I.mild, mellow, mature, ripe; of the soil, mellow, light, kindly, fruitful; of a river, calm, gentle, placid (class.; syn.: lenis, placidus, comis).
I. Lit.: “sunt nobis mitia poma,” Verg. E. 1, 81: “uva,” id. G. 1, 448: “Bacchus (i. e. vinum),” mellow, id. ib. 1, 344: “suci,” Ov. M. 14, 690: “mite solum Tiburis,” Hor. C. 1, 18, 2: “mitis (fluvius) in morem stagni,” Verg. A. 8, 88: “flamma,” harmless, innoxious, Sil. 16, 120.—
II. Trop., mild, soft, gentle.
A. In gen.: “nihil tam vidi mite, nihil tam placatum, quam tum meus frater erat in sororem tuam,” Cic. Att. 5, 1, 3: “mitis tranquillusque homo,” Plaut. Truc. 4, 3, 2: “homo mitissimus atque lenissimus,” Cic. Cat. 4, 5, 10: “ex feris et immanibus, mites reddidit et mansuetos,” id. Inv. 1, 2, 2.— Poet., with acc., in respect of: “nec Mauris animum mitior anguibus,” Hor. C. 3, 10, 18. —With dat.: “mites hostibus,” Ov. P. 2, 1, 48: “poenitentiae mitior,” towards the penitent, Tac. Agr. 16.—
B. Of things: “mitis et misericors animus,” Cic. Inv. 1, 55, 106: “consilium,” Ov. Tr. 1, 5, 5: “doctrina,” Cic. Mur. 29, 160: malum, blandum atque dolosum, Lucil. ap. Non. 343, 9: “mitius exsilium,” Ov. Tr. 2, 185: “servitium,” Prop. 3, 13, 20: “opes,” acquired through a long peace, Sil. 14, 653: “affectus mitiores,” Quint. 5, 13, 2: “ingenium,” Juv. 4, 82; 13, 184: “animus,” id. 14, 15.—
C. Of speech: “Thucydides si posterius fuisset, multo maturior fuisset et mitior,” riper and mellower, more palalable, Cic. Brut. 83, 288: “mitis et compta oratio,” id. Sen. 9, 28: “non hac tam atroci, sed illa lege mitissima, causam dicere,” Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 9, § 26.—
III. Comically, made soft, mellow with beating: “mitis sum equidem fustibus,” Plaut. Mil. 5, 31; cf. Ter. Ad. 2, 4, 12.—Hence, adv.: mīte , mildly, soflly, gently (rare; “not in Cic.): mite connivere,” App. M. 10, p. 285, 4.—Comp.: “mitius ille perit,” Ov. P. 3, 7, 27. —Sup.: “mitissime legatos appellare,” Caes. B. G. 7, 43.