Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary

I.gen. sing. vias, Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 679 P., or Ann. v. 421 Vahl.; viāï, Enn. ap. Cic. Sen. 6, 16, or Ann. v. 209 ib.; Lucr. 1, 406; 1, 659; 2, 249 et saep.; dat. plur. VIEIS, Inscr. Lat. 206, 50), f. Sanscr. vah-āmi, bring, lead; Gr. ὄχος, ὄχημα, vehicle; Germ. Wagen; Engl. wagon; from this root are also veho, vexo, etc., a way, in the most general sense (for men, beasts, or carriages, within or without a city), a highway, road, path, street.

I. Lit.

1. In gen.: “viae latitudo ex lege duodecim tabularum in porrectum octo pedes habet, in anfractum, id est ubi flexum est, sedecim,” Dig. 8, 3, 8: “Romam in montibus positam et convallibus, non optimis viis, angustissimis semitis,” Cic. Agr. 2, 35, 96: “et modo quae fuerat semita, facta via est,” Mart. 7, 61, 4: “aut viam aut semitam monstret,” Plaut. Rud. 1, 3, 30: “mi opsistere in viā,” id. Curc. 2, 3, 5: “ire in viā,” Ter. Eun. 3, 2, 42: “omnibus viis notis semitisque essedarios ex silvis emittebat,” Caes. B. G. 5, 19 (opp. semita), id. ib. 7, 8; Liv. 44, 43, 1; cf.: “decedam ego illi de viā,” Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 80; cf. id. Curc. 2, 3, 8: “paulum ad dexteram de viā declinavi,” Cic. Fin. 5, 2, 5: “decedere viā,” Suet. Tib. 31: “aestuosa et pulverulenta via,” Cic. Att. 5, 14, 1: “quā (viā) Sequanis invitis propter angustias ire non poterant,” Caes. B. G. 1, 9: “cursare huc illuc viā deterrimā,” Cic. Att. 9, 9, 2: “in viam se dare,” to set out on a journey, id. Fam. 14, 12: “te neque navigationi neque viae committere,” id. ib. 16, 4, 1: “tu abi tuam viam,” Plaut. Rud. 4, 3, 88: “milites monuit, viā omnes irent, nec deverti quemquam paterentur,” along the highway, Liv. 25, 9, 4.—In a double sense: “ire publicā viā,” Plaut. Curc. 1, 1, 35.—Prov.: qui sibi semitam non sapiunt, alteri monstrant viam, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 58, 132 (Trag. v. 358 Vahl.): “de viā in semitam degredi,” Plaut. Cas. 3, 5, 40: “totā errare viā,” Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 14.—

2. In partic., as the name of a particular street or road: “tres ergo viae, a supero mari Flaminia, ab infero Aurelia, media Cassia,” Cic. Phil. 12, 9, 22: “Via Appia,” id. Mil. 6, 15; id. Imp. Pomp. 18, 55; cf. Liv. 9, 29, 6; “v. Appius: Via Campana,” Suet. Aug. 94; “v. Campania: Sacra Via, in Rome, in the fourth region,” Varr. L. L. 5, § 47 Müll.; Fest. p. 290 ib.; Cic. Planc. 7, 17; Hor. Epod. 4, 7; 7, 8: “Via Sacra,” id. S. 1, 9, 1; “also written as one word, SACRAVIA,” Inscr. Grut. 638, 7; 1033, 1; cf. Charis. p. 6 P.; Diom. p. 401 ib. (v. sacer, I. A.); cf. Becker, Antiq. 1, p. 219 sq.— Hence, Sacrăvĭenses , ĭum, m., those dwelling on the Sacra Via, Fest. s. v. October equus, p. 178 Müll.—

B. Transf.

1. Abstr., like our way, for march, journey (syn. iter): “cum de viā languerem,” Cic. Phil. 1, 5, 12: “nisi de viā fessus esset,” id. Ac. 1, 1, 1: tridui via, a three days' march or journey, Caes. B. G. 1, 38: “bidui,” id. ib. 6, 7; Cic. Div. 1, 15, 27: “longitudo viae,” Liv. 37, 33, 3: “flecte viam velis,” Verg. A. 5, 28: “tum via tuta maris,” Ov. M. 11, 747: “feci Longa Pherecleā per freta puppe vias,” id. H. 16, 22: “ne inter vias praeterbitamus, metuo,” by the way, on the road, Plaut. Poen. 5, 3, 43; Ter. Eun. 4, 2, 1; Turp. ap. Non. p. 538, 8 et saep.—

2. In gen., a way, passage, channel, pipe, etc.; thus, a lane in a camp, Caes. B. G. 5, 49; a passage between the seats of a theatre, Mart. 5, 14, 8; Tert. Spect. 3; of the veins: “omnes ejus (sanguinis) viae,” Cic. N. D. 2, 55, 137; of the chyle ducts: “quaedam a medio intestino usque ad portas jecoris ductae et directae viae,” id. ib.; the windpipe, Ov. M. 15, 344; 14, 498; a cleft through which any thing penetrates, Verg. G. 2, 79; cf. Ov. M. 11, 515; the path or track of an arrow, Verg. A. 5, 526; a stripe in a party-colored fabric, Tib. 2, 3, 54 et saep.—

II. Trop.

A. In gen., a way, method, mode, manner, fashion, etc., of doing any thing, course (cf. modus): “vitae,” Cic. Fl. 42, 105; id. Agr. 1, 9, 27; id. Sest. 67, 140; Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 26; Sen. Brev. Vit. 9, 5; Lact. Epit. 67, 12: “via vivendi,” Cic. Off. 1, 32, 118: “rectam vitae viam sequi,” id. ib.: “Socrates hanc viam ad gloriam proximam dicebat esse,” id. ib. 2, 12, 43: “haec ad aeternam gloriam via est,” Plin. 2, 7, 5, § 18: “haec una via omnibus ad salutem visa est,” Liv. 36, 27, 8: “invenire viam ad mortem,” Plin. Ep. 3, 16, 12: “totidem ad mortem viae sunt,” Sen. Contr. 1, 8, 6: “cum eum hortarer ut eam laudis viam rectissimam esse duceret,” Cic. Brut. 81, 281: haec est una via laudis, id. Sest. 65, 137: “totam ignoras viam gloriae,” id. Phil. 1, 14, 33: “quae tum promptissima mortis via, exsolvit venas,” Tac. A. 16, 17: “habeo certam viam atque rationem, quā omnes illorum conatus investigare et consequi possim,” Cic. Verr. 1, 16, 48: “defensionis ratio viaque,” id. ib. 2, 5, 1, § “4: non tam justitiae quam litigandi tradunt vias,” id. Leg. 1, 6, 18: “docendi via,” id. Or. 32, 114: “optimarum artium vias tradere,” id. Div. 2, 1, 1: “(di) non ... nullas dant vias nobis ad significationum scientiam,” id. ib. 2, 49, 102: “rectam instas viam,” i. e. you speak correctly, truly, Plaut. As. 1, 1, 41.—Adverb.: rectā viā, directly: “ut rectā viā rem narret ordine omnem,” Ter. Heaut. 4, 3, 28.—

B. Pregn. (cf. ratio), the right way, the true method, mode, or manner: “ingressu'st viam, i. e. rectam,” Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 273: “in omnibus quae ratione docentur et viā, primum constituendum est, quid quidque sit, etc.,” rationally and methodically, Cic. Or. 33, 116: “ut ratione et viā procedat oratio,” id. Fin. 1, 9, 29.—Adverb.: viā, rightly, properly (opp. to wandering out of the way): “ipsus eam rem secum reputavit viā,” Ter. And. 2, 6, 11: “viā et arte dicere,” Cic. Brut. 12, 46. —

C. Viam perficere, i. e. to attain an end, Just. Inst. proöem. 1.