grassor — Lewis & Short
grassor, ātus, 1 (
I inf. pres. grassarier, Prud. Ham. 651; act. collat. form grassabamus, App. M. 7, 7), v. dep. n. and a. [gradior], to go, go about (not in Cic. and Cæs.; cf.: gradior, incedo, vado, pergo).
I Lit.
A In gen. (mostly ante-class.):
hoc grassari gradu,Plaut. Poen. 3, 1, 11:
siccine hic cum uvida veste grassabimur?id. Rud. 1, 4, 31; id. Bacch. 5, 2, 19: sine eam pedibus grassari, Titin. ap. Non. 316, 3:
recte grassatur via,Nov. ib. 5; Ov. Tr. 2, 477:
certum'st moriri, quam hunc pati grassari lenonem in me,come about me, approach me, Plaut. Rud. 3, 3, 22.—
b Of things:
(aranĕus) quanta arte celat pedicas scutulato rete grassantes,going about, moving around, Plin. 11, 24, 28, § 81:
per omnes nervos articulosque humore pestifero grassante,Just. 23, 2:
neque avaritia solum, sed etiam crudelitas in capta urbe grassata est,Curt. 5, 6, 6.—
B In partic.
1 To go loitering or rioting about (cf. grassator, I.): se in juventutem grassantem in Subura incidisse, Liv. 3, 13, 2:
per omnia clandestina grassari scelera latrociniorum, id 42, 18, 1: ubi Caesarem esse qui grassaretur pernotuit,Tac. A. 13, 25.—Hence, of parasites, i. q. adulari, to pay one's court to, to flatter, fawn upon: grassari antiqui ponebant pro adulari, Paul. ex Fest. p. 97 Müll.—
2 To go about with thievish designs, to lie in wait: grassari dicuntur latrones vias obsidentes, Paul. ex Fest. p. 97 Müll. (cf. grassator, II.):
in umbris,Anthol. Lat. 2, 186, 42 sq.:
silurus grassatur, ubicumque est, omne animal appetens,Plin. 9, 15, 17, § 45.—Hence,
b With acc., to fall upon, assault, attack:
turmas,Stat. Th. 8, 571.
II Trop.
A In gen., to go, proceed, or act in any manner: saepe hac eadem sum grassatus via, Nov. ap. Non. 316, 7; cf.:
consimili grassantur via,Afran. ib. 9:
ubi animus ad gloriam virtutis via grassatur,Sall. J. 1, 3:
grassandum ad clara periclis,Sil. 1, 570:
(assertor) ait, se jure grassari, non vi,that he was proceeding, Liv. 3, 44, 8:
longe alia via grassabantur,id. 2, 27, 7:
consilio grassandum, si nihil vires juvarent, ratus,id. 10, 14, 13:
mutua dissimulatione et iisdem, quibus petebatur, artibus grassatur,Tac. H. 4, 56:
cupidine atque irā, pessimis consultoribus,Sall. J. 64, 5:
obsequio,to act obsequiously, Hor. S. 2, 5, 93:
dolo,to act cunningly, Tac. H. 4, 16:
assentando multitudini grassari,Liv. 45, 23, 9:
superbe avareque in provincia grassatos,Suet. Aug. 67.—
B In partic., to attack, proceed against; to proceed with violence, act harshly, rage, rage against.—Constr.: in aliquid and in or adversus aliquem:
trecenti conjuravimus principes juventutis Romanae, ut in te hac via grassaremur,Liv. 2, 12, 15; cf.:
in possessionem agri publici grassari,id. 6, 5, 4:
in externos grassari,Suet. Ner. 36:
adversus omnis aevi hominum genus grassari,id. Calig. 34; cf.:
qui cum contemptu religionis grassatus etiam adversus deos fuerat,Just. 1, 9:
ita bacchantem atque grassantem adoriri,Suet. Calig. 56:
omni rapinarum genere grassati,id. Vesp. 6:
diverso vitiorum genere,id. Galb. 14; cf.:
placuit veneno grassari,Tac. H. 3, 39; id. A. 15, 60.—Absol.:
Ii (sagitarii) dum eminus grassabantur,Tac. A. 4, 47.—
Of abstract subjects: accusatorum major in dies et infestior vis sine levamento grassabatur,Tac. A. 4, 66:
ut clausis unam intra domum accusatoribus et reis, paucorum potentia grassaretur,id. ib. 13, 4:
dicemus de his (malis), quae totis corporibus grassantur,Plin. 26, 11, 67, § 107; cf.:
haec (vitia) in pueris grassari, illa in adultis,id. 26, 1, 3, § 4:
mala vestra, ... alia grassantia extrinsecus, alia in visceribus ipsis ardentia,Sen. Vit. B. 27, 6:
rabidorum more luporum Crimina persultant toto grassantia campo,Prud. Psych. 468:
grassandi in re familiari facultas,of wasting, plundering, Dig. 26, 10, 6.—Fig.:
nec ferro grassatur saepius ullum mentis vitium quam cupido, etc.,Juv. 14, 174.—
b With acc. (cf. above, I. B. 2. b.):
simulque Romam pestilentia grassabatur,Aur. Vict. Caes. 33, 5.—P. a.: grassans, ntis, m., as subst., a robber, thief:
quicquid Lycurgi villa grassantibus praebuisset,Petr. 117, 3; App. M. 8, p. 209, 3:
sublatis susceptoribus grassantium cupido conquiescit,Paul. Sent. 5, 3, 4.