I. A gathering, collecting.
B. In partic., a picking out, selecting: “judicum,” Cic. Phil. 5, 6, 16. —
II. A reading, perusal; a reading out, reading aloud.
A. Lit.
1. In gen.: “delectabatur lectione librorum,” Cic. Ac. 2, 2, 4: “lectio sine ulla delectatione,” id. Tusc. 2, 3, 7: “versuum,” Quint. 1, 8, 2: “non cruda, sed multa iteratione mollita et velut confecta,” id. 10, 1, 19: “continua,” id. 11, 2, 34; cf. id. 1, cap. 8 and 10, cap. 1 passim.—
2. In partic.: lectio senatūs, a reading off or calling over the names of the senators; “this was done by the censor, who at the same time struck the unworthy ones from the list: infamis atque invidiosa senatus lectio,” Liv. 9, 29; 27, 11; Suet. Aug. 35.—
B. Transf. (abstr. pro contr.), that which is read, reading, text (post-class.): “lectio tamen docet, eo tempore solitos, etc.,” Macr. S. 7, 7, 5: “haec sunt quae lectio pontificalis habet,” id. ib. 7, 13, 11 fin.: “juris lectiones,” passages of the laws, Cod. Just. 6, 61, 5: “ubi lectio aliqua falsitate notata est,” Isid. 1, 20, 3; so, “pervulgati juris,” Amm. 30, 4, 18: “datā lectione quae non sit intellectu difficilis,” Cael. Aur. Tard. 1, 5, 163: quia Moyses prius hoc statuit, sicut lectio manifestat, Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 7, 1 prooem.
