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dŭbĭtātĭo, ōnis, f. [dubito].

  1. I. A wavering in opinion or judgment; a being uncertain, a doubting; uncertainty, doubt.
    1. A. Prop.
      1. 1. In gen. (freq. and good prose).
          1. (α) Absol.: nec tibi sollicitudinem ex dubitatione mea, nec spem ex affirmatione, afferre volui, Cic. Fam. 9, 17 fin.: cum res non conjecturā, sed oculis ac manibus teneretur, neque in causa ulla dubitatio posset esse, id. Cluent. 7, 20: in ea obscuritate ac dubitatione omnium, id. ib. 27: quod quamquam dubitationem non habet, tamen rationes afferendas puto, etc., id. Fin. 5, 10; cf. id. Agr. 1, 4, 11; Quint. 4, 3, 6: dubitationem afferre, Cic. Off. 1, 41, 147; cf. id. ib. 3, 4, 18: eo sibi minus dubitationis dari, quod, etc., Caes. B. G. 1, 14, 1: ad tollendam dubitationem sola non sufficiunt, Quint. 5, 9, 8; cf. id. 5, 13, 51; Cic. Att. 12, 6 fin. al. So in Cicero a few times: sine ulla dubitatione, without any doubt, i. e. per litoten, most certainly (an emphatic sine dubio, v. dubius, I. B. 2. b. ε), Cic. Tusc. 3, 3, 5; id. Balb. 13, 31; id. Verr. 2, 4, 18, § 39; id. Cat. 4, 3, 5; so too, sine dubitatione, Col. 3, 6, 2 (but far more freq. in signif. II., v. infra).
          2. (β) With gen.: omnem dubitationem adventus legionum expellere, Caes. B. G. 5, 48 fin.; cf. juris (i. e. dubitatio, penes quem esset jus), Cic. Caecin. 4, 9: generum, id. de Or. 2, 31, 134: hujus utilitatis, Quint. 1, 10, 28.
          3. (γ) With de: illa Socratica, de omnibus rebus, Cic. Ac. 1, 4, 17; Auct. B. Afr. 26.
          4. (δ) With rel. or interrog. clause: si quando dubitatio accidit, quale sit id, etc., Cic. Off. 3, 4, 18; id. Cluent. 28, 76; id. Fam. 15, 21: alterum potest habere dubitationem, adhibendumne fuerit hoc genus … an, etc., id. Off. 3, 2, 9; id. Fam. 3, 5, 3; Quint. 11, 2, 44.
            (ε) With quin: cum hic locus nihil habeat dubitationis, quin, etc., Cic. Off. 2, 5, 17; cf. id. N. D. 2, 63, 158.
            (ζ) With a subject acc. and inf.: hoc a rustico factum extra dubitationem est, Quint. 7, 1, 48.
      2. 2. Esp., as a fig. of speech, i. q. Gr. διαπόρησις, i. e. hesitation, embarrassment of the speaker, because unable to do justice to the greatness of his theme (e. g. Cic. Rosc. Am. 11; id. de Or. 3, 56, § 214), Auct. Her. 4, 29, 40; cf. Ernest. Lex. Technol. Lat. p. 136.
    2. B. Meton. (dubito, I. B.), a doubt, question, considering: indigna dubitatio homine! Cic. Lael. 19, 67; so, ad rem publicam adeundi, id. Rep. 1, 7, 12.
  2. II. A wavering, hesitating in coming to a conclusion; hesitancy, irresolution, delay: aestuabat dubitatione, versabat se in utramque partem non solum mente, verum etiam corpore, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 30; cf.: qui timor! quae dubitatio! quanta haesitatio tractusque verborum! id. de Or. 2, 50: inter dubitationem et moras senati, Sall. J. 30, 3; cf. id. ib. 62, 9: aluit dubitatione bellum, Tac. A. 3, 41 fin. et saep.: (Caesar) nulla interposita dubitatione legiones ex castris educit, without any hesitation, promptly, Caes. B. G. 7, 40, 1; in this signif. very freq. in Cicero: sine ulla dubitatione, Cic. Cluent. 28, 75; id. Verr. 2, 3, 12; id. Pis. 3; 21 fin.; id. N. D. 1, 1; id. de Or. 2, 28, 122; id. Fam. 1, 5, b. 2. et saep.; cf.: absque ulla dubitatione, Vulg. Ruth, 3, 13; less freq. merely sine dubitatione, without hesitation, unhesitatingly, Cic. Agr. 2, 9, 23; id. N. D. 3, 34, 84; id. Ac. 2, 29, 94; id. Top. 15 fin.; id. Att. 11, 16, 3; so Cic. Fil. Fam. 16, 21; Auct. B. Alex. 63, 2; Vulg. Act. 10, 29.