I.to swallow whole, swallow up, eat greedily, devour (cf. absorbeo).
I. Lit.: “animalium alia vorant, alia mandunt,” Cic. N. D. 2, 47, 122; Plin. 10, 71, 91, § 196: “vitulum (balaena),” Plaut. Rud. 2, 6, 61: “edim atque ambabus malis expletis vorem,” id. Trin. 2, 4, 73: “mella avide (apes),” Plin. 11, 19, 21, § 67: “Lucrina (ostrea),” Mart. 6, 11, 5: resinam ex melle Aegyptiam vorato, salvum feceris, swallow or gulp down, take, as medicine, Plaut. Merc. 1, 2, 31; “so of medicine,” Mart. 1, 88, 2; Cael. Aur. Acut. 2, 24.—Prov.: “meus hic est: hamum vorat,” swallows, takes, Plaut. Curc. 3, 61; id. Truc. 1, 1, 21; cf.: hamum voras, Ambros. Tob. n. 7.—
II. Transf.
1. Of things, to devour, swallow up, overwhelm, destroy, etc.: “vorat haec (Charybdis) raptas revomitque carinas,” Ov. M. 13, 731: “navem (rapidus vortex),” Verg. A. 1, 117; cf. poet.: “agmina (vortex pugnae),” Sil. 4, 230: “corpus (ulcus),” Cels. 5, 28, 3: viam, to finish or perform quickly, Cat. 35, 7: “Thracia quinque vadis Istrum vorat Amphitrite,” takes in, swallows up, Claud. B. Get. 337.—
2. Of property, to use up, consume, squander: “idem in reliquis generis ejus (murrhinorum vasorum) quantum voraverit, licet existimare,” Plin. 37, 2, 7, § 19.—
III. Trop., to devour, i. e. to acquire with eagerness, pursue passionately (rare but class.): “litteras,” Cic. Att. 4, 11, 2. —In mal. part., Cat. 80, 6; Mart. 2, 51, 6; 7, 67, 15.—
