I. To alter wholly, change entirely (class.; most freq. in Cic.).
A. Prop.: “omnia migrant, Omnia commutat natura et vortere cogit,” Lucr. 5, 829; 1, 594; 1, 589; “2, 936: signa rerum,” Cic. Fin. 5, 25, 74: “frontem et vultum,” Q. Cic. Pet. Cons. 11, 42: “vocem,” Suet. Tib. 71: “quae commutantur fiuntque contraria,” Cic. Off. 1, 10, 31.—Of fruits, to decay, spoil, Varr. R. R. 1, 69, 1.—
2. Esp. rhet. t. t., to change one's form of expression: commutabimus tripliciter, verbis, pronuntiando, tractando, i. e. vary our style, etc., Auct. Her. 4, 42, 54.—
B. Trop.: “ad commutandos animos atque omni ratione flectendos,” Cic. de Or. 2, 52, 211: “nihil commutantur animo et idem abeunt qui venerant,” id. Fin. 4, 3, 7; id. Att. 16, 5, 2.—
II. To exchange something with another, to change, interchange, replace, substitute, barter, traffic.
A. In gen., constr. with acc. alone, or with inter se, cum and abl., or abl. alone, or absol.
1. With acc.: “conmuto ilico pallium,” Plaut. Ps. 5, 1, 36: “ubi aetate hoc caput colorem conmutavit,” id. Most. 1, 3, 44: “coloniam,” id. Aul. 3, 6, 40: “locum,” Ter. Eun. 5, 5, 3: “captivos,” Cic. Off. 1, 13, 39; cf.: “inter se conmutant vestem ac nomina,” interchange, Plaut. Capt. prol. 37: “ornamenta templorum,” Suet. Vit. 5; id. Aug. 24.—
2. With cum and abl.
(β).
Of thing: “gloriam constantiae cum caritate patriae,” Cic. Sest. 16, 37: mortem cum vitā, Sulp. ap. id. Fam. 4, 5, 3.—
4. With abl.: “nisi oculos orationemque aliam conmutas tibi,” Plaut. Mil. 2, 3, 56: “fidem suam et religionem pecuniā,” Cic. Clu. 46, 129: “ornandi causā proprium (verbum) proprio,” id. de Or. 3, 42, 167: “possessionis invidiam pecuniā,” id. Agr. 1, 5, 14: “leve compendium fraude maximā,” Auct. Her. 2, 19, 29; cf.: hanc esse rem, quae si sit semel judicata, neque alio commutari... possit, replaced, i. e. made good, Cic. Inv. 1, 53, 102: “victum vitamque priorem novis rebus,” Lucr. 5, 1106: “studium belli gerendi agriculturā,” Caes. B. G. 6, 22: “mustum aere,” Col. 12, 26, 2.—
5. Absol., to make an exchange: “vin conmutemus? Tuam ego ducam et tu meam?” Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 21: “si quid de se diceretur, non dubitaret interpellare et commutare,” to change the subject, Suet. Tib. 27.—
B. Esp. of speech, to exchange words, to discourse, converse (so only twice in Ter.; cf. “commutatio, II.): unum verbum tecum,” Ter. And. 2, 4, 7: “non tria Verba inter vos,” id. Phorm. 4, 3, 34.
