flŭĭto (contract. flūto, Lucr. 3, 189; 4, 77; Varr. ap. Macr. S. 2, 12), āvi, ātum, 1, v. freq. n. [fluo], to float, swim, or sail about on the water, to flow (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose).
I Lit.: in lacu Apuscidamo omnia fluitant, nihil mergitur (shortly before: in quo stagno nihil innatet), Plin. 31, 2, 18, § 22: materies primo sidit, postea fluitare incipit, id. 13, 7, 14, § 57: rei publicae navem fluitantem in alto tempestatibus, * Cic. Sest. 20, 46: fluitans alvĕus, Liv. 1, 4, 6: fluitantes insulae, Plin. 16, 36, 66, § 168: ebenus in aquis non fluitat, id. 16, 40, 76, § 204: in summo, id. 28, 9, 35, § 134: contra aquas, id. 29, 3, 12, § 52: fusile aurum per rictus, to flow , Ov. M. 11, 127: jucundum utrumque per jocum ludumque fluitantibus, those who sail about , Plin. Ep. 8, 8, 4.—
B Transf., to move in a waving , unsteady manner; to wave , undulate : fluitantia aplustra, Lucr. 2, 555: pleno fluitantia vela theatro, Prop. 3, 18 (4, 17), 13: vela summo fluitantia malo, Ov. M. 11, 470: fluitantia lora, i. e. flowing , slack , id. A. A. 2, 433: vestis non fluitans sed stricta et singulos artus exprimens, flowing , loose , Tac. G. 17: amictus, Cat. 64, 68: fluitans labansque miles, staggering , Tac. H. 5, 18; 3, 27: vela (in theatris) per malos trabesque trementia flutant namque ... cogunt suo fluitare colore, to wave , Lucr. 4, 77 sq.—
II Trop., to be doubtful or uncertain , to waver : animi incerto errore fluitans, Lucr. 3, 1052: spe dubiae horae, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 110: unde primum creditur Caecinae fides fluitasse, Tac. H. 2, 93 fin. : fluitans fides, Claud. B. G. 247: citra lectionis exemplum labor ille (scribendi) carens rectore fluitabit, i. e. will be performed at random, Quint. 10, 1, 2.