Mentior, mentîris, pen. pro. mentíri, Deponens. To lie: to faine: to counterfaite.Mentiebatur ad milites. Gell. lib. 15. cap. 22. Palm mentiri, vide PALAM præpositionem.Nisi mentior, vide NISI.Aduersus aliquem mentiri. Plau. To make a lie to one.In aliquem mentiti.Cic.To make a lie of one.Alicui mentiri.Plaut.De mea autem causa nulla est cur mentiar. Cice. There is no cause why I shoulde lie of my selfe. Mentiri se esse aliquem.Plin. iunior. To faine or counterfaite himselfe to be one.Amorem mentiri.Ouid.To counterfaire.Causam fugæ mentitur.Ouid.He fained.Colorem fuco mentiri. Quint. To counterfaite a faire calor, with painting: to paint the face.Laoa mentitur varios colores.Virg.Color ille chrysocollam mentitur. Plin. The colour resembleth Boras, or to see to is much like Boras.Dolorem capitis mentita puella.Ouid.Fidem mentiri. Claud. Verum robur inani sagina mentiri.Quintil.To counterfait a sounde strength by a vaine pampering or feeding vppe of the bodie.Sexum muliebri motu mentiri. Col. With gesture and mooning tofaine and counterfaite themselues to be women.Vitam vanitas mentitur sibi. Plin. Vanitie imagineth to it selfe a life. Mentiri. Plin. To write falsely.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
mentĭor, ītus, 4 (fut. mentibitur, for mentietur, Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 35; 2, 2, 99; v. Neue, Formenl. 2, p. 448), v. dep. n. and a. [prob. from root men-, whence mens, memini, q. v. Original meaning, to invent; hence], I.Neutr., to lie, cheat, deceive, etc.: mentiri palam, Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 89: mentire, id. Poen. 3, 5, 18: adversus aliquem, id. Aul. 4, 7, 9: apud aliquem, id. Poen. 1, 1, 24: sibi, id. Am. 1, 2, 6: mihi, id. Capt. 3, 5, 46; Ter. Eun. 4, 4, 35: aperte, Cic. Ac. 2, 6, 18: in re aliquā, id. Att. 12, 21, 4: de re aliquā, id. N. D. 3, 6, 14: adeo veritatis diligens, ut ne joco quidem mentiretur, Nep. Epam. 3, 1.—With acc. and inf., to pretend, to declare falsely: certam me sum mentitus habere Horam, quae, etc., Ov. Tr. 1, 3, 53; Plin. 12, 15, 34, 67: mentior nisi or si mentior, a form of asseveration, I am a liar, if, etc.: mentior, nisi et quae alunt illud, corpora sunt, Sen. Ep. 106, 5: si mentiar, inquit, Ultima, quā fallam, sit Venus illa mihi, Ov. F. 4, 227.—Of things, to deceive, impose upon: frons, oculi, vultus persaepe mentiuntur, oratio vero saepissime, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 6: in quibus nihil umquam ... vetustas mentita sit, id. N. D. 2, 5, 15.— B.To deceive one's self, mistake: mentire, gnate, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 83 Brix ad loc.— II.Act., to lie or speak falsely about, to assert falsely, make a false promise about; to feign, counterfeit, imitate a shape, nature, etc.: cujus consilio tantam rem mentitus esset,
had devised such a falsehood
, Sall. C. 48: originem alicujus, Just. 35, 2, 4: auspicium, Liv. 10, 40: titulum Lyciscae,
to assume falsely
, Juv. 6, 123: noctem,
to promise falsely
, Prop. 3, 9, 1: cur sese daemonia mentiuntur, Tert. Apol. 23; also, to invent, feign, of a poetical fiction: ita mentitur (sc. Homerus), Hor. A. P. 151; cf.: poëtae Orionem mentiuntur in pelago incidentem, Lact. 4, 15, 21.—Pass.: si a debitore, praelato die, pignoris obligatio mentiatur, Dig. 48, 10, 28.—B.Trop., of inanim. subjects: semel fac illud, Mentitur tua quod subinde tussis, do what your cough keeps falsely promising, i. e. die, Mart. 5, 39, 6: mentiris juvenem tinctis capillis, id. 3, 43, 1: color, qui chrysocollam mentitur, Plin. 35, 6, 29, 48: nec varios discet mentiri lana colores, Verg. E. 4, 42: sexum viris denegatum muliebri motu, Col. praef. 1.—Hence, 1. mentĭens, entis, m.subst., a fallacy, sophism: quomodo mentientem, quem yeudo/menon vocant, dissolvas, Cic. Div. 2, 4, 11. —2. mentītus, a, um, Part., in pass. signif., imitated, counterfeit, feigned (poet.): mentita tela, Verg. A. 2, 422: figurae, Ov. M. 5, 326: fama, id. ib. 10, 28: nomen, id. ib. 10, 439; id. H. 11, 73; Sen. Contr. 5, 5, 3; Luc. 2, 512; Val. Fl. 6, 698; 7, 155; Sil. 15, 796; Stat. S. 4, 6, 21; id. Th. 1, 256; 7, 303; 10, 875; Poët. ap. Suet. Oth. 3; Prop. 4 (5), 7, 58: mentiti fictique terrores, Plin. Ep. 6, 20, 15; id. Pan. 81, 3: divinitas, Lact. 2, 16, 2; Quint. 12, 10, 76.