I.sadness, mournfulness, sorrow, grief, melancholy, gloominess, dejection (class.; syn. maestitia).
I. In gen.
A. Of living beings: “tum ad tristitiam, tum ad laetitiam est contorquendus,” Cic. de Or. 2, 17, 72: “ex summā laetitiā atque lasciviā repente omnes tristitia invasit,” Sall. C. 31, 1: “in eādem tristitiā permanere,” Caes. B. G. 1, 32: magno metu ac tristitiā sollicitari, Auct. B. Afr. 10: lacrimis ac tristitiā te tradidisti, Luccei. ap. Cic. Fam. 5, 14, 2: “tu sapiens finire memento Tristitiam,” Hor. C. 1, 7, 18: “tristitiam compescere,” Ov. M. 9, 397: “esse aliquam cognatam tristitiae voluptatem,” Sen. Ep. 99, 25: “(vino) tristitia et cura hebetatur,” Plin. 23, 1, 22, § 38: “tristitiam animi resolvi,” id. 24, 6, 15, § 24: “subitā tristitiā implicatis militum animis,” Val. Max. 1, 6, 12: “cum tristitiā et maerore in vitā remanere,” id. 2, 6, 14: “tristitiam ad ultimam perductus,” Petr. 24.— Trop.: “sol recedens quasi tristitiā quādam contrahit terram,” Cic. N. D. 2, 40, 102.—
B. Of things: “haec tristitia temporum,” this sad state of the times, Cic. Att. 12, 40, 3: “caeli,” Plin. 2, 6, 4, § 13: “indurata soli,” id. 18, 21, 50, § 184: “aspectus,” id. 9, 9, 11, § 34: “lenitate verbi rei tristitiam mitigare,” hardness, harshness, Cic. Off. 1, 12, 37.—
II. In partic., of demeanor, moroseness, sourness, gloominess, harshness, sternness, severity, etc. (syn. severitas): “an nova tristitiae causa puella tuae?” Prop. 1, 18, 10: “simque ego tristitiae causa modusque tuae,” Ov. H. 3, 90: “(risus) tristitiam ac severitatem mitigat, relaxat,” Cic. de Or. 2, 58, 236; cf. id. Lael. 18, 66: “illorum (philosophorum) tristitiam atque asperitatem fugiens,” id. Fin. 4, 28, 79: “quod ille vos tristitiā vultuque deceperit,” id. Prov. Cons. 5, 12; “so Quint. Inst. prooem. § 15: non conveniant barbae illi atque tristitiae,” id. ib. 11, 1, 34; Plin. Ep. 1, 10, 7; 8, 21, 1; Suet. Ner. 23; Sil. 8, 612.
