tĕro, trīvi, trītum, 3 (perf. terii, acc. to Charis. p. 220 P.; perf. sync. tristi, Cat. 66, 30), v. a. [root ter; Gr. τείρω, τρύω, τρίβω, to rub; cf. Lat. tribulare, triticum; akin to τέρην, tender, Lat. teres], to rub, rub to pieces; to bruise, grind, bray, triturate (syn.: frico, tundo, pinso).
I Lit. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose).
A In gen.: num me illuc ducis, ubi lapis lapidem terit? (i. e. into a mill ), Plaut. As. 1, 1, 16: lacrimulam oculos terendo vix vi exprimere, Ter. Eun. 68: teritur lignum ligno ignemque concipit attritu, Plin. 16, 40, 77, § 208: sed nihil hederā praestantius quae teritur, lauro quae terat, id. ib.: aliquid in mortario, id. 34, 10, 22, § 104: aliquid in farinam, id. 34, 18, 50, § 170: bacam trapetis, Verg. G. 2, 519: unguibus herbas, Ov. M. 9, 655: dentes in stipite, id. ib. 8, 369: lumina manu, Cat. 66, 30: sucina trita redolent, Mart. 3, 64, 5: piper, Petr. 74: Appia trita rotis, Ov. P. 2, 7, 44: cibum in ventre, i. e. to digest , Cels. 1 praef. med. — Poet .: labellum calamo, i. e. to rub one’s lip (in playing), Verg. E. 2, 34: calcemque terit jam calce Diores, treads upon , id. A. 5, 324: crystalla labris, Mart. 9, 23, 7.—
B In partic.
1 To rub grain from the ears by treading , to tread out , thresh : frumentum, Varr. R. R. 1, 13, 5: milia frumenti tua triverit area centum, Hor. S. 1, 1, 45: area dum messes teret, Tib. 1, 5, 22: teret area culmos, Verg. G. 1, 192; cf.: ut patria careo, bis frugibus area trita est, i. e. it has twice been harvest-time , Ov. Tr. 4, 6, 19.—
2 To cleanse or beautify by rubbing , to smooth , furbish , burnish , polish , sharpen (syn.: polio, acuo): oculos, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 103: crura mordaci pumice, Ov. A. A. 1, 506: hinc radios trivere rotis, smoothed , turned , Verg. G. 2, 444: vitrum torno, Plin. 36, 26, 66, § 193: catillum manibus, Hor. S. 1, 3, 90: tritus cimice lectus, Mart. 11, 33, 1.—
3 To lessen by rubbing , to rub away; to wear away by use , wear out : (navem) ligneam, saepe tritam, Plaut. Men. 2, 3, 52: hoc (tempus) rigidas silices, hoc adamanta terit, Ov. Tr. 4, 6. 14: ferrum, to dull , id. M. 12, 167: mucronem rubigine silicem liquore, Prop. 2, 25 (3, 20), 15: trita labore colla, Ov. M. 15, 124: trita subucula, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 96: trita vestis, id. ib. 1, 19, 38: librum, i. e. to read often , Mart. 8, 3, 4; 11, 3, 4; cf.: quid haberet, Quod legeret tereretque viritim publicus usus? Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 92: pocula labris patrum trita, Mart. 11, 12, 3: ut illum di terant, qui primum olitor caepam protulit, crush , annihilate , Naev. ap. Prisc. p. 681 P.—
4 Of persons, pass. , to be employed in. occupied with : nos qui in foro verisque litibus terimur, Plin. Ep. 2, 3, 5: litibus, id. ib. 10, 12, 3.—
5 To tread often , to visit , frequent a way or place (cf.: calco, calcito): angustum formica terens iter, Verg. G. 1, 380: iter propositum, Prop. 2, 30 (3, 28), 14: Appiam mannis, Hor. Epod. 4, 14: viam, Ov. A. A. 1, 52; Lucr. 1, 927: via trita pede, Tib. 3, 19, 10: ambulator porticum terit, Mart. 2, 11, 2: limina, id. 10, 10, 2: mea nocturnis trita fenestra dolis, Prop. 4 (5), 7, 16: nec jam clarissimorum virorum receptacula habitatore servo teruntur, Plin. Pan. 50, 3: flavaeque terens querceta Maricae Liris, Claud. Cons. Prob. et Olybr 259. —
6 In mal. part.: Bojus est, Bojam terit, Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 108; so Prop. 3, 11 (4. 10), 30; Petr. 87. —
II Trop. (freq. in good prose).
A To wear away , use up , i. e. to pass , spend time; usu. to waste , spend in dissipation , etc. (syn.: absumo, consumo): teritur dies, Plaut. Truc. 5, 20: diem sermone terere segnities merast, id. Trin. 3, 3, 67: naves diem trivere, Liv. 37, 27, 8: tempus in convivio luxuque, id. 1, 57, 9: tempus ibi in secreto, id. 26, 19, 5: omnem aetatem in his discendis rebus, Cic. de Or. 3, 31, 123: teretur interea tempus, id. Phil. 5, 11, 30: jam alteram aetatem bellis civilibus, Hor. Epod. 16, 1: omne aevum ferro, Verg. A. 9, 609: spe otia, id. ib. 4, 271: otium conviviis comissationibusque inter se, Liv. 1, 57, 5. —
B To expend , employ (late Lat.): qui operam teri frustra, Amm. 27, 12, 12. —
C To exert greatly , exhaust : ne in opere longinquo sese tererent, Liv. 6, 8, 10: ut in armis terant plebem, id. 6, 27, 7.—
D Of language, to wear out by use , i. e. to render common , commonplace , or trite (in verb finit. very rare, but freq. as a P. a.): jam hoc verbum satis hesterno sermone trivimus, Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 6, 18: quae (nomina) nunc consuetudo diurna trivit, id. Fin. 3, 4, 15.—*
E To tread under foot , i. e. to injure , violate a thing: jurata deorum majestas teritur, Claud. in Rufin. 1, 228. — Hence, P. a. : trītus , a, um.
A Prop. of a road or way, oft-trodden , beaten , frequented , common : iter, Cic. Phil. 1, 3, 7: via, id. Brut. 81, 281: quadrijugi spatium, Ov. M. 2, 167. — Sup. : tritissima quaeque via, Sen. Vit. Beat. 1, 2. —
B Fig.
1 Practised , expert : tritas aures habere, Cic. Fam. 9, 16, 4; so id. Brut. 32, 124.— Comp. : tritiores manūs ad aedificandum perficere, Vitr. 2, 1, 6. —
2 Of language, used often or much , familiar , common , commonplace , trite : quid in Graeco sermone tam tritum atque celebratum est, quam, etc., Cic. Fl. 27, 65: nomen minus tritum sermone nostro, id. Rep. 2, 29, 52: ex quo illud: summum jus summā injuriā factum est jam tritum sermone proverbium, id. Off. 1, 10, 33.— Comp. : faciamus tractando usitatius hoc verbum ac tritius, Cic. Ac. 1, 7, 27: compedes, quas induere aureas mos tritior vetat, Plin. 33, 12, 54, § 152.