicquam eos, quae terra marique agerentur, fallebat,Liv. 41, 2, 1 Drak.: ut plebem tribunosque falleret judicii rescindendi consilium initum,id. 4, 11, 4: tanta celeritate, ut visum fallant,Plin. 9, 50, 74, § 157: oculos littera fallit,cannot be distinctly read,Ov. A. A. 3, 627.— With acc. and inf.: neutros fefellit hostes appropinquare,Liv. 31, 33, 8 Weissenb. ad loc.—Mid. with gen.: nec satis exaudiebam, nec sermonis fallebar tamen,Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 55.
* To cause any thing (space, time, etc.) not to be observed or felt, to lighten any thing difficult, or to appease, silence any thing disagreeable, to beguile (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): medias fallunt sermonibus horas Sentirique moram prohibent,Ov. M. 8, 652: jam somno fallere curam,Hor. S. 2, 7, 114: Fallebat curas aegraque corda labor,Ov. Tr. 3, 2, 16; cf. dolores,id. ib. 5, 7, 39: luctum,Val. Fl. 3, 319: molliter austerum studio fallente laborem,Hor. S. 2, 2, 12; Ov. M. 6, 60; Plin. 27, 7, 28, § 49.—Prov.: fallere credentem non est operosa puellam Gloria,Ov. H. 2, 63.—Hence, falsus, a, um, P. a., deceptive, pretended, feigned, deceitful, spurious, false (syn.: adulterinus, subditus, subditicius, spurius).
* Adj.: testes aut casu veri aut malitia falsi fictique esse possunt,Cic. Div. 2, 11, 27; cf.: falsum est id totum, neque solum fictum, sed etiam imperite absurdeque fictum,id. Rep. 2, 15: ementita et falsa plenaque erroris,id. N. D. 2, 21, 55: pro re certa spem falsam domum retulerunt,id. Rosc. Am. 38, 110; cf.: spe falsa atque fallaci,id. Phil. 12, 2, 7; so, spes,id. Sull. 82, 91: falsa et mendacia visa,id. Div. 2, 62, 127; cf.: falsa et inania visa,id. ib.: falsum et imitatione simulatum,id. de Or. 2, 45, 189; cf. id. Phil. 11, 2, 5: argumentum,id. Inv. 1, 48, 90: qui falsas lites falsis testimoniis Petunt,Plaut. Rud. prol. 13: reperiuntur falsi falsimoniis,id. Bacch. 3, 6, 12: ambitio multos mortales falsos fieri subegit,Sall. C. 10, 5 Kritz.: pater (opp. verus),a supposed father,Ov. M. 9, 24; cf. id. ib. 1, 754: falsi ac festinantes,Tac. A. 1, 7: suspectio, Enn. ap. Non. 511, 5: nuntius,Cic. de Or. 1, 38, 175: rumores,Caes. B. G. 6, 20, 2: poena falsarum et corruptarum litterarum,Cic. Fl. 17, 39; cf.: falsas esse litteras et a scriba vitiatas,Liv. 40, 55, 1: falsarum tabularum rei,Suet. Aug. 19: fama,Cic. Lael. 4, 15: appellatio,Quint. 7, 3, 5: sententiae,id. 8, 5, 7: crimina,Hor. C. 3, 7, 14; terrores,id. Ep. 2, 1, 212: opprobria,i. e. undeserved,id. ib. 1, 16, 38; cf. honor,id. ib. 39: falsi Simoëntis ad undam, i. e. fictitious (simulati), Verg. A. 3, 302; cf.: falsi sequimur vestigia tauri (i. e. Jovis),Val. Fl. 8, 265: vultu simulans Haliagmona,Stat. Th. 7, 739: ita ceteros terruere, ut adesse omnem exercitum trepidi ac falsi nuntiarent,Tac. H. 2, 17: ne illi falsi sunt qui divorsissumas res pariter expectant,deceived, mistaken,Sall. J. 85, 20; cf.: falsus utinam vates sim,Liv. 21, 10, 10; so, vates,id. 4, 46, 5.—Comp. (rare): quanto est abjectior et falsior ista (theologia),Aug. Civ. D. 7, 5 fin.: nihil est hominum inepta persuasione falsius,Petr. 132; cf. Paul. ex Fest. p. 92, 11 Müll.—Sup.: id autem falsissimum est,Col. 1, 6, 17.
* With gen.: Felix appellatur Arabia, falsi et ingrati cognominis,Plin. 12, 18, 41, § 82.
* As subst.
* Falsus, i, m., a liar, deceiver: Spurinnam ut falsum arguens,a false prophet,Suet. Caes. 81 fin.; id. Tib. 14.
* Falsum, i, n., falsehood, fraud: ex falsis verum effici non potest,Cic. Div. 2, 51, 106; cf.: veris falsa remiscet,Hor. A. P. 151: vero distinguere falsum,id. Ep. 1, 10, 29: falsum scripseram,Cic. Att. 7, 14, 2; Quint. 7, 2, 53: ex illa causa falsi,i. e. of fraud,Dig. 48, 10 (De lege Cornelia de falsis), 1; v. the whole title: acclinis falsis animus,Hor. S. 2, 2, 6: nec obstitit falsis Tiberius,Tac. A. 2, 82: simulationum falsa,id. ib. 6, 46 et saep.—Adverb.: telisque non in falsum jactis,i. e. not at random, with effect,Tac. A. 4, 50 fin.: jurare falsum,Ov. Am. 3, 3, 11.—Adv., untruly, erroneously, unfaithfully, wrongly, falsely; in two forms, falso and false.
* Falso: eho mavis vituperari falso, quam vero extolli?Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 21 sq.; cf. id. Trin. 1, 2, 173; so opp. vero,Curt. 5, 2, 2: ei rei dant operam, ut mihi falso maledicatur, Cato ap. Charis. p. 179 P.: falso criminare, Enn. ap. Non. 470, 16: neque me perpetiar probri Falso insimulatam,id. Am. 3, 2, 7; 21; cf.: non possum quemquam insimulare falso,Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 41, § 107: falso memoriae proditum,id. de Imp. Pomp. 14, 41: cum Tarquinius ... vivere falso diceretur,id. Rep. 2, 21; cf.: adesse ejus equites falso nuntiabantur,Caes. B. C. 1, 14, 1: cum utrumque falso fingerent,Liv. 42, 2: falso in me conferri,Cic. Fam. 5, 5, 2: aliquem falso occidere, i. e. by mistake, Naev. ap. Charis. p. 179 P.; cf.: ut miseri parentes quos falso lugent, vivere sciant,Liv. 34, 32, 13; and: falso lamentari eas Darium vivum,Curt. 3, 12: falso queritur de natura sua genus humanum,Sall. J. 1: falso plurima volgus amat,Tib. 3, 3, 20 (so perh. also in Cic. Ac. 2, 46, 141, non assentiar saepe falso, instead of false).—Ellipt.: Da. Si quid narrare occepi, continuo dari tibi verba censes. Si. Falso, Ter. And. 3, 2, 24; cf.: atqui in talibus rebus aliud utile interdum, aliud honestum videri solet. Falso: nam, etc.,Cic. Off. 3, 18, 74; so Quint. 2, 17, 12; Nep. Alc. 9: quia inter inpotentes et validos falso quiescas, = quia falluntur qui putant quiesci posse,Tac. Germ. 36.
* False (very rare): judicium false factum, Sisenn. ap. Charis. p. 179; Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 78 Fleck. (Cic. Ac. 2, 46, 141 dub., B. and K., al. falso).—Sup.: quae adversus haec falsissime disputantur,Aug. Conf. 10, 13.
Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary