I.a companion, an associate, comrade, partaker, sharer, partner, etc. (whether male or female; class. and freq.).
I. In gen.
a. Masc.: “age, age, argentum numera, ne comites morer,” Plaut. Ep. 5, 1, 25: “confugere domum sine comite,” Ter. Hec. 5, 3, 25: “comes meus fuit, et omnium itinerum meorum socius,” Cic. Fam. 13, 71: “erat comes ejus Rubrius,” Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 25, § 64: “cui tu me comitem putas esse,” id. Att. 8, 7, 1: “ibimus, o socii comitesque,” Hor. C. 1, 7, 26; Lucr. 3, 1037; 4, 575: “Catulli,” Cat. 11, 1: “Pisonis,” id. 28, 1; Nep. Ages. 6, 3: “quin et avo comitem sese Mavortius addet Romulus,” Verg. A. 6, 778; cf.: “comes ire alicui,” id. ib. 6, 159: “comitem aliquem mittere alicui,” id. ib. 2, 86: “comes esse alicui,” Ov. H. 14, 54 et saep. —
(β).
With gen. or dat. of thing: “cum se victoriae Pompeji comitem esse mallet quam, etc.,” Caes. B. C. 3, 80: “comitem illius furoris,” Cic. Lael. 11, 37: “me tuarum actionum, sententiarum, etc., socium comitemque habebis,” id. Fam. 1, 9, 22: “mortis et funeris atri,” Lucr. 2, 581: “tantae virtutis,” Liv. 22, 60, 12: “exsilii,” Mart. 12, 25: “fugae,” Vell. 2, 53; Liv. 1, 3, 2; Cic. Att. 9, 10, 2; cf. Suet. Tib. 6: “me habuisti comitem consiliis tuis,” Plaut. Ps. 1, 1, 15.—With in: “comes in ulciscendis quibusdam,” Cic. Fam. 1, 9, 2.—
b. Fem., Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 54; Lucr. 5, 741: “data sum comes inculpata Minervae,” Ov. M. 2, 588; cf. id. H. 3, 10: “me tibi venturam comitem,” id. ib. 13, 163; Verg. A. 4, 677; 6, 448.—
B. Transf. to inanimate objects: “malis erat angor Assidue comes,” Lucr. 6, 1159: “comes formidinis, aura,” id. 3, 290: “ploratus mortis comites,” id. 2, 580: “tunc vitae socia virtus, mortis comes gloria fuisset,” Cic. Font. 21, 49 (17, 39): “multarum deliciarum comes est extrema saltatio,” id. Mur. 6, 13: “pacis est comes, otiique socia eloquentia,” id. Brut. 12, 45; cf. “an idea (perh. intentionally) opp. to this,” Tac. Or. 40: “non ut ullam artem doctrinamve contemneres, sed ut omnis comites ac ministratrices oratoris esse diceres,” Cic. de Or. 1, 17, 75: “cui ipsi casus eventusque rerum non duces sed comites consiliorum fuerunt,” id. Balb. 4, 9: “exanimatio. quas comes pavoris,” id. Tusc. 4, 8, 19: “(grammatice) dulcis secretorum comes,” Quint. 1, 4, 5: “(cura) comes atra premit sequiturque fugacem,” Hor. S. 2, 7, 115: “culpam poena premit comes,” id. C. 4, 5, 24: “nec (fides) comitem abnegat,” id. ib. 1, 35, 22: comitemque aeris alieni atque litis esse miseriam, Orac. ap. Plin. 7, 32, 32, § 119.—
II. In partic.
A. An overseer, tutor, teacher, etc., of young persons (rare; “not ante-Aug.),” Verg. A. 2, 86; 5, 546; Suet. Tib. 12; Stat. S. 5, 2, 60.— Esp. = paedagogus, a slave who accompanied boys as a protector, Suet. Aug. 98; id. Claud. 35.—Far more freq.,
B. The suite, retinue of friends, relatives, scholars, noble youth, etc., which accompanied magistrates into the provinces, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 10, § 27 sq; id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 3, § 11; Hor. Ep. 1, 8, 2; Suet. Caes. 42; id. Ner. 5; id. Gram. 10.—
C. The attendants of distinguished private individuals, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 76; 1, 17, 52; id. S. 1, 6, 102; Suet. Caes. 4.—Trop.: (Cicero) in libris de Republica Platonis se comitem profitetur, Plin. praef. § 22.—
D. After the time of the emperors, the imperial train, the courtiers, court, Suet. Aug. 16; 98; id. Tib. 46; id. Calig. 45; id. Vit. 11; id. Vesp. 4; Inscr. Orell. 723; 750 al.—Hence,
E. In late Lat., a designation for the occupant of any state office, as, comes scholarum, rei militaris, aerarii utriusque, commerciorum (hence, Ital. conte; Fr. comte).
