ingĕnĭum (noun N) : in-geno, from gigno
* Innate or natural quality, nature.
* In gen. (so mostly poet.; in Sall. and in postAug. prose; not in Cic. or Caes.): pro ingenio ego me liberum esse ratus sum, pro imperio tuo tibi servire aequom censeo,Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 22: ite in frundiferos locos Ingenio arbusta ubi nata sunt, non obsita, by their own nature, Naev. ap. Non. 323, 1 (Trag. Rel. v. 28 Rib.); so, loci,Sall. H. 3, 18 Dietsch: locorum hominumque ingenia,Liv. 28, 12, 11; Tac. A. 6, 41; id. H. 1, 51; Flor. 2, 6, 16 al.: terrae,Liv. 37, 54, 21: montis,Tac. H. 2, 4; cf.: campi suopte ingenio humentes,id. ib. 5, 14: arvorum,Verg. G. 2, 177; and, portūs,Sil. 14, 283: arbores sui cujusque ingenii poma ferunt,Col. 3, 1, 2: lactis ingenia et proprietates,Gell. 12, 1, 14: ingenium velox igni, Sev. Aetn. 214: crines ingenio suo flexi,naturally,Petr. 126: ut magistratus imperio suo vehemens mansueto permitteretur ingenio,Liv. 2, 30, 4; cf.: cum honesta suopte ingenio peterentur,in consequence of its own nature,Tac. A. 3, 26: mitis ingenio,id. ib. 6, 15: cunctator ingenio,id. ib. 15, 1: ingenio trux,id. H. 1, 21.— Rarely of beasts: mitior ad feras bestias, praecipitia ingenia sortitas,Curt. 8, 1, 35.
* In partic., of persons.
* Natural disposition, temper, mode of thinking, character, bent, inclination: feci ego ingenium meum,have acted out,Plaut. Merc. 4, 1, 2: ita ingenium meumst,id. Am. 3, 2, 18: ut ingenium est omnium hominum ab labore proclive ad lubidinem,Ter. And. 1, 1, 50: liberale,id. ib. 4, 5, 59: pium ac pudicum,id. Hec. 1, 2, 77: durum atque inexorabile,id. Phorm. 3, 2, 12: inhumanum,id. Eun. 5, 2, 41: lene in liberos,id. Heaut. 1, 1, 99: utinam nunc matrescam ingenio,Pac. Con. Rel. v. 139 Rib. (1 Rib., maturescam): mobile,Plin. Ep. 2, 11, 22: cicur et mansuetum,Varr. L. L. 7, § 91 Müll.: inverecundum animi,Cic. Inv. 1, 45, 83: vera loqui etsi meum ingenium non moneret. Liv. 3, 68, 9: ingenio suo vivere,id. 3, 36, 1: redire ad ingenium, to return to one's natural bent, to one's old courses, Ter. Ad. 1, 1, 46: Volscis levatis metu suum rediit ingenium,Liv. 2, 22, 3: quae maxime ad muliebre ingenium efficaces preces sunt, id. 1, 9, 16: vanum dictatoris,id. 1, 27, 1: mitis ingenii juvenem,id. 1, 46, 4: Turni ferox,id. 1, 51, 7: temperare suum,to control his temper,id. 8, 36, 5: horrida,Curt. 4, 6, 3: molliora,id. 5, 6, 18: humana,id. 5, 10, 13: felix,Sen. Ep. 95, 36: rapax,id. ad Helv. 17, 4: atrox,Tac. A. 4, 50: procax,id. H. 3, 32: ingenium ingeni, in Plautus, signifies peculiarity of disposition, Stich. 1, 2, 69.
* Concr. collect.: tanto corruptius iter immixtis histrionibus et spadonum gregibus et cetero Neronianae aulae ingenio,the people who gave character to the court,Tac. H. 2, 71.
* With respect to intelligence.
* Natural capacity, talents, parts, abilities, genius: docilitas, memoria, quae fere appellantur uno ingenii nomine,Cic. Fin. 5, 13, 36: ingenium ad fingendum,id. Font. 14, 30: excellens ac singulare,id. de Or. 2, 74, 298: vir acerrimo ingenio,id. Or. 5, 18: cujus tanta vis ingenii est, ut, etc.,id. de Or. 2, 74, 299: tardum,id. ib. 2, 27, 117: acutum aut retusum,id. de Div. 1, 36, 72: eximium,id. Tusc. 5, 24, 68: praestantissimum,id. Fin. 2, 16, 51: magnum,id. Ac. 2, 1, 1: illustre,id. Cael. 1, 1: oratorium,Tac. Dial. 10: pulcherrimum et maximum,Plin. Ep. 8, 12, 4: hebetatum, fractum, contusum,id. ib. 8, 14, 9: celeres ingenii motus,Cic. de Or. 1, 25, 113: ingenii acies,id. ib. 3, 5, 20: ingenii lumen,id. Brut. 15, 59: ingenii vis,id. Phil. 5, 18, 49: ingenii vena,Hor. C. 2, 18, 9: ingenii vigor,Ov. M. 8, 254: ingenii celeritas,Nep. Eum. 1: ingenii docilitas,id. Att. 1: ingenio abundare,Cic. Fam. 4, 8, 1: ingenio valere,Quint. 1, 8, 8: ingenio divino esse,Cic. Ac. 2, 36, 117: ingenio hebeti esse,id. Phil. 10, 8, 17: in eo ingenium ejus elucere videbatis,id. Cael. 19, 45: colere et imbuere ingenium artibus,Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 16: acuere,Quint. 1, 4, 7: alere,id. 1, 8, 8: exercere multiplici variāque materiā,id. 2, 4, 20: versabatur in hoc nostro studio cum ingenio,with cleverness,Cic. Fam. 13, 10, 2; so, cum ingenio,Dig. 1, 16, 9: ingenii memoria immortalis est,Sen. Polyb. 18, 2.— Plur.: acutiora ingenia et ad intellegendum aptiora eorum, qui, etc.,Cic. N. D. 2, 16, 42: aliae (partes agrorum) quae acuta ingenia gignant, aliae quae retusa,intellects,id. Div. 1, 36, 79 fin.
* Transf.
* A genius, i. e. a man of genius, a clever, ingenious person: excepi voluntatem tam excellens ingenium fuisse in civitate,Cic. Brut. 40, 147; id. Rep. 2, 1, 2; Liv. 41, 4, 3: nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit,Sen. Tranq. An. 17, 10. — Plur.: ut saepe summa ingenia in occulto latent,Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 62: decora,Tac. A. 1, 1: magna,id. H. 1, 1: nostra (i. e. oratores,id. Dial. 1; id. Agr. 2; Sen. Ep. 2, 1; id. ad Polyb. 27, 1: candidissimus omnium magnorum ingeniorum aestimator Livius,id. Suas. 6, 22: ingenia et artes vel maxime fovit,Suet. Vesp. 18; id. Aug. 89: id in magnis animis ingeniisque plerumque contingit,Cic. Off. 1, 22, 74.
* Of things, an invention, a clever thought: exquisita ingenia cenarum,Plin. Pan. 49, 7; cf. Tac. H. 3, 28: noctium suarum ingenia (= flagitiosae libidinis inventiones),voluptuous inventions,id. A. 16, 20.

s. TLL