com-mĭnus (less correctly cōmĭ-nus), adv. [manus; cf. Beda, Orth. p. 2331 P.; Fronto, Diff. p. 2193 ib.]; orig. belonging to milit. lang., of conflict,
I in close contest , hand to hand (with the sword, etc.), Gr. συσταδόν; opp. eminus, also to missilia, sagittae, etc. (class.; most freq. in the histt.): quae mea comminus machaera atque hasta hostibit e manu, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 270, 29 Müll.: nec eminus hastis aut comminus gladiis uteretur, Cic. Sen. 6, 19; Ov. M. 3, 119: undique ex insidiis barbari a fronte ab tergo coörti comminus eminus petunt, Liv. 21, 34, 6; 31, 24, 15; Tac. A. 6, 35; 15, 4; Ap. Met. 5, 11, 13; neque ictu comminus neque conjectione telorum (pulsi), Cic. Caecin. 15, 43: jacula inutilia esse ... gladio comminus geri rem, Liv. 44, 35, 12: dum locus comminus pugnandi daretur, Caes. B. C. 1, 58: veterani... comminus acriter instare, Sall. C. 60, 3; Liv. 27, 18, 14: conferre signa, id. 1, 33, 4: conferre vires, id. 42, 47, 8: adversus resistentes niti, Tac. A. 4, 51: trucidato hostium duce, Suet. Tib. 3.—
2 Poet., of copulation, Lucr. 4, 1051; of fighting, Stat. Th. 10, 213; Ap. Met. 2, 17, 8.—
B Trop.: sed haec fuerit nobis tamquam levis armaturae prima orationis excursio: nunc comminus agamus, Cic. Div. 2, 10, 26: qui me epistulā petivit, ad te, ut video, comminus accessit, has approached you in person , id. Att. 2, 2, 2: in apros ire, Ov. F. 5, 176; cf.: agrestes comminus ire sues (for in sues), Prop. 2 (3), 19, 22; and so also of game: cervos obtruncant ferro, Verg. G. 3, 374; and of the preparation of the soil (considered as a contest with the same): jacto qui semine comminus arva Insequitur, i. e. manu sive rastro urget, exercet, id. ib. 1, 104; cf. Ap. Met. 2, 6, 12; Hand, Turs. II. p. 96.—
II In gen., without the access. idea of contest, nigh at hand , near to , near , = prope, in or ex propinquo (not freq. before the Aug. per.): prius Eminus ardescunt quam comminus imbuat ignis, Lucr. 6, 904: aspicit hirsutos comminus ursa Getas, Ov. P. 1, 5, 74; Tac. A. 12, 12: viso comminus armatorum agmine, id. H. 1, 41; id. G. 8: sole per eos dies comminus facto, Plin. 5, 9, 10, § 55: aliquid comminus judicantur, near at hand , i.e. by the eyesight , Plin. 11, 42, 97, § 240; 35, 3, 6, § 17: recipere a debitore suo pecuniam, Dig. 13, 7, 3.—
B Transf., of time, immediately , = statim, sine intermissione; a very common provincialism in Cisalpine Gaul, acc. to Serv. ad Verg. G. 1, 104.—
III In postAug. poetry sometimes = ad manus, at hand : comminus arma habere, Val. Fl. 5, 583.