in-formo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a., to give form to a thing, to shape, form, mould, fashion. Lit. (mostly poet.): clipeum, Verg. A. 8, 447: aream, Col. 11, 3, 13: effigiem, Sil. 17, 525: Martem cerā, Poet. ap. Plin. Ep. 9, 7: taedas, Claud. Rapt. Pros. 3, 331.

— Trop. (class.). To form an idea of a thing, to represent, sketch, delineate: di ita ignoti, ut eos ne conjectura quidem informare possimus, Cic. N. D. 1, 15: inanium visorum una depulsio est, sive illa cogitatione informantur, sive in quiete, id. Ac. 2, 16, 51: virtutem, id. Fin. 4, 16, 45: atque ego in summo oratore fingendo talem informabo, will describe, id. Or. 2, 7: ad eum (oratorem) incohandum et informandum, id. ib. 9, 33: informat adhuc adumbratum indicium filii, id. Sull. 18, 52.

— To inform,instruct,educate (syn.: instruere, instituere): artes quibus aetas puerilis ad humanitatem informari solet, Cic. Arch. 3, 4: animus a natura bene informatus, formed, id. Off. 1, 4, 13.