in-volvo, vi, ūtum, 3, v. a., to roll to or upon any thing.
I Lit.: Ossae frondosum involvere Olympum, Verg. G. 1, 282: montes, Ov. M. 12, 507: silvas, armenta secum, to sweep away with it , Verg. A. 12, 689: miser involvitur In caput, id. ib. 292.—
B Transf., to roll about , wrap up , envelop , involve : se foliis ac frondibus, Lucr. 5, 970: aliquid corpori, Plin. 11, 23, 27, § 77: sinistras sagis, Caes. B. C. 1, 75: caput flammeolo, Petr. 26: se farinā, Phaedr. 4, 1, 23: involvi fumo, Ov. M. 2, 232: vestimentis, Cels. 2, 17: manum amiculo, Just. 15, 3, 8: totum involvit flammis nemus, Verg. G. 2, 308: fit quoque ut involvat venti se nubibus ipse vortex, Lucr. 6, 442: nec densae trepidis apium se involvere nubes cessarunt aquilis, Sil. 8, 635.—
C To cover , overwhelm : Auster aqua involvens navemque virosque, Verg. A. 6, 336: stagnante vado patulos involvere campos, Sil. 6, 143; 12, 622: eos in mediis fluctibus, Vulg. Deut. 14, 27: non vox et mutui hortatus juvabant adversante unda ... cuncta pari violentia involvebantur, Tac. A. 1, 70.—
II Trop., to inwrap , wrap , infold , envelop , surround : se litteris, i. e. to devote one’s self to , Cic. Fam. 9, 20, 3: pacis nomine bellum involutum, id. Phil. 7, 6, 19: obscuris vera, Verg. A. 6, 100: se suā virtute, Hor. C. 3, 29, 54: se otio, Plin. Ep. 7, 3: se laqueis insidiosae interrogationis, to involve or entangle themselves , id. ib. 1, 5: ut si qua iniquitas involveretur, Tac. A. 3, 63: fraudibus involuti, id. ib. 16, 32.— Hence, invŏlūtus , a, um, P. a., involved , intricate , obscure : res involutas definiendo explicare, Cic. Or. 29, 102: philosophiam a rebus occultis et ab ipsa natura involutis avocare, id. Ac. 1, 4, 15: res omnium involutissima, Sen. Q. N. 6, 5, 3. — Adv.: invŏlūtē , obscurely (post-class.): queri, Spart. Car. 2.