I.to shear, clip, crop, to shave, etc.
I. Lit.: “barbam et capillum,” Cic. Tusc. 5, 20, 58; so, “barbam,” Mart. 11, 39, 3: “capillum,” Ov. M. 8, 151: “cutem,” Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 7: “os,” Cat. 61, 139: “ovem,” Plaut. Merc. 3, 1, 28; Hor. Epod. 2, 16; Verg. G. 3, 443; Plin. 18, 27, 67, § 257; cf. “lanam,” Hor. C. 3, 15, 14: “naevos in facie,” Plin. 28, 4, 6, § 34: saltatrix tonsa, i. e. with hair clipped short (of the Consul Gabinius), Cic. Pis. 8, 18; cf.: tonsus puer or minister, cropped, i. e. common, mean, Mart. 10, 98, 9; 11, 11, 3: ad alta tonsum templa cum reum misit, i. e. acquitted (prop. without the untrimmed hair of accused persons), id. 2, 74, 3.—Mid.: “lavamur et tondemur et convivimus ex consuetudine,” Quint. 1, 6, 44.— Absol.: “ne tonsori collum committeret, tondere filias suas docuit,” Cic. Tusc. 5, 20, 58.—And in reflex. sense: “ut decrescente lunā tondens calvus fiam,” shaving myself, Varr. R. R. 1, 37, 2: “candidior postquain tondenti barba cadebat,” Verg. E. 1, 29.—
II. Transf.
A. To crop, lop, prune, trim: “ille comam mollis jam tondebat hyacinthi,” was cropping, Verg. G. 4, 137: “violas manu,” Prop. 3, 13, 29: “vitem in pollicem,” Col. 4, 21, 3: “oleas, vites,” Plin. 15, 1, 2, § 4: “balsamum,” id. 12, 25, 54, § 112: “ilicem bipennibus,” to lop, Hor. C. 4, 4, 57: “myrtos,” Quint. 8, 3, 8.—
B. To mow, reap: “tonsas cessare novales patiere,” after harvest, Verg. G. 1, 71: “nocte arida prata Tondentur,” id. ib. 1, 290: “tondeturque seges maturos annua partus,” Tib. 4, 1, 172: “tonsam verrit humum,” Ov. R. Am. 192; Sen. Phoen. 130.—
C. To crop, to graze, feed, or browse upon, to eat off; to pluck, gather, cull (poet.): “ex uno tondentes gramina campo Lanigerae pecudes,” Lucr. 2, 660: “pabula (pecudes),” id. 2, 317: “dumeta (juvenci),” Verg. G. 1, 15: “campum late (equi),” id. A. 3, 538: “viridantia gramina morsu,” id. Cul. 49: “tondentes comam fluvii capellae,” App. M. 5, p. 169, 37: “jecur rostro (vultur),” Verg. A. 6, 598: “ales avida fecundum jecur,” Sen. Agam. 18; cf. “in a Greek constr.: illa autem, quae tondetur praecordia rostro Alitis,” Sil. 13, 839. —
