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.

incertum, i, n., v. incertus, II. 2.

incertus, a, um (archaic gen. plur. incertūm, Pac. ap. Non. 495, 27), adj. [2. incertus; hence, acc. to certus].

  1. I. Object., of things whose (external or internal) qualities are not firmly established, uncertain, unsettled, doubtful, untrustworthy, not fast, not firm (class.): amicus certus in re incerta cernitur, Enn. ap. Cic. Lael. 17, 64 (Trag. v. 428 Vahl.); cf. id. ap. Non. 166, 22 (Trag. v. 12 Vahl.): incerti socii an hostes essent, Liv. 30, 35, 9: incertus (infans) masculus an femina esset, id. 31, 12, 6; cf. Sall. J. 49, 5: cum incerta bellum an pax cum Celtiberis essent, Liv. 34, 19, 8 Weissenb.: spe incerta certum mihi laborem sustuli, Ter. Hec. prol. alt. 9; id. And. 2, 3, 16: nuptiae, id. ib. 5, 1, 11: aetas (puerilis) maxime lubrica atque incerta, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 52, § 137: itinera, Caes. B. G. 5, 37 fin.: dominatus, Cic. Rep. 1, 17: status, id. ib. 1, 26: sedes, Sall. C. 6, 1: ambiguae testis incertaeque rei, Juv. 8, 81: comarum Anulus incertā non bene fixus acu, not fast, Mart. 2, 66, 2: colligere incertos et in ordine ponere crines, dishevelled, Ov. Am. 1, 11, 1: per incertam lunam sub luce maligna, not clearly visible, dim, Verg. A. 6, 270: soles, id. ib. 3, 203: securis, that did not strike with a sure blow, id. ib. 2, 224: vultus, disturbed, uneasy, Sall. J. 106, 2: ille vitam suam ad incertissimam spem reservavit, Cic. Sest. 22, 50: arbori incertae nullam prudentia cani Rectoris cum ferret opem, the ship uncertain in her course, because no longer obeying the helm, Juv. 12, 32 Halm.
    In neutr. ellipt.: clauserant portas incertum vi an voluntate, Liv. 31, 41, 2; 31, 43, 7 al.
    Neutr. as adv. (poet.): incertum vigilans, Ov. H. 10, 9; Stat. Th. 5, 212.
  2. II. Subject., as respects one’s perceptions or convictions, not firmly established, uncertain, undetermined, doubtful, dubious (so most freq. in prose and poetry): nihil est incertius vulgo, Cic. Mur. 17, 36: casus, id. Or. 28, 98: ut alia certa, alia incerta esse dicunt, id. Off. 2, 2, 7; cf.: est igitur ridiculum, quod est dubium, id relinquere incertum, id. Mur. 32, 68; and: incerta atque dubia, Plin. 17, 1, 1, § 9 fin.: ut incertis temporibus diversisque itineribus iretur, Caes. B. G. 7, 16 fin.; so, eventus reliqui temporis, Cic. Quint. 26, 83: exitus pugnarum, id. Mil. 21, 56: adulterium, Quint. 7, 2, 52: auctor, id. 5, 11, 41: cujus ora puellares faciunt incerta capilli, make the sex doubtful, Juv. 15, 137: incerta persona heres institui non potest, Ulp. Fragm. 22, 4; Gai. Inst. 2, 242; cf. 2, 238.
          1. (β) With rel. or interrog.-clause: nunc mihi incertumst, abeam an maneam, Plaut. Aul. 4, 9, 19: moriendum certe est, et id incertum, an hoc ipso die, Cic. Sen. 20, 74; cf. Quint. 1, 6, 27: (Gallus) avem, an gentem, an nomen, an fortunam corporis significet, incertum est, id. 7, 9, 2: confessus est quidem sed incertum, utrum quia verum erat, an quia, etc., Plin. Ep. 4, 11, 5: neque plane occultati humilitate arborum et tamen incerti, quidnam esset, Sall. J. 49, 5 Kritz.
            Abl. absol.: multi annantes navibus incerto prae tenebris, quid aut peterent aut vitarent, foede interierunt, Liv. 28, 36, 12.
      1. 2. Subst.: incer-tum, i, n., an uncertainty: quicquid incerti mihi in animo prius aut ambiguum fuit, Nunc liquet, nunc defaecatum est, Plaut. Ps. 2, 4, 69: ne cujus incerti vanique auctor esset, Liv. 4, 13, 9: incerta maris et tempestatum, Tac. A. 3, 54: incerta fortunae experiri, Plin. Ep. 3, 19, 4: incerta belli, Liv. 30, 2: bona, fortunae possessionesque omnium in dubium incertumque revocabuntur, Cic. Caecin. 27, 76; cf. id. ib. 13, 38: Minucius praefectus annonae in incertum creatus, for an indefinite time, Liv. 4, 13, 7: postremo fugere an manere tutius foret, in incerto erat, Sall. J. 38, 5: Allobroges diu in incerto habuere, quidnam consilii caperent, id. C. 41, 1; cf. id. J. 46, 8: imperia ducum in incerto reliquerat, Tac. H. 2, 33 fin.
    1. B. Transf., of a person who is in a state of uncertainty respecting any thing, uncertain, in uncertainty, hesitating, doubtful: quo ego ope mea Pro incertis certos compotesque consili Dimitto, Enn. ap. Cic. de Or. 1, 45, 199 (Trag. v. 188 Vahl.): nolo suspensam et incertam plebem Romanam obscura spe et caeca exspectatione pendere, Cic. Agr. 2, 25, 66; so, varius incertusque agitabat, Sall. J. 74, 1; Plaut. Ep. 3, 4, 3: ego certe me incerto scio hoc daturum nemini homini, id. As. 2, 4, 60.
          1. (β) With rel.-clause: quid dicam hisce, incertus sum, Ter. Hec. 3, 4, 36: cum incertus essem, ubi esses, Cic. Att. 1, 9, 1: incerti ignarique, quid potissimum facerent, Sall. J. 67, 1: incerti quidnam esset, id. ib. 49, 5: incertus, quonam modo aciem instrueret, id. ib. 101, 2: incerti, quo fata ferant, ubi sistere detur, Verg. A. 3, 7: incertus, Geniumne loci famulumne parentis Esse putet, id. ib. 5, 95: faber, incertus scamnum faceretne Priapum, Hor. S. 1, 8, 2.
          2. (γ) With gen. (not in Cic.): summarum rerum incerti, Enn. ap. Cic. de Or. 1, 45, 199 (Trag. v. 187 Vahl.): incertusque meae paene salutis eram, Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 4: sententiae, Liv. 4, 57, 3: veri, id. 4, 23, 3; 1, 27, 6: rerum, id. 24, 24, 9: ultionis, Tac. A. 2, 75: sui, Stat. Th. 5, 525: naves incertae locorum, Auct. B. Afr. 7: mox incertus animi, fesso corpore, etc., Tac. A. 6, 46; id. H. 3, 55 fin.: futurorum, Plin. Ep. 9, 13, 11: consilii, Curt. 8, 10, 27.
          3. (δ) With abl.: incerti metu, Val. Fl. 3, 602.
            (ε) With de and abl.: incertus de salute alicujus, Plin. Ep. 6, 20, 10.
            Hence, adv. in two forms: incertē and incerto (both ante-class.), uncertainly, not certainly, dubiously: incerte errat animus, Enn. ap. Gell. 19, 10, 12 (Trag. v. 259 Vahl.): vagat exsul, Pac. ap. Non. 467, 25 (Trag. Rel. p. 87 Rib.): ubi Habitet dum incerto scio, Plaut. Ep. 3, 4, 69: incerto scio, id. Ps. 4, 2, 7: incerto autumo, id. Ep. 4, 1, 18.