I.to reap, mow, crop; of the vintage, to gather, gather in, collect; and poet. of the sucking of honey from flowers (class.).
I. Lit.: “cum est matura seges, metendum,” Varr. R. R. 1, 50, 3: “sunt autem metendi genera complura,” Col. 2, 21, 2: “in metendo occupatos,” Caes. B. G. 4, 32: “pabula falce,” to cut, cut down, Ov. H. 6, 84: “farra,” id. F 2, 519: “arva,” Prop. 4 (5), 10, 30.—Prov.: “ut sementem feceris, ita et metes,” as you sow, so shall you reap, Cic. de Or. 2, 65, 261; cf.: “ventum seminabunt et turbinem metent,” Vulg. Os. 8, 7: “qui seminant iniquitatem metet mala,” id. Prov. 22, 8: “mihi istic nec seritur, nec metitur,” i. e. I have no share in it, it does not concern me, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 80: “sibi quisque ruri metit,” every one looks out for himself, id. Most. 3, 2, 112: Tibi aras, tibi occas, tibi seris; “tibi item metes,” id. Merc. prol. 71.—Of the vintage, to gather, etc.: “postremus metito,” Verg. G. 2, 410; so, “vindemiam,” Plin. 17, 22, 35, § 185.—Of bees: purpureosque metunt flores, reap the flowers, i. e. gather the pollen, Verg. G. 4, 54.—
II. Transf.
A. In gen., to cut off, pluck off, crop (poet.): “virgā lilia summa metit,” Ov. F. 2, 706: “barbam forfice,” Mart. 7, 95, 12: “capillos,” id. 10, 83, 11: “olus,” to cut, gather, Calp. Ecl. 2, 74: “et ferus in silvā farra metebat aper,” laid waste, Ov. Am. 3, 10, 40: “ille metit barbam,” Juv. 3, 186. —
2. In partic., in battle, to mow down, cut down: “proxima quaeque metit gladio,” Verg. A. 10, 513: “primosque et extremos metendo Stravit humum,” Hor. C. 4, 14, 31 tum Vesulum ense metit rapido, Sil. 10, 147: “agmina plura metam,” Val. Fl. 3, 670.—So of death: “metit Orcus Grandia cum parvis,” Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 178: vita omnibus metenda, ut fruges (transl. of the Greek of Euripid.: ἀναγκαίως δ̓ ἔχει βίον θερίζειν), Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 25, 59.—
