contĭo (less correctly concĭo), ōnis, f. [contr. from conventio, for which COVENTIO is written in S. C. Bacch.; v. conventio, and cf. Varr. L. L. 6, § 43 Müll.; Paul. ex Fest. p. 38, 4, and p. 113, 10 Müll.], a meeting, assembly that is called together by a magistrate or priest (cf.: contio significat conventum, non tamen alium quam eum qui a magistratu vel a sacerdote publico per praeconem convocatur, Paul. ex Fest. p. 38, 4; cf. contionor—In good prose).
I Prop.: advocat contionem, habet orationem talem consul, Cic. Sest. 12, 28; so, advocare contionem, id. Verr. 2, 3, 80, § 185; Sall. C. 57, 5; id. J. 33, 3; Liv. 8, 31, 1; Suet. Claud. 22 et saep.: advocare contionem populi, Sall. J. 84, 5: militum, Caes. B. C. 2, 32: advocare populum in contionem, Liv. 42, 33, 2: ad contionem advocavit, id. 4, 1, 6: plebem ad contionem vocare, id. 2, 2, 4; cf. Suet. Calig. 48: me in vestram contionem evocaverunt, Cic. Agr. 3, 4, 16: convocatis ad contionem militibus, Suet. Caes. 66: contionem habere, to hold a meeting , Liv. 29, 21, 7 (cf.: contionem habere, II. infra): in contione dicere, Cic. Or. 63, 213 sq.; of. id. ib. 50, 168; and id. de Or. 2, 59, 242: in contionem populi prodire, Nep. Them. 1, 3: quae ego de te in senatu egerim, quae in contionibus dixerim, Cic. Fam. 5, 2, 4; cf. so in opp. to the Senate, Tac. A. 4, 40 fin. : laudare aliquem pro contione, before the people , Sall. J. 8, 2; Liv. 7, 7, 3; 7, 10, 14 al.; Quint. 2, 4, 33; 4, 4, 8 al.: nunc in mille curias contionesque dispersam et dissipatam esse rempublicam, Liv. 2, 28, 4; 2, 23, 5: contio conventusque, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 50, § 110: contio, quae ex imperitissimis constat, id. Lael. 25, 95: togata et urbana, Liv. 45, 37, 8: turbulentae, Quint. 5, 13, 39; cf.: in illis fluctibus contionum, id. 8, 6, 48; and: contionum procellae, id. 8, 6, 7: stabant pro contione legiones destrictis gladiis, in the manner of an assembly , Tac. A. 1, 44 Draeg. ad loc.—
II Meton., a discourse, oration before a public assembly : legi contionem tuam, Cic. Fam. 9, 14, 7; cf.: audiri jam et legi novas contiones, Tac. A. 5, 4 fin. : habere contionem ... quā in oratione, Cic. Agr. 2, 1, 1; so, contionis habendae potestas, id. Fam. 5, 2, 7; Liv. 24, 22, 1: contionem apud milites habuit, Caes. B. C. 3, 73; so Liv. 44, 1, 9; cf. also id. 27, 13, 1; Caes. B. C. 2, 18: habuit super eā re contionem, Suet. Caes. 5: in contione contra Catilinam, Quint. 5, 11, 42: funebres tristes atque summissae, id. 11, 3, 153: ut Cicero dicit contra contionem Metelli, id. 9, 3, 50; cf. Gell. 18, 7, 7; and the few fragments of this oration of Cic. in Orell. IV. 2, p. 455 sq.; Quint. 12, 10, 70; cf. id. 3, 8, 65; 3, 8, 67.—Of the orations reported in a history: ille (sc. Thucydides) contionibus melior, hic (sc. Herodotus) sermonibus, Quint. 10, 1, 73; cf. id. 9, 4, 18; Plin. Ep. 1, 16, 4.—
B A place for speaking, a tribune, rostrum; mostly in the phrases in contionem ascendere or escendere: cum magistratum inieris et in contionem ascenderis, Cic. Fin. 2, 22, 74; id. Att. 4, 2, 3: in contionem escendit, Liv. 2, 7, 7 Weissenb. ad loc.; 3, 49, 4; 5, 50, 8: Perseus in contionem processit Philippum secum filium habens, id. 44, 45, 8; cf.: contionem tria significare: locum suggestumque unde verba fierent, ... coetum populi adsistentis, item orationem ipsam, Verr. Fl. ap. Gell. 18, 7, 7.