flūmen, ĭnis, n. [fluo], a flowing of water; and concr., a flood, stream, flowing or running water (syn.: fluvius, amnis, rivus).
I In gen. (mostly poet.): Romane, aquam Albanam cave lacu contineri, cave in mare manare suo flumine sinas, an old prophetic formula ap. Liv. 5, 16, 9: rapidus montano flumine torrens, Verg. A. 2, 305; cf. Ov. R. Am. 651: visendus ater flumine languido Cocytos errans, Hor. C. 2, 14, 17: inde sequemur Ipsius amnis iter, donec nos flumine certo Perferat, Val. Fl. 8, 189: et Tiberis flumen vomit in mare salsum, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 4 (Ann. v. 453 ed. Vahl.); cf.: teque pater Tiberine tuo cum flumine sancto, id. ib. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 55 ib.): donec me flumine vivo Abluero, in a living , running stream , Verg. A. 2, 719; cf.: quin tu ante vivo perfunderis flumine? Auct. ap. Liv. 1, 45, 6 (for which: aqua viva, Varr. L. L. 5, § 123 Müll.).—In plur.: nymphae venas et flumina fontis Elicuere sui, streams , Ov. M. 14, 788: frigida Scamandri, Hor. Epod. 13, 14: Symaethia circum Flumina, Verg. A. 9, 585: limosa potat, Ov. M. 1, 634; cf.: Tantalus a labris sitiens fugientia captat Flumina, Hor. S. 1, 1, 69: maritima immittere in piscinas, Varr. R. R. 3, 17, 9.
II In partic., a river.
A Lit. (the predominant signif. of the word both in prose and poetry): quod per amoenam urbem leni fluit agmine flumen, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 4 (Ann. v. 177 ed. Vahl.); cf.: ut flumina in contrarias partes fluxerint, Cic. Div. 1, 35, 78: Scipio biduum moratus ad flumen, quod inter eum et Domitii castra fluebat, Caes. B. C. 3, 37, 1: aurea flumina, Lucr. 5, 911: habet non tantum venas aquarum terra, ex quibus corrivatis flumina effici possunt, sed et amnes magnitudinis vastae, etc., Sen. Q. N. 3, 19; cf. Cic. Rep. 2, 5: nec ullum hoc frigidius flumen attigi, id. Leg. 2, 3, 6: nos flumina arcemus, dirigimus, avertimus, id. N. D. 2, 60, 152: una pars (Galliae) initium capit a flumine Rhodano, continetur Garumna flumine ... attingit etiam flumen Rhenum, etc., Caes. B. G. 1, 1, 6 sq.; 1, 2, 7: inter montem Juram et flumen Rhodanum, id. ib. 1, 6, 1: flumen est Arar, quod, etc., id. ib. 1, 12, 1: flumen Dubis, id. ib. 1, 38, 4: non Seres, non Tanain prope flumen orti, Hor. C. 4, 15, 24: Veliternos ad Asturae flumen Maenius fudit, Liv. 8, 13, 5 Drak. N. cr. : terrarum situs et flumina dicere, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 252: secundo flumine ad Lutetiam iter facere coepit, with the stream , Caes. B. G. 7, 58, 5 (cf. secundus, 2. a.): magnum ire agmen adverso flumine, against the stream , Caes. B. G. 7, 60, 3; cf. Verg. G. 1, 201; Liv. 24, 40. —Prov.: flumine vicino stultus sitit, like, starves in the midst of plenty , Petr. Fragm. p. 899 Burm.—
2 Transf., of other things which flow in streams or like streams, a stream , flood (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): sanguinis, Lucr. 2, 354; 4, 1029: largoque humectat flumine vultum, flood of tears , Verg. A. 1, 465: laeta magis pressis manabunt flumina mammis, streams of milk , id. G. 3, 310: flumina jam lactis, jam flumina nectaris, Ov. M. 1, 111: rigido concussae flumine nubes Exonerabantur, a torrent of rain , Petr. poët. Sat. 123; cf.: ut picis e caelo demissum flumen, a stream of pitch , Lucr. 6, 257: magnesia flumine saxa, in the magnetic stream , id. 6, 1064: effusaeque ruunt inopino flumine turbae, i. e. in a vast stream , Sil. 12, 185; cf. Verg. A. 11, 236: aëris, a current of air , Ap. de Mund. p. 61, 33 Elm. p. 258 Bip.—
B Trop., of expression, a flow , fluency , stream : orationis flumine reprehensoris convicia diluuntur, Cic. N. D. 2, 7, 20: flumen orationis aureum, id. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 38, 119: orationis, id. de Or. 2, 15, 62; cf.: flumen verborum volubili tasque, id. Or. 16, 53: gravissimorum op timorumque verborum, id. de Or. 2, 45, 188: inanium verborum, id. N. D. 2, 1, 1: Lysias ... puro fonti quam magno flumini propior, Quint. 10, 1, 78; 9, 4, 61; cf. id. 10, 1, 61; Petr. 5 fin. —And fig.: neque concipere neque edere partum mens potest, nisi ingenti flumine litterarum inundata, Petr. 118.