I.inf. praes. faterier, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 148), v. dep. a. [from the root ΦΑ, φάω, fari], to confess, own, grant, acknowledge.
I. Prop. (freq. and class.; syn.: confiteor, profiteor); construed for the most part with acc. and inf. as object; rarely with the acc., de, or absol.
(α).
With acc.: “si verum mihi eritis fassae, vinclis exsolvemini,” Plaut. Truc. 4, 3, 10: so, “verum fateri,” Plin. 27, 1, 1, § 2; Curt. 6, 3: “ut verius fatear,” Eum. Grat. Act. 1: “quid fatebor?” Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 3; 2, 2, 67: “multi in tormentis mori maluerunt falsum fatendo quam infitiando dolere,” Cic. Part. 14, 50: “peccatum, culpam,” Ov. Tr. 1, 315; Hor. S. 2, 4, 4: “delicta,” Ov. M. 4, 685: “mores suos,” Quint. 10, 1, 100: “sensus suos,” Ov. H. 21, 204: “paupertatem,” id. M. 8, 634 et saep.—Prov.: “fatetur facinus, si quis judicium fugit,” Pub. Syr. 174 Rib.—
(β).
With acc. and inf. as object: “fateor atque etiam profiteor et prae me fero, te, etc.,” Cic. Rab. Perd. 5, 17: “me despexe ad te per impluvium tuum, Fateor,” Plaut. Mil. 2, 6, 73: “fateor eam esse importunam,” id. As. 1, 1, 47: “si quis contra rem publicam se amici causa fecisse fateatur,” Cic. Lael. 12, 40: qui se debere fateantur, *Caes. B. C. 3, 20, 3: “cum se Cicero ab illis plurimum fateatur adjutum,” Quint. 10, 1, 40: “fateor me duci ventre,” Hor. S. 2, 7, 37: “jura inventa metu injusti fateare necesse est,” id. ib. 1, 3, 111; id. Ep. 2, 1, 85: “hominum igitur causa eas rerum copias comparatas fatendum est,” Cic. N. D. 2, 63, 158.—With ellips. of acc.: “fateor peccavisse,” Plaut. Most. 5, 2, 18: “non didici sane nescire fateri,” Hor. A. P. 418.—With two acc.: “cum se servum fateatur tuum,” Ter. Eun. 5, 2, 24: “eum (i. e. Jovem) ipsi lapides hominem fatebuntur,” Lact. 1, 11, 28: “fassus hujus se spectaculi debitorem,” Sen. Contr. 1, 1, 11.—
(δ).
Absol.: “ita libenter confitetur, ut non solum fateri, sed etiam profiteri videatur,” Cic. Caecin. 9, 24: Me. Est tibi nomen Menaechmo? M. Fateor, Plaut. Men. 5, 9, 48: “leno sum, fateor,” Ter. Ad. 2, 1, 34: “non potest sine malo fateri,” id. Eun. 4, 4, 47: “qui a Naevio vel sumpsisti multa, si fateris, vel, si negas, surripuisti,” Cic. Brut. 19, 76; cf. Quint. 5, 12, 13: “nulline faterier audes?” Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 148: “in fatendo lenis et summissa (vox),” Quint. 11, 3, 63: “ad fatendum impulsus,” id. 5, 13, 46: “da veniam fasso,” Ov. P. 4, 2, 23; parenthetically: fateor, Plaut. Aul. 4.4, 16: “fatebor enim,” Verg. E. 1, 31; id. A. 4, 20; Ov. M. 9, 362 al.—
II. Transf.
A. In gen., to discover, show, indicate, manifest (rare; not in Cic.): Laterensis nostri et fidem et animum singularem in rem publicam semper fatebor, bear witness to, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 23, 4; Quint. 1, 6, 23: “innocentem fuisse patrem fatetur,” id. 7, 1, 56; 1, 10, 37: “utque sedet vultu fassus Telamonius iram,” Ov. Tr. 2, 525: “patinarum calore pisces vitalem motum fateri,” Plin. 9, 57, 83, § 177: “mors sola fatetur, Quantula sint hominum corpuscula,” Juv. 10, 172; 15, 132: “properabo fateri, quae, etc.,” id. 3, 59: “Belus amnis non nisi refuso mari harenas fatetur,” Plin. 36, 26, 65, § 190.—
