(verb) : fătisco, ĕre, (ante-class. in the
* Dep. form fătiscor, ci; v.the foll.) [cf. Gr. χάτις, χατιζω; Lat. fatigo, fessus, adfatim; for the f = χ, cf. Gr. χυ, χέω, χεύσω; Lat. fundo, fons], to open in chinks or clefts, to gape or crack open, to fall apart, tumble to pieces (poet. and in post-Aug. prose).
* Lit.: (naves) laxis laterum compagibus omnes Accipiunt inimicum imbrem rimisque fatiscunt,Verg. A. 1, 123: saxis solida aera fatiscunt,id. ib. 9, 809: area neu pulvere victa fatiscat,id. G. 1, 180: (pinguis tellus) haud umquam manibus jactata fatiscit,id. ib. 2, 249: viscera flammis (with torreri),Ov. M. 7, 554: heu canimus frustra, nec verbis victa fatiscit Janua,Tib. 1, 5, 67 (Müll. patescit): camelo ungues in longiore itinere sine calceatu fatiscunt,Plin. 11, 45, 105, § 254.
* In the dep. form: non delubra deum simulacraque fessa fatisci?Lucr. 5, 308.
* Trop., to grow weak, become exhausted, to droop, faint, decrease (ante-class. in the dep. form): solum segetibus fatiscit,Col. 2, 13, 3: scrofa celerrime fatiscit, quae plures educat,id. 7, 9 fin.: ipse exercitusque per inopiam et labores fatiscebant,Tac. A. 14, 24: scriptores dum copia fatiscunt, id. ib. 6, 7: viri in segnitiem,Val. Fl. 3, 395: manibusque nesciis fatiscere,Tac. A. 16, 5: donec fatisceret seditio,id. H. 3, 10.— Poet., with inf.: exsatiata fatiscet Mater Achilleis hiemes affringere bustis,Stat. S. 5, 1, 35.
* In the dep. form: aevo,Lucr. 3, 458: altera irā, altera vulneribus fatiscuntur, Varr. ap. Non. 479, 13; Pac. ib. 307, 12; Att. ib. 10 and 479, 10 and 14; Fronto, Princ. Hist. p. 318 ed. Mai.