(adj.adv.) : mollis, e, adj.Gr. μαλακός, ἀμαλός, μῶλυς; cf. βληχρός, perh. Lat. mulier (mollior)
* Easily movable, pliant, flexible, supple; soft, tender, delicate, gentle, mild, pleasant (class.; syn.: tener, facilis, flexibilis, lentus).
* Lit.: mollis juncus,Verg. E. 2, 72: comam mollis ... hyacinthi,id. G. 4, 137: aurum,flexible,id. A. 10, 818: tiliae,Ov. M. 10, 92: crura,Verg. G. 3, 76: colla,id. A. 11, 622: bracchia,Ov. A. A. 1, 595: cervix,id. F. 4, 185: commissurae,Cic. N. D. 2, 60: molle litus,of soft sand,Caes. B. G. 5, 9: harena,Ov. M. 2, 577: aqua,id. A. A. 1, 476: fraga,id. M. 13, 816: castaneae,Verg. E. 1, 82: mollissima vina ( = mitissima, lenissima),id. G. 1, 341; cf.: molli mero,Hor. C. 1, 7, 19; and: molle Calenum,Juv. 1, 69: alvus,relaxed, open bowels,Cels. 3, 12: cibus,mild, not sharp,id. 4, 4, 4: ovum,soft,id. 4, 4, 5: prata,Verg. G. 2, 384: gramen,Ov. F. 6, 328: humus,id. A. A. 3, 688: lana,id. F. 2, 742: torus,id. Am. 2, 4, 14: arcus,slack, unbent, unstrung,id. H. 4, 92: feretrum,made soft by a layer of leaves,Verg. A. 11, 64: mollissima cera,Cic. de Or. 3, 45, 177: mollia panis,the soft part of bread, the crumb,id. 13, 12, 26, § 82: molles genae,soft, delicate,Ov. H. 10, 44: capilli,id. P. 3, 3, 17: manus,id. Am. 1, 4, 24: latus,id. M. 14, 710: molles Zephyri,soft, gentle,id. A. A. 3, 728; so, hiems,Stat. S. 3, 5, 83: aestas,Verg. G. 1, 312: caelum,Flor. 1, 16, 3; 4, 12, 27: Euphrates mollior undis,gentler, calmer,Verg. A. 8, 726: aditus,easy,Sil. 4, 491; so, iter,Quint. 4, 2, 46: via,id. 1, 6, 22: fastigium,gentle, not steep,Caes. B. C. 2, 10: clivus,Verg. E. 9, 8: modicis et mollibus clivis,Curt. 8, 39, 6: jugum montis,Tac. G. 1: trames,Ov. F. 3, 13.—Prov.: molli bracchio objurgare aliquem, with a gentle arm, i. e. in a forbearing manner, Cic. Att. 2, 1, 6: in molli carne vermes nascuntur,it is the soft flesh that breeds the worms,Petr. 57.— Subst.: mollia, ĭum, n., a kind of fishes, mollusks, Plin. 11, 51, 112, § 267.
* Trop.
* Tender, delicate, susceptible: mollibus annis,in tender youth,Ov. H. 1, 111: os molle,easily blushing,id. Tr. 4, 3, 70: mollissima corda,Juv. 15, 131: mollissimae aures,modest,Plin. Pan. 68.
* In a bad sense, soft, effeminate, unmanly, weak (syn. effeminatus): philosophus tam mollis, tam languidus, tam enervatus,Cic. de Or. 1, 52, 226: Sabaei,Verg. G. 1, 57: viri molles, i. e. pathici,Liv. 33, 28; Sen. Ep. 87: disciplina,effeminate,Cic. Fin. 1, 11, 37: delicatior ... molliorque ratio,id. ib. 5, 5, 12: vita,Ov. Tr. 5, 3, 9: desine mollium querellarum, Hor. C. 2, 9, 17: mollis teneraque vox,Quint. 11, 3, 23: educatio,id. 1, 2, 6: actio,id. 11, 3, 128: Gallorum mens est mollis ac minime resistens ad calamitates perferendas,Caes. B. G. 3, 19: sententiae,Cic. Cat. 1, 12, 30: si taedio laboris longaeque viae, ut est mollis ad talia gens (Gallorum), dilaberentur,Liv. 22, 2, 4: Romanos molliores facere ad paciscendum,id. 42, 62, 6; cf.: sunt qui in rebus contrariis parum sibi constent, voluptatem severissime contemnant, in dolore sint molliores, etc.,Cic. Off. 1, 21, 71: molles in aure fenestrae,Juv. 1, 104.
* Soft, pleasant, mild, easy: orationem mollem teneramque reddidit,soft, pleasant,Cic. Brut. 9, 38: mollis et jucunda senectus,id. Sen. 1, 2: ita eum placidum mollemque reddidi, ut, etc.,calm and gentle,id. Caecil. 10, 28: verba,Hor. Epod. 5, 83: mollia jussa,mild, easy,Verg. G. 3, 41: vincuntur molli pectora dura prece,soft, tender, touching,Tib. 3, 4, 76: sic accensum sed molliora referre jussum dimittit,to return a gentler answer,Tac. H. 4, 32 fin.: saepius molliora respondens,id. A. 12, 46: mollis versus, an elegiac or amatory poem, Ov. Tr. 2, 307; Prop. 1, 7, 19 (opp. durus versus, a heroic poem, id. 2, 1, 41): ridere mollia,to smile gently,Ov. A. A. 3, 513: cuncta tamen ad imperatorem in mollius relata,in a milder, more favorable light,Tac. A. 14, 39: pilenta,having a gentle motion,Verg. A. 8, 666; id. G. 2, 389: mollissima fandi tempora,id. A. 4, 293: hora mollior,more favorable,Ov. P. 3, 3, 84: signa,Cic. Brut. 18, 70: duriora Callon, jam minus rigida Calamis, molliora adhuc supra dictis Myron fecit,more agreeable,Quint. 12, 10, 7: mollis animus et ad accipiendam et ad deponendam offensionem,Cic. Att. 1, 17, 2: in inimicitiis auricula infima mollior,id. Q. Fr. 2, 13 (15), 4.—Subst.: molle, is, n., softness, smoothness: molle atque facetum Vergilio adnuerunt Camenae,Hor. S. 1, 10, 45.
* Weak, untrustworthy: nihil est tam molle, tam tenerum, tam aut fragile aut flexibile quam voluntas erga nos civium,Cic. Mil. 16, 42.—Hence, adv.: mollĭter.
* Lit., softly, gently, agreeably (class.): molliter sustine me,Plaut. Ps. 5, 2, 7: aves nidos mollissime substernunt,Cic. N. D. 2, 52, 129: recubans,id. de Or. 3, 17, 63: ossa cubent,Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 76: excudent alii spirantia mollius aera,more easily, agreeably,Verg. A. 6, 847: cura molliter semina conlocandi,Plin. 15, 10, 9, § 35: colles ad orientem molliter devexi,gently, gradually,Col. 1, 2, 3 sq.
* Trop.: quod ferendum est molliter sapienti,calmly, patiently,Cic. Sen. 2, 5: abnuere,Liv. 30, 3: delicate et molliter vivere,voluptuously,Cic. Off. 1, 30, 106: aegritudinem pati,sensitively, weakly,Sall. J. 82, 2: ne quid per metum, mollius consuleretur,too compliantly,Liv. 30, 7, 3: interpretari mollius aliquid,rather mildly, favorably,Tac. H. 2, 96.

s. TLL