dē-vŏro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a., to swallow, swallow down, gulp down, devour (class.; esp. freq. in transf. signif.—for syn. cf.: edo, comedo, vescor, pascor, mando).
I Lit., of the physical act: id quod devoratur, Cic. N. D. 2, 54, 135: ovum gallinaceum integrum, Cato R. R. 71: laseris paululum, Cels. 4, 4, 4: salivam suam, id. 2, 6, 98; lapides, Plin. 8, 10, 10, § 29: succum, id. 20, 23, 98, § 260: fumum, id. 26, 6, 16, § 30 et saep.—
II Transf.
A Of inanimate subjects, to swallow up, ingulf, absorb : devorer telluris hiatu, Ov. H. 3, 63: terra devoravit montem, Plin. 2, 91, 93, § 205: vel me Charybdis devoret, Ov. Tr. 5, 2, 74: terras devorant aquae, Plin. 31, 1, 1, § 2: sol aquas devorans, id. 20 prooem. § 1: ne rotae devorarentur (viarum mollitudine), Vitr. 10, 6.—
B To seize upon greedily or hastily, to swallow eagerly, to devour : meretricem ego item esse reor, mare ut est; quod des, devorat, Plaut. Truc. 2, 7, 16: spe et opinione praedam, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 51; cf.: spe devoratum lucrum, id. Fl. 24; and: regis hereditatem spe, id. Att. 1, 16, 10: aliquid oculis, Just. 21, 5, 6; cf.: spectat oculis devorantibus draucos, Mart. 1, 97; cf. infra III. B.—
C To swallow down, repress, suppress, check : verborum pars devorari solet, to be swallowed , i. e. only half pronounced , Quint. 11, 3, 33; so, verba, Sen. de Ira, 3, 14 fin. ; cf. lacrimas, i. e. to repress , Ov. F. 4, 845; id. M. 13, 540: gemitus, Sen. Ep. 66 med. —
D Of property, to consume, to waste , = exhaurire: omnem pecuniam publicam, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 76; id. Phil. 13, 2, 3; id. Pis. 21.—And with a pers. object: Si. Jamne illum comesurus es? Ba. Dum recens est, Dum datur, dum calet, devorari decet, Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 26; id. As. 2, 2, 71; cf.: ut hominem devorari , cujus patrimonium consumitur, Quint. 8, 6, 25.—
2 Trop., to consume, destroy : devorent vos arma vestra, Just. 14, 4, 14; cf.: aquilarum pinnae reliquarum alitum pinnas devorant, Plin. 10, 3, 4, § 15: vox devoratur, i. e. is swallowed up, lost , id. 11, 51, 112, § 270: devoravi nomen imprudens, swallowed , i. e. I have lost, utterly forgotten , Plaut. Trin. 4, 2, 63: devorato pudore, Ap. M. 9, p. 225.—
III Trop.
A To swallow any thing unpleasant, i. e to bear patiently, to endure : hominum ineptias ac stultitias, Cic. Brut. 67, 236; so, molestiam paucorum dierum, id. Phil. 6, 6, 17: taedium illud, Quint. 11, 2, 41: bilem et dolorem, Tert. Res. carn. 54.—
B To accept eagerly, enjoy : quid tibi faciam qui illos libros devorasti, Cic. Att. 7, 3, 2: os impiorum devorat iniquitatem, Vulg. Prov. 19, 28: auscultate et mea dicta devorate, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 59; cf.: orationem dulcem (aures), id. Poen. 5, 2, 9: verbum ipsum (voluptatis), Cic. Sest. 10, 23.—
C ejus oratio, nimia religione attenuata, a multitudine et a foro devorabatur, qs. swallowed but not digested (i. e. heard without being understood), Cic. Brut. 82, 283.