I.v. a., to lay hold of something on all sides; to take or catch hold of, seize, grasp, apprehend; to comprehend, comprise (class. in prose and poetry).
I. Prop.
A. In gen.: “quid (opus est) manibus, si nihil comprehendendum est?” Cic. N. D. 1, 33, 92: “(vulva) non multo major quam ut manu comprehendatur,” Cels. 4, 1 fin.: “cum (forfex) dentem comprehendere non possit,” id. 7, 12, 1: “mordicus manum eorum (elephantorum),” Plin. 9, 15, 17, § 46: “morsu guttura,” Luc. 4, 727: “nuces modio,” Varr. R. R. 1, 7, 3: “naves,” to join one to another, fasten together, Liv. 30, 10, 5; cf.: “oras vulneris suturae comprehendunt,” Cels. 7, 4, 3: “comprehendunt utrumque et orant,” Caes. B. G. 5, 31: “ter frustra comprensa manus effugit imago,” Verg. A. 2, 794; cf. “aures,” Tib. 2, 5, 92: “nisi quae validissima (ovis), non comprehendatur (sc. stabulis) hieme,” let none but the strongest be kept in the winter, Col. 7, 3, 15 Schneid.: “naves in flumine Vulturno comprehensae,” assembled together, put under an embargo, Liv. 26, 7, 9; so id. 29, 24, 9; Suet. Tib. 38; id. Calig. 39: “ignem,” to take, catch, Caes. B. G. 5, 43; “and in a reverse constr.: ignis robora comprendit,” Verg. G. 2, 305; cf.: “opera flammā comprehensa,” Hirt. B. G. 8, 43; and: “avidis comprenditur ignibus agger,” Ov. M. 9, 234: “loca vallo,” Front. 2, 11, 7; and absol.: “comprehensa aedificia,” Liv. 26, 27, 3.—
B. In partic.
1. To attack, seize upon in a hostile manner, to seize, lay hold of, arrest, catch, apprehend: “aliquem pro moecho Comprehendere et constringere,” Ter. Eun. 5, 5, 23; 5, 1, 20: “tam capitalem hostem,” Cic. Cat. 2, 2, 3: “hominem,” id. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 4, § 14: “nefarios duces,” id. Cat. 3, 7, 16: “Virginium,” Liv. 3, 48, 6; cf. id. 1, 41, 1: “praesidium Punicum,” id. 26, 14, 7: “hunc comprehenderant atque in vincula conjecerant,” Caes. B. G. 4, 27; 5, 25: “in fugā,” id. ib. 5, 21.—Rarely of disease: “comprehensus morbo,” Just. 23, 2, 4; cf.: “comprehensi pestiferā lue,” id. 32, 3, 9.—Of places, to occupy, seize upon: “aliis comprehensis collibus munitiones perfecerunt,” Caes. B. C. 3, 46 fin.—*
b. Of things, to intercept'-epistulas, Just. 20, 5, 12.—
2. To seize upon one, to apprehend him in any crime: “fures,” Cat. 62, 35.—With inf.: qui interesse concentibus interdictis fuerint comprehensi, Cod. Th. 16, 4, 5.—Hence,
b. Transf. to the crime: “nefandum adulterium,” to discover, detect it, Cic. Mil. 27, 72: “res ejus indicio,” id. Clu. 16, 47.—
3. Of plants, to take root; of a graft: “cum comprehendit (surculus),” Varr. R. R. 1, 40 fin.; so, “in gen.,” Col. 3, 5, 1; 5, 6, 18; Pall. Jan. 13, 5.—
4. Of women, to conceive, become pregnant, = concipere: “si mulier non comprehendit, etc.,” Cels. 5, 21 fin.—
5. Of a space, to contain, comprise, comprehend, include: “ut nuces integras, quas uno modio comprehendere possis,” Varr. R. R. 1, 7, 3: “circuitus ejus triginta et duo stadia comprehendit,” Curt. 6, 6, 24. —
6. In late medic. lang., of medicines, to combine: “aliquid melle,” Veg. Art. Vet. 6, 27, 1; Scrib. Comp. 88; 227 al.—
8. Of the reach of a surgical instrument: “si vitium in angusto est, quod comprehendere modiolus possit,” Cels. 8, 3 init.—
II. Trop.
A. To comprehend by the sense of sight, to perceive, observe, see (very rare): “aliquid visu,” Sil. 3, 408; “and without visu: comprehendere vix litterarum apices,” Gell. 13, 30, 10.—
B. To comprehend something intellectually, to receive into one's mind, to grasp, perceive, comprehend; with abl.: si quam opinionem jam mentibus vestris comprehendistis: si eam ratio convellet, si oratio labefactabit, etc., if any opinion has already taken root in your mind (the figure taken from the rooting of plants; v. supra, I. B. 3.), Cic. Clu. 2, 6: “omnes animo virtutes,” id. Balb. 1, 3; id. N. D. 3, 25, 64: “animo haec tenemus comprehensa, non sensibus,” id. Ac. 2, 7, 21 sq.: “omnia animis et cogitatione,” id. Fl. 27, 66; cf. id. de Or. 2, 31, 136: “aliquid mente,” id. N. D. 3, 8, 21: “aliquid memoriā,” id. Tusc. 5, 41, 121: “qualis animus sit vacans corpore, intellegere et cogitatione comprehendere,” id. ib. 1, 22, 50: “aliquid certis signis,” Col. 6, 24, 3: “aliquid experimentis assiduis,” Pall. 2, 13, 8.—Without abl.: “esse aliquid, quod conprehendi et percipi posset,” Cic. Ac. 2, 6, 17; 2, 6, 18: “virtutum cognitio confirmat percipi et conprehendi multa posse,” id. ib. 2, 8, 23; 1, 11, 42.—
C. To comprehend or include in words; to comprise in discourse or in writing, to express, describe, recount, narrate, etc.: “breviter paucis comprendere multa,” Lucr. 6, 1082; cf.: “breviter comprehensa sententia,” Cic. Fin. 2, 7, 20; Quint. 9, 3, 91: “comprehendam brevi,” Cic. de Or. 1, 8, 34: “perinde ac si in hanc formulam omnia judicia conclusa et comprehensa sint,” id. Rosc. Com. 5, 15: “(Cato) verbis luculentioribus et pluribus rem eandem comprehenderat,” id. Att. 12, 21, 1: “ipsa natura circumscriptione quādam verborum comprehendit concluditque sententiam,” id. Brut. 8, 34: “in eā (terrā) enim et lapis et harena et cetera ejus generis sunt in nominando comprehensa,” Varr. R. R. 1, 9, 1: “emplastra quoque, quae supra comprehensa sunt,” Cels. 5, 27, 3; so absol.: “ad veterum rerum nostrarum memoriam comprehendendam impulsi sumus,” Cic. Brut. 5, 19: “aliquid dictis,” Ov. M. 13, 160: “quae si comprendere coner,” id. Tr. 5, 2, 27. —
2. Poet.: aliquid numero, to number, enumerate: “neque enim numero comprendere refert,” Verg. G. 2, 104; Ov. A. A. 2, 447; cf.: “numerum quorum comprendere non est,” id. Tr. 5, 11, 19.—
D. To comprehend any one in affection, to bind to one's self, to put under obligation, to embrace with kindness (rare; “mostly in Cic.): multos amicitiā, tueri obsequio, etc.,” to have many friends, Cic. Cael. 6, 13: “adulescentem humanitate tuā,” id. Fam. 13, 15, 3: “quod omnibus officiis per se, per patrem, per majores suos totam Atinatem praefecturam comprehenderit,” id. Planc. 19. 47.—
E. To shut in, include (late Lat.): “spiritum in effigiem,” Lact. 4, 8, 9: “elementorum figurae humanā specie comprehensae,” id. 2, 6, 1.
