vŏro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. and n. [Sanscr. root gar-, to swallow; Gr. root βορ- in βιβρώσκω, to devour; cf. also gramen], to swallow whole, swallow up, eat greedily, devour (cf. absorbeo).
I Lit.: animalium alia vorant, alia mandunt, Cic. N. D. 2, 47, 122; Plin. 10, 71, 91, § 196: vitulum (balaena), Plaut. Rud. 2, 6, 61: edim atque ambabus malis expletis vorem, id. Trin. 2, 4, 73: mella avide (apes), Plin. 11, 19, 21, § 67: Lucrina (ostrea), Mart. 6, 11, 5: resinam ex melle Aegyptiam vorato, salvum feceris, swallow or gulp down , take , as medicine, Plaut. Merc. 1, 2, 31; so of medicine, Mart. 1, 88, 2; Cael. Aur. Acut. 2, 24.—Prov.: meus hic est: hamum vorat, swallows , takes , Plaut. Curc. 3, 61; id. Truc. 1, 1, 21; cf.: hamum voras, Ambros. Tob. n. 7.—
II Transf.
1 Of things, to devour , swallow up , overwhelm , destroy , etc.: vorat haec (Charybdis) raptas revomitque carinas, Ov. M. 13, 731: navem (rapidus vortex), Verg. A. 1, 117; cf. poet.: agmina (vortex pugnae), Sil. 4, 230: corpus (ulcus), Cels. 5, 28, 3: viam, to finish or perform quickly , Cat. 35, 7: Thracia quinque vadis Istrum vorat Amphitrite, takes in , swallows up , Claud. B. Get. 337.—
2 Of property, to use up , consume , squander : idem in reliquis generis ejus (murrhinorum vasorum) quantum voraverit, licet existimare, Plin. 37, 2, 7, § 19.—
III Trop., to devour , i. e. to acquire with eagerness , pursue passionately (rare but class.): litteras, Cic. Att. 4, 11, 2. —In mal. part., Cat. 80, 6; Mart. 2, 51, 6; 7, 67, 15.—
B To consume , waste : amor vorat tectas penitus medullas, Sen. Hippol. 282; 642.