To assure: to make stable or sure: to make strong: to satissie: to affirme. Tabulis hoc Censorum, memoria multorum firmabo ac docebo. Cic. I wil consirme and prooue it. Ad spem aliquem firmare. Tacit. To animate or cause one to hope. Aciem firmare. Liu. Aditus. Tacit. Vide ADITVS. Æstuaria proxima aggeribus & pontibus traducendo grauiori agmini firmar. Tacit He fortifieth, &c. Firmare agrum sepibus. Pli. To inclose a ground with hedges: to hedge aboute. Firmare aluum. Plin. To binde the bellie: to make costiue. Animum alicui Ouid. To comforte one, and put him out of feare: to animate. Animum aduersum suprema firmat. Tacit. Firmarunt robore castra. Sil. They fortified. Cohortes firmare. Tacir. Aduersum venena multis antea medicaminibus corpus firmauerat. Pli. iun. He had strengthned, &c. Corpora cibo firmare. Liui. To strengthen the bodies with meate. Firmare labore corpora iuuenum. Cicer. To harden the bodies of yong men with labour. Dotem firmare. Tere. To put in assurance what he will giue with his danghter. Fidem. Ter. To coufirme his promise: to make assurãce of, &c. Firmare fidem alicui rei. Terent. To make that men wil beltene it. Fides antiquitatis religione firmatur. Tacitus. The credit of antiquitie is consir med with, &c. Fœdera sirmare dictis. Virg. To confirme a league. Imperium firmare. Ci. To est ablish. Cæteris belli meditamentis militem firmabant. Taci. They confirmed and animated the souldiors with, &c. Mœnia vrbis sirmauit. Tibul. Hefortified. Firmat & auget etiam latronum opes iustitia. Cic. Grauitate quadam firmare orationem. Cic. His rebus pace firmata. Cæsar. By this meanes peace beeing established and conftrmed. Præsidia alicuius firmare. Cic. Promissa numine sirmat. Ouid. Hee confirmeth his promise with an othe.

I. Lit.: lacertos, Lucr. 6, 397: corpora juvenum firmari labore voluerunt, Cic. Tusc. 2, 15, 36: corpora cibo, Liv. 27, 13 fin.: vexatos milites quiete, Curt. 9, 10: praegnantes largo pascuo, Col. 6, 27, 10: bitumen aeramentis illinitur firmatque ea contra ignes, Plin. 35, 15, 51, 182: remedium ad dentium mobilĭs firmandos, id. 21, 31, 105, 180: aestuaria aggeribus et pontibus, Tac. A. 4, 73: vestigia, Verg. A. 3, 659: gradum, Quint. 9, 4, 129: alvum solutam, to bind, Cels. 1, 3; Plin. 14, 18, 22, 117.—

II. Trop.

A. In gen., to fortify, strengthen, secure; to make lasting, durable, permanent: (Romulus) urbem auspicato condere, et firmare dicitur primum cogitavisse rem publicam, Cic. Rep. 2, 3; cf.: urbem colonis firmare, id. ib. 2, 18; so, novam civitatem, id. ib. 2, 7: provinciam pace praesidiisque, id. Fam. 1, 7, 4: locum magnis munitionibus, Caes. B. G. 6, 29, 3: turres praesidiis, Sall. J. 23, 1: aditum urbis, Verg. A. 11, 466: aciem subsidiis, Liv. 9, 17, 15: latronum opes firmare atque augere, Cic. Off. 2, 11, 40; in aliquos imperium, id. Sull. 11, 32: vocem, id. de Or. 3, 61, 227: firmari consuetudine, Quint. 11, 3, 24: quorum (hominum) cum adolescentiae cupiditates defervissent, eximiae virtutes firmata jam aetate exstiterunt, Cic. Cael. 18, 43; cf.: animus adolescentis nondum consilio ac ratione firmatus, id. Clu. 6, 13: firmata stirpe virtutis, id. Cael. 32, 79: pacem amicitiamque, Liv. 9, 3, 10: memoria praecipue firmatur atque alitur exercitatione, Quint. 1, 1, 36; so, memoriam, id. 2, 4, 15: opinio omnium gentium firmata consensu, Cic. Div. 1, 1, 1: non tamen pro firmato stetit magistratus ejus jus, Liv. 4, 7, 3.—

B. In partic.

1. To strengthen in resolution, to encourage, animate: cujus adventus Pompeianos compressit nostrosque firmavit, ut, etc., Caes. B. C. 3, 65, 2: donec firmaret consilio patres auctor, Hor. C. 3, 5, 46: suos, Just. 2, 11: plebem hinc provocatione, hinc tribunicio auxilio, Liv. 3, 55: cunctos alloquio et cura sibique et proelio, Tac. A. 1, 71: animum exemplis, id. ib. 16, 35: animum praesenti pignore, Verg. A. 3, 611: firmatus animi, Sall. Hist. Fragm. 3, 24, p. 236 ed. Gerl. (ap. Arus. Mess. p. 232 ed. Lindem.).—

2. In fidelity, to make sure of, secure: civitates obsidibus, Hirt. B. G. 8, 27.—

3. to confirm, show, prove; to affirm, assert, declare, promise the correctness or truth of a circumstance, statement, etc. (less freq. than confirmo, affirmo): cum intelligat, quam multa firmentur jure jurando, Cic. Leg. 2, 7, 16: si vis et natura fati ex divinationis ratione firmabitur, id. Fat. 5, 11: firmatam dare fidem, Plaut. Mil. 2, 5, 45; so, fidem, Ter. And. 3, 1, 4; id. Hec. 4, 2, 5: vix quidquam firmare ausim, Tac. A. 1, 81; 6, 6; id. H. 2, 9: hoc genus in rebus firmandum est multa prius quam Ipsius rei rationem reddere possis, to prove, Lucr. 6, 917: da augurium, atque haec omina firma, Verg. A. 2, 691; so, numina, id. ib. 8, 78.—

(b). With object-clauses: seque et ibi futurum, ubi praescripserit et ea facturum, quae imperarit obsidibus datis firmat, Hirt. B. G. 8, 48, 9; cf.: paratis omnium animis reversuros firmaverunt, Tac. H. 2, 9: firmare necesse est, nil esse in promptu, etc., Lucr. 6, 940.—In pass. with a subject-clause: sata bene provenire firmantur, Pall. 11, 12.