I.“mavolunt for malunt, Naev. ap. Fest. s. v. stuprum, p. 317 Müll.: mavoluit for maluit,” Petr. S. p. 77: “mavelim for malim,” Plaut. As. 5, 2, 27; id. Aul. 4, 5, 1; id. Capt. 3, 3, 1; id. Bacch. 4, 8, 18; id. Men. 5, 1, 20; id. Mil. 4, 8, 46; id. Merc. 4, 3, 21; 5, 4, 48; id. Poen. 1, 1, 23; 4, 2, 5; 5, 2, 31; id. Pers. 1, 1, 4; id. Rud. 2, 7, 12; id. Truc. 2, 2, 22; 2, 4, 68; 4, 2, 29; 30; 33: mavelis for malis, id. Capt. 2, 2, 20; id. Ps. 1, 2, 8: “mavelit for malit,” id. Trin. 2, 2, 25: “mavellem for mallem,” id. Am. 1, 3, 14; id. Curc. 4, 2, 26; id. Bacch. 2, 2, 21; 3, 3, 48; 4, 9, 125; id. Mil. 2, 2, 16; id. Ps. 1, 1, 128; 4, 5, 6; id. Poen. 3, 3, 37: “mavolet for malet,” id. As. 1, 1, 108), v. a. magis - volo, to choose rather, to prefer.
I. In gen., constr. with acc. of the person or thing, with an object-clause, or with subj. (class.).
(α).
With acc. of the person or thing (rare): bonos et senatum malet, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 4, 2: “ambigua, ancipitia malebat,” Tac. H. 2, 86: “quin omnia malit,” Hor. S. 2, 4, 61: “quod mallem,” which I would prefer, Ov. Tr. 2, 239; id. H. 21, 35: “malo, Malo Venusinam quam te,” Juv. 6, 167: “ridenda poëmata malo, quam te,” id. 10, 124; 14, 153.—In late Lat. also with acc. and dat.: “ut me aliis omnibus mallet,” App. Mag. 73, p. 321, 10.—
(β).
With object-clause (usu. class. constr.): seseque ii perire mavolunt ibidem, quam, etc., Naev. ap. Fest. p. 317 Müll.; Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 6, § 81 Müll.; Cic. Off. 1, 19, 65: “Cato jam servire quam pugnare mavult,” id. Att. 7, 15, 2: “maluit illum esse deum,” Hor. S. 1, 8, 3; Cic. Att. 13, 22, 3; id. Div. 2, 57, 118: “judicium prius de probro quam de re maluit fieri,” id. Quint. 2, 9: “praetextam sumere mavis, an esse, etc.,” Juv. 10, 99.—
(γ).
With nom. and inf.: “esse quam videri bonus malebat,” Sall. C. 54, 5: “unde fit ut malim fraterculus esse gigantis,” Juv. 4, 98.—
(δ).
With subj. (mostly poet.): “mallem ... cognoscerem,” Cic. Fam. 7, 14: “mallem divitias mihi dedisses, Quam, etc.,” Cat. 24, 4: “fabula sit mavult, quam sine amore deus,” Tib. 2, 3, 32: “malo pater tibi sit Thersites,” Juv. 8, 269.—Sometimes with comp. abl. instead of quam (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): “nullos his mallem ludos spectasse,” rather than these, Hor. S. 2, 8, 79: “ne dubitaret armis incruentas conditiones malle,” to choose rather than arms, prefer to arms, Tac. A. 12, 46.—Sometimes followed pleonastically by potius: “se ab omnibus desertos potius quam abs to defensos esse malunt,” Cic. Div. in Caecil. 6, 21: “an ille Uticae potius, quam Romae, cum alienis esse quam cum suis maluisset?” id. Lig. 2, 5; id. Cat. ap. Fam. 15, 5, 2; Anton. ap. Cic. Att. 14, 13, A, 3.—Also by quam: “qui magis vere vincere, quam diu imperare malit,” Liv. 22, 34 fin.—Strengthened by multo or haud paulo: “meo judicio multo stare malo, quam aliorum,” much rather, Cic. Att. 12, 21, 5: “haud paulo hunc animum malim quam, etc.,” id. Tusc. 1, 42, 99.—
II. In partic., to be more favorable to one: “in hac re malo universae Asiae et negotiatoribus,” Cic. Att. 2, 16, 4: “quamquam illi omnia malo, quam mihi,” i. e. would rather he had them, id. Planc. 24, 59.—Hence, mālens , entis, P. a., preferring (late Lat.), Hier. in Matt. 2, ad 14, 4; Aug. c. Jul. 4, 14, 68.
