blandĭor — Lewis & Short

I. Prop., lit., to cling caressingly to one, to fawn upon, to flatter, soothe, caress, fondle, coax (class.).

1. With dat.: matri interfectae infante miserabiliter blandiente, Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 88.—

2. With inter se, Plin. 10, 37, 52, § 109.—

3. With ut and subj.: Hannibalem pueriliter blandientem patri ut duceretur in Hispaniam, Liv. 21, 1, 4.—

4. Absol.: cessit immanis tibi blandienti Janitor aulae Cerberus, Hor. C. 3, 11, 15: tantusque in eo vigor, et dulcis quidam blandientis risus apparuit, ut, etc., Just. 1, 4, 12: et modo blanditur, modo... Terret, Ov. M. 10, 416.—

II. Transf.

A. In gen., to flatter, make flattering, courteous speeches, be complaisant to.

1. With dat.: nostro ordini palam blandiuntur, Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 37: blandiri eis subtiliter a quibus est petendum, Cic. de Or. 1, 20, 90: cur matri praeterea blanditur? id. Fl. 37, 92: durae supplex blandire puellae, Ov. A. A. 2, 527: sic (Venus) patruo blandita suo est, id. M. 4, 532; 6, 440; 14, 705.—

2. Absol.: quippe qui litigare se simulans blandiatur, Cic. Lael. 26, 99: lingua juvet, mentemque tegat. Blandire, noceque, Ov. Am. 1, 8, 103: in blandiendo (vox) lenis et summissa, Quint. 11, 3, 63: pavidum blandita, Ov. M. 9, 569: qui cum dolet blanditur, post tempus sapit, Publ. Syr. v. 506 Rib.—

3. With per: de Commageno mirifice mihi et per se et per Pomponium blanditur Appius, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 10 (12), 2.—

4. With abl.: torrenti ac meditatā cotidie oratione blandiens, Plin. 26, 3, 7, § 12.—

B. In partic.

1. Blandiri sibi, etc., to flatter one's self with something, to fancy something, delude one's self: blandiuntur enim sibi, qui putant, etc., Dig. 26, 7, 3, § 2.—So often in Dig. et Codd.; cf.: ne nobis blandiar, Juv. 3, 126.—

2. Pregn., to persuade or impel by flattery ( = blandiendo persuadeo or compello—very rare).

a. With subj.: (ipsa voluptas) res per Veneris blanditur saecla propagent ( = sic blanditur ut propagent), Lucr. 2, 173 Lachm.—

b. With ab and ad: cum etiam saepe blandiatur gratia conviviorum a veris indiciis ad falsam probationem, Vitr. 3 praef.—

III. Trop.

A. Of inanim. things as subjects, to flatter, please, be agreeable or favorable to; to allure by pleasure, to attract, entice, invite.

1. With dat.: video quam suaviter voluptas sensibus nostris blandiatur, Cic. Ac. 2, 45, 139: blandiebatur coeptis fortuna, Tac. H. 2, 10. —

2. Absol.: fortuna cum blanditur captatum venit, Publ. Syr. v. 167 Rib: blandiente inertiā, Tac. H. 4, 4: ignoscere vitiis blandientibus, id. Agr. 16; Suet. Ner. 20; Plin. 13, 9, 17, § 60.—

3. With abl.: opportuna suā blanditur populus umbrā, Ov M. 10, 555.—

B. Of things as objects: cur ego non votis blandiar ipse meis? Ov. Am. 2, 11, 54: nisi tamen auribus nostris bibliopolae blandiuntur, Plin. Ep. 1, 2, 6.—Hence,

A. Subst.: blandĭens, entis, m., a flatterer: adversus blandientes incorruptus, Tac. H. 1, 35.—

B. blandītus, a, um, P. a., pleasant, agreeable, charming (rare): rosae, Prop. 4 (5), 6, 72. peregrinatio, Plin. 10, 23, 33, § 67.