sĭtĭo, īvi or ĭi, 4, v. n. and a. [sitis].
I Neutr. , to thirst , be thirsty (class.).
A Lit.: ego esurio et sitio, Plaut. Cas. 3, 6, 6; 4, 3, 4: sitit haec anus, id. Curc. 1, 2, 14: in medio sitit flumine potans, Lucr. 4, 1100: ne homines sitirent, Suet. Aug. 42.—With gen.: cochleae cum sitiunt aëris, Symm. Ep. 1, 27.—Prov.: sitire mediis in undis, i. e. to be poor in the midst of wealth , Ov. M. 9, 760.—
B Transf. (esp. in the lang. of country people), of things (the earth, plants, etc.), to be dried up or parched , to want moisture : siquidem est eorum (rusticorum) gemmare vites, sitire agros, laetas esse segetes, etc., Cic. Or. 24, 81; cf.: sitire segetes, Quint. 8, 6, 6: tosta sitit tellus, Ov. F. 4, 940: colles, Front. Aquaed. 87; cf. infra, P. a. : aret ager; vitio moriens sitit aëris herba, Verg. E. 7, 57: cum sitiunt herbae, id. G. 4, 402: arbores, Plin. 17, 26, 40, § 249: cacumina oleae, id. 17, 14, 24, § 103 et saep.: ipsi fontes jam sitiunt, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 4, § 11: nec pati sitire salgama, to be dry , Col. 12, 9, 2.—
II Act. , to thirst after a thing (rare, but in the trop. signif. class.; cf.: cupio, desidero).
A Lit.: auriferum Tagum sitiam patriumque Salonem, Mart. 10, 96, 3.— Pass. : quo plus sunt potae, plus sitiuntur aquae, are thirsted for, Ov. F. 1, 216: umor quomodo sititur destillans, Plin. 17, 2, 2, § 15.—
B Trop., as in all langg., to long for , thirst for , desire eagerly , covet : sanguinem nostrum sitiebat, Cic. Phil. 2, 7, 20; cf. Plin. 14, 22, 28, § 148: sanguinem, Just. 1, 8 fin. (opp. satiare); Sen. Thyest. 103: cruorem, Poët. ap. Suet. Tib. 59; cf.: sitit hasta cruores, Stat. Th. 12, 595: honores, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 5, 3: populus libertatem sitiens, id. Rep. 1, 43, 66: ultionem, Val. Max. 7, 3 ext. 6; Vulg. Psa. 41, 3.—With gen.: non quidem fallacis undae sitit, sed verae beatitudinis esurit et sitit, Ap. Deo Socr. 54, 27.
VII —Hence, sĭtĭens , entis, P. a., thirsting , thirsty , athirst.
A Lit.: ut ipse ad portam sitiens pervenerim, Cic. Pis. 25, 61: quae (pocula) arenti sitientes hausimus ore, Ov. M. 14, 277: Tantalus, Hor. S. 1, 1, 68: viator, Ov. Am. 3, 6, 97: saecla ferarum, Lucr. 5, 947: sitienti aqua datur, Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 23.—
2 Transf. (acc. to I. B.), of places, plants, etc., dry , parched , arid , without moisture (syn. aridus): hortus, Ov. P. 1, 8, 60.—By metonymy also, Afri, Verg. E. 1, 65: olea, Plin. 15, 3, 3, § 9: luna, i. e. cloudless , bright , id. 17, 9, 8, § 57; 17, 14, 24, § 112: Canicula, arid , parching , Ov. A. A. 2, 231.— Neutr. plur. absol. : lonchitis nascitur in sitientibus, in dry , arid places , Plin. 25, 11, 88, § 137; so, in sitientibus aut siccis asperis, id. 12, 28, 61, § 132.—With gen.: sitientia Africae, Plin. 10, 73, 94, § 201.—
B Trop., thirsting for , desiring eagerly , greedy : gravius ardentiusque sitiens, Cic. Tusc. 5, 6, 16: (amator) avidus sitiensque, Ov. R. Am. 247: regna Ditis, Petr. poët. 121, 116: aures, Cic. Att. 2, 14, 1.—Poet.: modice sitiens lagena, of moderate capacity , Pers. 3, 92.—With gen.: virtutis, Cic. Planc. 5, 13: famae, Sil. 3, 578: pecuniae (with avarus et avidus), Gell. 12, 2, 13: sermonis, Claud. Cons. Mall. Theod. 251.—Hence, adv.: sĭtĭenter , thirstily , eagerly , greedily (acc. to B.): sitienter quid expetens, Cic. Tusc. 4, 17, 37; so, incumbere hauriendis voluptatibus, Lact. 2, 1, 3: haurire salutares illas aquas, Ap. Met. 9, 4, 4.; 3, 14, 16.