com-mūto (conm-), āvi, ātum, 1, v. a.
I To alter wholly , change entirely (class.; most freq. in Cic.).
A Prop.: omnia migrant, Omnia commutat natura et vortere cogit, Lucr. 5, 829; 1, 594; 1, 589; 2, 936: signa rerum, Cic. Fin. 5, 25, 74: frontem et vultum, Q. Cic. Pet. Cons. 11, 42: vocem, Suet. Tib. 71: quae commutantur fiuntque contraria, Cic. Off. 1, 10, 31.—Of fruits, to decay , spoil , Varr. R. R. 1, 69, 1.—
2 Esp. rhet. t. t., to change one’s form of expression : commutabimus tripliciter, verbis, pronuntiando, tractando, i. e. vary our style , etc., Auct. Her. 4, 42, 54.—
B Trop.: ad commutandos animos atque omni ratione flectendos, Cic. de Or. 2, 52, 211: nihil commutantur animo et idem abeunt qui venerant, id. Fin. 4, 3, 7; id. Att. 16, 5, 2.—
II To exchange something with another , to change , interchange , replace , substitute , barter , traffic.
A In gen., constr. with acc. alone, or with inter se , cum and abl., or abl. alone, or absol.
1 With acc.: conmuto ilico pallium, Plaut. Ps. 5, 1, 36: ubi aetate hoc caput colorem conmutavit, id. Most. 1, 3, 44: coloniam, id. Aul. 3, 6, 40: locum, Ter. Eun. 973: captivos, Cic. Off. 1, 13, 39; cf.: inter se conmutant vestem ac nomina, interchange , Plaut. Capt. prol. 37: ornamenta templorum, Suet. Vit. 5; id. Aug. 24.—
2 With cum and abl.
α Of person: (loricam) secum, Just. 3, 1, 8.—
β Of thing: gloriam constantiae cum caritate patriae, Cic. Sest. 16, 37: mortem cum vitā, Sulp. ap. id. Fam. 4, 5, 3.—
3 With pro and abl.: (litteras) D pro A, Suet. Caes. 56: vinum pro oleo, Dig. 2, 15, 8 fin. —
4 With abl.: nisi oculos orationemque aliam conmutas tibi, Plaut. Mil. 2, 3, 56: fidem suam et religionem pecuniā, Cic. Clu. 46, 129: ornandi causā proprium (verbum) proprio, id. de Or. 3, 42, 167: possessionis invidiam pecuniā, id. Agr. 1, 5, 14: leve compendium fraude maximā, Auct. Her. 2, 19, 29; cf.: hanc esse rem, quae si sit semel judicata, neque alio commutari... possit, replaced , i. e. made good , Cic. Inv. 1, 53, 102: victum vitamque priorem novis rebus, Lucr. 5, 1106: studium belli gerendi agriculturā, Caes. B. G. 6, 22: mustum aere, Col. 12, 26, 2.—
5 Absol. , to make an exchange : vin conmutemus? Tuam ego ducam et tu meam? Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 21: si quid de se diceretur, non dubitaret interpellare et commutare, to change the subject , Suet. Tib. 27.—
B Esp. of speech, to exchange words , to discourse , converse (so only twice in Ter.; cf. commutatio, II.): unum verbum tecum, Ter. And. 410: non tria Verba inter vos, id. Phorm. 639.