1. tĕro — Lewis & Short
tĕro, trīvi, trītum, 3 (
I perf. terii, acc. to Charis. p. 220 P.; perf. sync. tristi, Cat. 66, 30), v. a. root ter; Gr. tei/rw, tru/w, tri/bw, to rub; cf. Lat. tribulare, triticum; akin to te/rhn, tender, Lat. teres, to rub, rub to pieces; to bruise, grind, bray, triturate (syn.: frico, tundo, pinso).
I Lit. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose).
A In gen.: num me illuc ducis, ubi lapis lapidem terit? (i. e. into a mill), Plaut. As. 1, 1, 16:
lacrimulam oculos terendo vix vi exprimere,Ter. Eun. 1, 1, 23:
teritur lignum ligno ignemque concipit attritu,Plin. 16, 40, 77. § 208: sed nihil hederā praestantius quae teritur, lauro quae terat, id. ib.:
aliquid in mortario,id. 34, 10, 22, § 104:
aliquid in farinam,id. 34, 18, 50, § 170:
bacam trapetis,Verg. G. 2, 519:
unguibus herbas,Ov. M. 9, 655:
dentes in stipite,id. ib. 8, 369:
lumina manu,Cat. 66, 30:
sucina trita redolent,Mart. 3, 64, 5:
piper,Petr. 74:
Appia trita rotis,Ov. P. 2, 7, 44:
cibum in ventre,i. e. to digest, Cels. 1 praef. med. — Poet.: labellum calamo, i. e. to rub one's lip (in playing), Verg. E. 2, 34:
calcemque terit jam calce Diores,treads upon, id. A. 5, 324:
crystalla labris,Mart. 9, 23, 7.—
B In partic.
1 To rub grain from the ears by treading, to tread out, thresh:
frumentum,Varr. R. R. 1, 13, 5:
milia frumenti tua triverit area centum,Hor. S. 1, 1, 45:
area dum messes teret,Tib. 1, 5, 22:
teret area culmos,Verg. G. 1, 192; cf.:
ut patria careo, bis frugibus area trita est,i. e. it has twice been harvest-time, Ov. Tr. 4, 6, 19.—
2 To cleanse or beautify by rubbing, to smooth, furbish, burnish, polish, sharpen (syn.:
polio, acuo): oculos,Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 103:
crura mordaci pumice,Ov. A. A. 1, 506:
hinc radios trivere rotis,smoothed, turned, Verg. G. 2, 444:
vitrum torno,Plin. 36, 26, 66, § 193:
catillum manibus,Hor. S. 1, 3, 90:
tritus cimice lectus,Mart. 11, 33, 1.—
3 To lessen by rubbing, to rub away; to wear away by use, wear out:
(navem) ligneam, saepe tritam,Plaut. Men. 2, 3, 52:
hoc (tempus) rigidas silices, hoc adamanta terit,Ov. Tr. 4, 6. 14:
ferrum,to dull, id. M. 12, 167:
mucronem rubigine silicem liquore,Prop. 2, 25 (3, 20), 15:
trita labore colla,Ov. M. 15, 124:
trita subucula,Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 96:
trita vestis,id. ib. 1, 19, 38:
librum,i. e. to read often, Mart. 8, 3, 4; 11, 3, 4; cf.:
quid haberet, Quod legeret tereretque viritim publicus usus?Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 92:
pocula labris patrum trita,Mart. 11, 12, 3: ut illum di terant, qui primum olitor caepam protulit, crush, annihilate, Naev. ap. Prisc. p. 681 P.—
4 Of persons, pass., to be employed in. occupied with:
nos qui in foro verisque litibus terimur,Plin. Ep. 2, 3, 5:
litibus,id. ib. 10, 12, 3.—
5 To tread often, to visit, frequent a way or place (cf.:
calco, calcito): angustum formica terens iter,Verg. G. 1, 380:
iter propositum,Prop. 2, 30 (3, 28), 14:
Appiam mannis,Hor. Epod. 4, 14:
viam,Ov. A. A. 1, 52; Lucr. 1, 927:
via trita pede,Tib. 4, 13, 10:
ambulator porticum terit,Mart. 2, 11, 2:
limina,id. 10, 10, 2:
mea nocturnis trita fenestra dolis,Prop. 4 (5), 7, 16.
nec jam clarissimorum virorum receptacula habitatore servo teruntur,Plin. Pan. 50, 3: flavaeque terens querceta Maricae Liris, Claud. Cons. Prob. et Olybr 259. —
6 In mal. part.:
Bojus est, Bojam terit,Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 108; so Prop. 3, 11 (4. 10), 30; Petr. 87. —
II Trop. (freq. in good prose).
A To wear away, use up, i. e. to pass, spend time; usu. to waste, spend in dissipation, etc. (syn.:
absumo, consumo): teritur dies,Plaut. Truc. 5, 20:
diem sermone terere segnities merast,id. Trin. 3, 3, 67:
naves diem trivere,Liv. 37, 27, 8:
tempus in convivio luxuque,id. 1, 57, 9:
tempus ibi in secreto,id. 26, 19, 5:
omnem aetatem in his discendis rebus,Cic. de Or. 3, 31, 123:
teretur interea tempus,id. Phil. 5, 11, 30:
jam alteram aetatem bellis civilibus,Hor. Epod. 16, 1:
omne aevum ferro,Verg. A. 9, 609:
spe otia,id. ib. 4, 271:
otium conviviis comissationibusque inter se,Liv. 1, 57, 5. —
B To expend, employ (late Lat.):
qui operam teri frustra,Amm. 27, 12, 12. —
C To exert greatly, exhaust:
ne in opere longinquo sese tererent, Liv 6, 8, 10: ut in armis terant plebem,id. 6, 27, 7.—
D Of language, to wear out by use, i. e. to render common, commonplace, or trite (in verb finit. very rare, but freq. as a P. a.):
jam hoc verbum satis hesterno sermone trivimus,Cic. Ac. 2, 6, 18:
quae (nomina) nunc consuetudo diurna trivit,id. Fin. 3, 4, 15.—*
E To tread under foot, i. e. to injure, violate a thing:
jurata deorum majestas teritur,Claud. in Rufin. 1, 228. — Hence, P. a.: trītus, a, um.
A Prop. of a road or way, oft-trodden, beaten, frequented, common:
iter,Cic. Phil. 1, 3, 7:
via,id. Brut. 81, 281:
quadrijugi spatium,Ov. M. 2, 167. — Sup.:
tritissima quaeque via,Sen. Vit. Beat. 1, 2. —
B Fig.
1 Practised, expert:
tritas aures habere,Cic. Fam. 9, 16, 4; so id. Brut. 32, 124.—Comp.:
tritiores manūs ad aedificandum perficere,Vitr. 2, 1, 6. —
2 Of language, used often or much, familiar, common, commonplace, trite:
quid in Graeco sermone tam tritum atque celebratum est, quam, etc.,Cic. Fl. 27, 65:
nomen minus tritum sermone nostro,id. Rep. 2, 29, 52:
ex quo illud: summum jus summā injuriā factum est jam tritum sermone proverbium,id. Off. 1, 10, 33.—Comp.:
faciamus tractando usitatius hoc verbum ac tritius,Cic. Ac. 1, 7, 27:
compedes, quas induere aureas mos tritior vetat,Plin. 33, 12, 54, § 152.