Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

hĕbesco, ĕre, v. inch. n. [hebeo], to grow blunt, dull, dim, or faint (rare but class.).

  1. I. Lit.: acumina (gladiorum) densis ictibus hebescebant, Amm. 16, 12, 54: hebescunt sensus, membra torpent, Plin. 7, 50, 51, § 168: hebescebant (oculi), Suet. Tib. 68: berylli hebescunt, Plin. 37, 5, 20, § 76: hebescere sidera, Tac. A. 1, 30: hebescere dextras, Sil. 8, 19.
  2. II. Trop.: sic mentis acies se ipsam intuens nonnumquam hebescit, Cic. Tusc. 1, 30, 73; cf.: nos vicesimum jam diem patimur hebescere aciem horum auctoritatis, id. Cat. 1, 2, 4: nosmetipsos hebescere et languere nolumus, id. Ac. 2, 2, 6; cf.: illi per fastidium et contumaciam hebescunt, Tac. H. 2, 77: hebescere virtus, paupertas probro haberi coepit, Sall. C. 12, 1.