verso (vorso), āvi, ātum, 1 (inf. vorsarier, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 53), v. freq. a. [verto], to turn, wind, twist, or whirl about often or violently (freq. and class.; syn.: verto, contorqueo).
I Lit.: qui caelum versat stellis fulgentibus aptum, Enn. ap. Macr. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 30 Vahl.): Sisyphus versat Saxum, Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 5, 10: turbinem puer, Tib. 1, 5, 4: turdos in igni, Hor. S. 1, 5, 72: ova non acri favillā, Ov. M. 8, 667: cum versati appositi essent pisces, Quint. 6, 3, 90: vinclorum inmensa volumina, Verg. A. 5, 408: manum, Ov. M. 12, 493: lumina, id. ib. 5, 134; 6, 247; 7, 579: cardinem, id. ib. 4, 93: fusum, id. ib. 4, 221; 6, 22: corpus, id. Am. 1, 2, 4: sortem urnā, to shake , Hor. C. 2, 3, 26: ligonibus glaebas, to turn up , hoe , id. ib. 3, 6, 39; so, rura (juvenci), Prop. 4 (5), 1, 129: terram, Ov. R. Am. 173: desectum gramen, hay , id. M. 14, 646: currum in gramine, i. e. to wheel about , Verg. A. 12, 664: oves, to drive about , pasture , id. E. 10, 68: pulsat versatque Dareta, id. A. 5, 460: me versant in litore venti, id. ib. 6, 362: vos exemplaria Graeca Nocturnā versate manu, versate diurnā, turn them over , i. e. read , study them , Hor. A. P. 269: et nummulario non ex fide versanti pecunias manus amputavit, handling , accounting for , Suet. Galb. 9.—With se , or mid., to turn one's self often , to turn , revolve , etc.: versabat se in utramque partem, non solum mente, verum etiam corpore, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 30, § 74.—Prov.: satis diu jam hoc saxum vorso, I have wasted time enough with this man , Ter. Eun. 1085.—Mid.: mundum versari circum axem caeli, Cic. N. D. 1, 20, 52: qui (orbes) versantur retro, id. Rep. 6, 17, 17: pars superior mundi non versatur in turbinem, Sen. Ira, 3, 6, 1: suāpte naturā et cylindrum volvi et versari turbinem putat, Cic. Fat. 18, 42: ne versari aves possent, Col. 8, 7, 1.—
B Trop.
1 In gen., to turn , twist , bend : versare suam naturam et regere ad tempus atque huc et illuc torquere et flectere, Cic. Cael. 6, 13: ad omnem malitiam et fraudem versare mentem suam coepit, id. Clu. 26, 70: eadem multis modis, id. Or. 40, 137: causas, i. e. to treat , manage , id. ib. 9, 31; Quint. 10, 5, 9; cf. absol. : non mille figuris variet ac verset (orator)? id. 5, 14, 32: verba, to pervert , alter , Cic. Fin. 4, 20, 56: fors omnia versat, turns , changes , Verg. E. 9, 5; so mid.: versatur celeri Fors levis orbe rotae, Tib. 1, 5, 70: huc et illuc, Torquate, vos versetis licet, etc., Cic. Fin. 2, 31, 99: in quo, utrum respondebo, verses te huc atque illuc necesse est, id. ib. 5, 28, 86: versabat se ad omnis cogitationes, Curt. 6, 6, 27.—
2 In partic. (rare in Cic.).
a Qs. to turn upside down , i. e. to discompose , disturb , vex , agitate : versabo ego illum hodie, si vivo, probe, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 5, 6; id. Pers. 5, 2, 17: haerere homo, versari, rubere, to be disturbed , Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 76, § 187: si quid te adjuero curamve levasso Quae nunc te coquit et versat in pectore fixa, Enn. ap. Cic. Sen. 1, 1 (Ann. v. 340 Vahl.): miserum toto cubili, Prop. 1, 14, 21: illum toto versant suspiria lecto, id. 2, 22, 47 (3, 16, 5): odiis domos, to overthrow , ruin , subvert , Verg. A. 7, 336: ille placet, versatque domum, neque verbera sentit, i. e. disturbs without being punished , Ov. Am. 2, 2, 29: sic fortuna in contentione et certamine utrumque versavit, ut alter alteri inimicus auxilio salutique esset, alternated with , treated each in turn , Caes. B. G. 5, 44 fin. : pectora, id. ib. 2, 45: muliebrem animum in omnes partes, Liv. 1, 58, 3: patrum animos, id. 1, 17, 1: pectora (nunc indignatio nunc pudor), id. 2, 45, 5; cf.: spesque timorque animum versat utroque modo, Prop. 3, 17 (4, 16), 12.—
b To turn over a thing in the mind, to think over , meditate , or reflect upon , revolve , consider; to transact , carry on (cf.: volvo, agito): multas res simitu in meo corde vorso, Plaut. Trin. 2, 1, 1: versarent in animis secum unamquamque rem, Liv. 3, 34, 4: illa dolos dirumque nefas in pectere versat, Certa mori, Verg. A. 4, 563; so, dolos, id. ib. 2, 62: versate diu, quid ferre recusent, Quid valeant umeri, Hor. A. P. 39: ubi maxima rerum momenta versantur, Quint. 8, 3, 13: versenturque omni modo numeri, examined , considered , id. 10, 3, 5; 10, 5, 9: somnia decies, to interpret , Prop. 2, 4, 16: multum igitur domi ante versandi sunt (testes), variis percontationibus, etc., examined , practised , Quint. 5, 7, 11.—
II Transf., in the mid. form, versor ( vor-sor ), ātus, 1, prop. to move about in a place, i. e. to dwell , live , remain , stay , abide , be in a place or among certain persons; constr. most freq. with in aliquā re; also with inter , intra , apud , and cum.
A Lit.: vorsari crebro hic cum viderent me domi, Plaut. Am. prol. 128: in medio pariete, id. Cas. 1, 52: non ad solarium, non in campo, non in conviviis versatus est, Cic. Quint. 18, 59: in fundo, id. Mil. 20, 53: in castris, Caes. B. G. 2, 24: inter aciem, id. ib. 1, 52; cf.: nec versari inter eos sine dedecore potero, Cic. Att. 10, 8, 3: intra vallum, Caes. B. C. 3, 96: alicui inter femina, Suet. Tib. 44: nobiscum versari jam diutius non potes, Cic. Cat. 1, 5, 10; apud praefectos regis, Nep. Con. 2, 4.—
B Trop.
1 In gen., to be; to be circumstanced or situated : nescis, quantis in malis vorser miser, Ter. And. 649: certe ego te in medio versantem turbine leti Eripui, Cat. 64, 149: ergo illi nunc in pace versantur, Cic. Phil. 8, 2, 6: in clarissimā luce, id. Off. 2, 13, 44: Minturnenses aeternā in laude versantur, id. Planc. 10, 26: in simili culpā, Caes. B. C. 3, 110: mihi ante oculos dies noctesque versaris, Cic. Fam. 14, 2, 3: nec versantur omnino scripta eorum inter manus hominum, i. e. are read , Dig. 1, 2, 2.—Of abstract subjects: numquam tibi populi Romani dignitas, numquam species ipsa hujusmodi multitudinis in oculis animoque versata est? Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 55, § 144: mors, exsilium mihi ob oculos versabantur, id. Sest. 21, 47: haec omnia in eodem errore versantur, id. N. D. 3, 10, 25; id. Tusc. 1, 44, 107: aliquid in dubitatione versatur, id. Rep. 2, 15, 29: Mithridaticum bellum, in multā varietate versatum, waged with many vicissitudes , id. Arch. 9, 21.—
2 In partic., to occupy or busy one's self with any action, to be engaged in any thing.
a Of persons.
α With in and abl. (class.): opifices omnes in sordidā arte versantur, Cic. Off. 1, 42, 150: in omnibus ingenuis artibus, id. Fam. 4, 3, 4: versabor in re difficili, id. Leg. 3, 15, 33: in re publicā atque in his vitae periculis laboribusque, id. Arch. 12, 30; ullā in cogitatione acrius ac diligentius versari, id. Rep. 1, 22, 35: si diutius in hoc genere verser, id. ib. 1, 46, 70: multum in imperiis, Nep. Milt. 8, 2.—
β With circa and acc. (post-Aug.): circa mensuras ac numeros non versabitur (orator)? Quint. 2, 21, 19.—
γ With inter : inter arma ac studia versatus, Vell. 1, 13, 3.—
b Of abstract subjects.
α With in and abl. (class.): haec omnia in eodem quo illa Zenonis errore versantur, depend on , Cic. N. D. 3, 10, 25: dicendi omnis ratio in hominum more et sermone versatur, is occupied with , concerns , Cic. de Or. 1, 3, 12: ejus omnis oratio versata est in eo, ut, etc., id. ib. 1, 57, 244; cf.: imitatio est posita fere in eludendo, sed versatur etiam in factis, Quint. 9, 2, 58: ipsae res in perfacili cognitione versantur Cic. Or. 35, 122; quae omnes artes in veri investigatione versantur, id. Off. 1, 6, 19: omnia quae in causā versarentur, Quint. 7, 1, 4: epilogi omnes in eādem fere materiā versari solent, id. 7, 4, 19; 2, 4, 1: praejudiciorum vis omnis tribus in generibus versatur, id. 5, 2, 1.—
β With circa and acc. (post-Aug.): haec pars (tragoedia) circa iram, odium, metum, miserationem fere tota versatur, Quint. 6, 2, 20: circa quae versari videatur omnis quaestio, id. 3, 6, 23: quidam circa res omnes, quidam circa civiles modo versari rhetoricen putaverunt, id. 2, 15, 15.—
γ With abl.: itaque (finitio) pluribus legibus isdem quibus conjectura versatur, Quint. 7, 3, 1 (dub.; Halm, ex conj. in isdem).—
c Part. perf. : homo in aliis causis exercitatus et in hac multum et saepe versatus, Cic. Quint. 1, 3: viri in rerum publicarum varietate versati, id. Rep. 3, 3, 4: semper inter arma ac studia versatus, Vell. 1, 13, 3.— Absol. : is missum ad dilectus agendos Agricolam integreque ac strenue versatum praeposuit, etc., Tac. Agr. 7.