stīpo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [στέφω, to surround, crowd upon, στέμμα, στέφανος; cf.: stipator, stipulor], to crowd or press together, to compress (class.; esp. of personal objects, and in part. perf.; cf.: comprimo, compono).
I Lit.: qui acceperant majorem numerum (assium), non in arcā ponebant, sed in aliquā cellā stipabant, id est componebant, quo minus loci occuparet, Varr. L. L. 5, § 182 Müll.: ingens argentum, Verg. A. 3, 465: apes mella Stipant, id. G. 4, 164; id. A. 1, 433: materies stipata, Lucr. 1, 345: nec tamen undique corporea stipata tenentur omnia naturā, id. 1, 329; cf. id. 2, 294; 1, 611; 1, 664: Graeci stipati, quini in lectulis, saepe plures, Cic. Pis. 27, 67: velut stipata phalanx, Liv. 33, 18: ita in arto stipatae erant naves, ut, etc., id. 26, 39: fratrum stipata cohors, Verg. A. 10, 328.— Poet.: stipare Platona Menandro, i. e. to pack up together the works of Plato , Menander , etc., Hor. S. 2, 3, 11: custodum gregibus circa seu stipat euntem, closely surrounds her with , Prop. 3, 8 (4, 7), 13; cf. mid.: cuncta praecipiti stipantur saecula cursu, throng , crowd , Claud. Rapt. Pros. 2, 311.—
II Transf., to press , cram , stuff , or fill full of any thing: ut pontes calonibus et impedimentis stipatos reperit, Suet. Calig. 51: hos (poëtas) ediscit et hos arcto stipata theatro Spectat Roma, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 60; cf.: curia cum patribus fuerit stipata, Ov. P. 3, 1, 143: multo Patrum stipatur curia coetu, Sil. 11, 503: recessus equi, Petr. 89: tribunal, Plin. Ep. 6, 33, 4: calathos prunis, Col. 10, 405: nucein sulfure, Flor. 3, 19: calceum, Tert. Virg. Vel. 12: tectum omne, Ap. Met. 3, 2, 24.—
B With a personal object, of a dense crowd, to surround , encompass , environ , attend , accompany , etc. (syn.: comitor, prosequor): Catilina stipatus choro juventutis, vallatus indicibus atque sicariis, Cic. Mur. 24, 49: qui stipatus semper sicariis, saeptus armatis, munitus indicibus fuit, id. Sest. 44, 95: stipati gregibus amicorum, id. Att. 1, 18, 1; cf. id. Mil. 1, 1: telis stipati, id. Phil. 5, 6, 17: qui senatum stiparit armatis, id. ib. 3, 12, 31: stipatus lictoribus, id. Verr. 2, 4, 40, § 86: senectus stipata studiis juventutis, id. Sen. 9, 28: comitum turba est stipata suarum, Ov. M. 3, 186: juventus stipat ducem, Val. Fl. 7, 557; Plin. Pan. 23; Capitol. Max. et Balb. 13.— Absol. : magnă stipante catervă, Verg. A. 4, 136; Liv. 42, 39: huc coetus ministrūm stipantur, Stat. S. 3, 1, 87. —Hence, * stīpātus , a, um, P. a., begirt , surrounded : ab omni ordine, sexu, aetate stipatissimus, Sid. Ep. 3, 2.