I.to toss, swing, brandish in the air; to fan.
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: “facem,” Prop. 4 (5), 3, 50. “arma,” Mart. 5, 31, 4: “aureos nummos manu,” App. M. 2, p. 126, 14.—Absol.: “quam stultum est, cum signum pugnae acceperis, ventilare!” Sen. Ep. 117, 25: “aliud est pugnare, aliud ventilare,” id. Excerpt. Contr. 3 praef. med.: “cubitum utrumque in diversum latus,” Quint. 11, 3, 118: “populeas ventilat aura comas,” fans, sways, agitates, Ov. Am. 1, 7, 54: “incendia (flatus),” i. e. to fan, inflame, kindle, Sil. 17, 507: frigus, fans coolness upon him, i. e. cools him with fanning, Mart. 3, 82, 10.—Absol.: “aestate apertis foribus atque etiam aliquo ventilante cubabat,” Suet. Aug. 82: ventilat aestivum digitis sudantibus aurum, i. e. tosses to and fro (as it were) in order to cool it, Juv. 1, 28: “alis,” Claud. in Eutr. 1, 109.—Mid.: “alio atque alio positu ventilari,” to move one's self, Sen. Tranq. 2, 10.—
B. In partic., econom. t. t., to toss grain into the air, in order to cleanse it from chaff, to winnow, Varr. R. R. 1, 55, 6; Col. 12, 30, 1; 1, 6, 16; Plin. 18, 30, 73, § 302; 18, 32, 75, § 322.—
II. Trop., to set in motion, to move, disturo, agitate, disquiet: cujus lingua quasi flabello seditionis illa tum est egentium contio ventilata, * Cic. Fl. 23, 54: “nomen alicujus pro tribunalibus,” i. e. to bring forward, App. Mag. p. 337, 30: vitam insontium Manibus accitis, Cod. Th. 9, 16, 5; Cod. Just. 9, 18, 6.
