I.v. a., to swallow, swallow down, gulp down, devour (class.; esp. freq. in transf. signif.—for syn. cf.: edo, comedo, vescor, pascor, mando).
I. Lit., of the physical act: “id quod devoratur,” Cic. N. D. 2, 54, 135: “ovum gallinaceum integrum,” Cato R. R. 71: laseris paululum, Cels. 4, 4, 4: “salivam suam,” id. 2, 6, 98; “lapides,” Plin. 8, 10, 10, § 29: “succum,” id. 20, 23, 98, § 260: “fumum,” id. 26, 6, 16, § 30 et saep.—
II. Transf.
A. Of inanimate subjects, to swallow up, ingulf, absorb: “devorer telluris hiatu,” Ov. H. 3, 63: “terra devoravit montem,” Plin. 2, 91, 93, § 205: “vel me Charybdis devoret,” Ov. Tr. 5, 2, 74: “terras devorant aquae,” Plin. 31, 1, 1, § 2: “sol aquas devorans,” id. 20 prooem. § 1: “ ne rotae devorarentur (viarum mollitudine),” Vitr. 10, 6.—
B. To seize upon greedily or hastily, to swallow eagerly, to devour: meretricem ego item esse reor, mare ut est; “quod des, devorat,” Plaut. Truc. 2, 7, 16: “spe et opinione praedam,” Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 51; cf.: “spe devoratum lucrum,” id. Fl. 24; and: “regis hereditatem spe,” id. Att. 1, 16, 10: “aliquid oculis,” Just. 21, 5, 6; cf.: “spectat oculis devorantibus draucos,” Mart. 1, 97; cf. infra III. B.—
C. To swallow down, repress, suppress, check: verborum pars devorari solet, to be swallowed, i. e. only half pronounced, Quint. 11, 3, 33; so, verba, Sen. de Ira, 3, 14 fin.; cf. “lacrimas,” i. e. to repress, Ov. F. 4, 845; id. M. 13, 540: “gemitus,” Sen. Ep. 66 med.—
D. Of property, to consume, to waste, = exhaurire: “omnem pecuniam publicam,” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 76; id. Phil. 13, 2, 3; id. Pis. 21.—And with a pers. object: Si. Jamne illum comesurus es? Ba. Dum recens est, Dum datur, dum calet, devorari decet, Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 26; id. As. 2, 2, 71; cf.: ut hominem devorari, cujus patrimonium consumitur, Quint. 8, 6, 25.—
2. Trop., to consume, destroy: “devorent vos arma vestra,” Just. 14, 4, 14; cf.: “aquilarum pinnae reliquarum alitum pinnas devorant,” Plin. 10, 3, 4, § 15: “vox devoratur,” i. e. is swallowed up, lost, id. 11, 51, 112, § 270: devoravi nomen imprudens, swallowed, i. e. I have lost, utterly forgotten, Plaut. Trin. 4, 2, 63: devorato pudore, Ap. M. 9, p. 225.—
III. Trop.
A. To swallow any thing unpleasant, i. e to bear patiently, to endure: “hominum ineptias ac stultitias,” Cic. Brut. 67, 236; so, “molestiam paucorum dierum,” id. Phil. 6, 6, 17: “taedium illud,” Quint. 11, 2, 41: bilem et dolorem, Tert. Res. carn. 54.—
B. To accept eagerly, enjoy: “quid tibi faciam qui illos libros devorasti,” Cic. Att. 7, 3, 2: “os impiorum devorat iniquitatem,” Vulg. Prov. 19, 28: “auscultate et mea dicta devorate,” Plaut. As. 3, 3, 59; cf.: “orationem dulcem (aures),” id. Poen. 5, 2, 9: “verbum ipsum (voluptatis),” id. Sest. 10, 23.—
C. ejus oratio, nimia religione attenuata, a multitudine et a foro devorabatur, qs. swallowed but not digested (i. e. heard without being understood), Cic. Brut. 82, 283.
