con-tĕro, trīvi (rarely conterui, Ap. Met. 8, 23, 17; Ven. Fort. C. 6, 4, 33), trītum, 3, v. a., to grind, bruise, pound, to crumble, separate into small pieces.
I Prop. (so freq. in medic. lang.): medium scillae cum aquā ad mellis crassitudinem, Varr. R. R. 2, 7, 8: cornua cervi, Ov. Med. Fac. 60: horrendis infamia pabula sucis, id. M. 14, 44: radicem aridam in pulverem, Plin. 26, 11, 70, § 113: fracta, contrita, Lucr. 4, 697.—Far more freq. and class. in prose and poetry,
II Transf., to diminish by rubbing, to waste, destroy (cf.: conficio, consumo, etc.), to rub off, wear out .
A Of material objects: latera tua, Plaut. As. 2, 4, 13: boves et vires agricolarum (followed by conficere), Lucr. 2, 1161; cf.: conteritur ferrum, silices tenuantur ab usu, Ov. A. A. 3, 91: superbiter contemptim conterit legiones, Naev. ap. Non. p. 516, 1; humorously imitated: ne nos tam contemptim conteras, treat contemptuously , Plaut. Poen. 3, 1, 34; and: conteris Tu tuā me oratione, mulier, you wear me out , id. Cist. 2, 3, 65 (cf. B. 1. b. infra): corpora ipsa ac manus silvis ac paludibus emuniendis inter verbera ac contumelias conterunt, Tac. Agr. 31: heri in tergo meo Tris facile corios contrivisti bubulos, Plaut. Poen. 1, 1, 11: Viam Sacram, to tread upon frequently , Prop. 2 (3), 23, 15: Παιδείαν Κύρου legendo, i. e. to wear out with reading , Cic. Fam. 9, 25, 1: supellectilem pluribus et diversis officiis, to wear out by use , Quint. 2, 4, 29.—In mal. part.: aliquas indigno quaestu, i. e. prostituere, Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 44; cf. tero.—Prov.: is vel Herculi conterere quaestum possiet, squander the greatest possible fortune , Plaut. Most. 4, 2, 68 Lorenz ad loc.—
B Of immaterial objects.
1 Most freq. (like the simple verb) of time, to waste, consume, spend, pass, employ , in a good and bad sense (cf. Sall. C. 4, 1 Kritz); constr. with in and abl. or the abl. only, with dum , or absol.
α With in : aetatem in pistrino, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 6, 11: vitam atque aetatem meam in quaerendo, Ter. Ad. 869: aetatem in litibus, Cic. Leg. 1, 20, 53: omne otiosum tempus in studiis, id. Lael. 27, 104: diem in eā arte, Prop. 2, 1, 46.—
β With abl.: totum hunc diem cursando atque ambulando, Ter. Hec. 815: majorem aevi partem somno, Lucr. 3, 1047: tempora spectaculis, etc., Quint. 1, 12, 18: diei brevitatem conviviis, longitudinem noctis stupris et flagitiis, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 10, § 26: bonum otium socordiā atque desidiā, Sall. C. 4, 1.—*
γ With dum : contrivi diem, Dum asto, etc., Plaut. Cas. 3, 3, 4.—
δ Absol. : vitae modum, Prop. 1, 7, 9.—
b Transf. to the person: se, ut Plato, in musicis, geometriā, etc., Cic. Fin. 1, 21, 72; cf. in medial form: cum in causis et in negotiis et in foro conteramur, id. de Or. 1, 58, 249; id. Caecin. 5, 14.—
2 In gen.: operam, Plaut. Most. 3, 1, 54; cf.: operam frustra, Ter. Phorm. 209: quae sunt horum temporum, to exhaust , Cic. Att. 9, 4, 1.—
b Trop.: ejus omnis gravissimas injurias quasi voluntariā oblivione, to obliterate from the memory , Cic. Fam. 1, 9, 20: quam (dignitatem virtutis) reliquā ex collatione, facile est conterere atque contemnere, to tread under foot by comparison (opp. in caelum efferre), id. Tusc. 5, 30, 85.
XIII —Hence, contrītus , a, um, P. a., worn out, trite, common (mostly in Cic.): proverbium vetustate, Cic. Fin. 2, 16, 52: praecepta (connected with communia), id. de Or. 1, 31, 138: contritum et contemptum praemium, id. Sest. 40, 86.