Lewis & Short

1. con-tingo, tĭgi, tactum, 3, v. a. and n. [tango], to touch on all sides. to touch, take hold of, seize (very freq. in all periods and species of composition).

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen.: facile cibum terrestrem rostris, Cic. N. D. 2, 47, 122: funem manu, Verg. A. 2, 239; cf. Ov. M. 2, 151: munera Cerealia dextrā, id. ib. 11, 122: undas pede, id. ib. 2, 457: focos ore tremente, id. Tr. 1, 3, 44: terram osculo, Liv. 1, 56, 12: ora nati sacro medicamine, Ov. M. 2, 123; cf. id. ib. 14, 607: montes suo igni (sol), Lucr. 4, 407; cf. Cat. 64, 408, and Suet. Ner. 6: cibos sale modico, to sprinkle, Cels. 2, 24: sidera comā (poet. designation for a very great height), Ov. F. 3, 34; cf.: nubes aërio vertice (Taurus), Tib. 1, 7, 15: summa sidera plantis, to reach the stars (a poet. designation of great prosperity), Prop. 1, 8, 43: mitem taurum, Ov. M. 2, 860; cf. id. ib. 8, 423: glebam, id. ib. 11, 111: paene terram (luna), Cic. Div. 2, 43, 91: caules (vitis), id. N. D. 2, 47, 120: dextras consulum (as a friendly greeting or congratulation), Liv. 28, 9, 6; so, manum, Vell. 2, 104, 5; 2, 107, 4.
    2. B. With partic. access. ideas.
      1. 1. To eat, partake of, taste (poet.): neque illinc Audeat esuriens dominus contingere granum, Hor. S. 2, 3, 113: cibos ore, Ov. M. 5, 531: aquas, id. ib. 15, 281: fontem, id. ib. 3, 409.
      2. 2. To touch impurely (very rare): corpus corpore, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 204.
      3. 3. To touch, i. e. to be near, neighboring, or contiguous, to border upon, to reach, extend to; with acc., dat., or inter se; with acc.: Helvi, qui fines Arvernorum contingunt, Caes. B. G. 7, 7 fin.: turri adactā et contingente vallum, id. ib. 5, 43; cf.: in saltu Vescino Falernum contingente agrum, Liv. 10, 21, 8: praesidium coloniarum Illyricum contingentium, Suet. Aug. 25.
        With dat.: ut radices montis ex utrāque parte ripae fluminis contingant, Caes. B. G. 1, 38.
        With inter se: ut (milites) contingant inter se atque omnem munitionem expleant, Caes. B. C. 1, 21; cf. id. B. G. 7, 23.
      4. 4. With the idea of motion, to reach something by moving, to attain to, reach, come to, arrive at, meet with, etc. (mostly poet.); with acc.: optatam metam cursu, Hor. A. P. 412: Ephyren pennis, Ov. M. 7, 392: Italiam, Verg. A. 5, 18: fines Illyricos, Ov. M. 4, 568: Creten, id. ib. 8, 100: Cadmeïda arcem, id. ib. 6, 217: rapidas Phasidos undas, id. ib. 7, 6: auras, to come into the air, id. ib. 15, 416 al.: avem ferro, to hit, Verg. A. 5, 509; cf. Ov M. 8, 351: ullum mortalem (vox mea), id. id. 2, 578; cf. thus aures, id. ib. 1, 211; and aures fando, with the acc. and inf., id. ib. 15, 497: aevi florem, to come to or reach the flower of age, Lucr. 1, 565.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen., to touch, to seize upon, affect (rare). multitudo agrestium, quos in aliquā suā fortunā publica quoque contingebat cura, Liv. 22, 10, 8: contactus nullis ante cupidinibus, Prop. 1, 1, 2: quam me manifesta libido contigit! Ov. M. 9, 484: animum curā. Val. Fl. 7, 173; cf.: aliquem (curā), contacti simili sorte, Ov. Tr. 3, 4, 78.
      Far more freq.,
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. (Acc. to I. B. 2.) To touch with pollution, to pollute, stain, defile, etc.; so generally in part. perf. (as a verb. finit. the kindr. contamino was in use): (Gallos) contactos eo scelere velut injectā rabie ad arma ituros, Liv. 21, 48, 3; so, contacta civitas rabie duorum juvenum, id. 4, 9, 10: omnes eā violatione templi, id. 29, 8, 11 (for which id. 29, 18, 8: nefandà praedā se ipsos ac domos contaminare suas): plebs regiā praedā, id. 2, 5, 2; cf. id. 4, 15, 8: equi candidi et nullo mortali opere contacti, Tac. G. 10: dies (sc. Alliensis) religione, Liv. 6, 28, 6: pectora vitiis, Tac. Or. 12.
        Once absol.: contactus ensis, Sen. Hippol. 714.
      2. 2. (Acc. to I. B. 3.) With aliquem aliquā re or only aliquem, to be connected with or related to, to concern: ut quisque tam foede interemptos aut propinquitate aut amicitiā contingebat, Liv. 25, 8, 2: aliquem sanguine ac genere, id. 45, 7, 3; 24, 22, 14: aliquem artissimo gradu, Suet. Aug. 4: domum Caesarum nullo gradu, id. Galb. 2; cf. absol.: deos (i. e. Maecenatem et Augustum) quoniam propius contingis, have more ready access to the great, Hor. S. 2, 6, 52: Sabinum modico usu, to have little intercourse with, Tac. A. 4, 68: multis in Italiā contactis gentibus Punici belli societate, Liv. 31, 8, 11; cf.: si crĭmine contingantur, have part in, Dig. 11, 4, 1: haec consultatio Romanos nihil contingit, concerns not, Liv. 34, 22, 12; cf.: quae (causa) nihil eo facto contingitur, id. 40, 14, 9.
      3. 3. (Acc. to I. B. 4.) To attain to, reach, arrive at something, to come to (very rare): quam regionem cum superavit animus naturamque sui similem contigit et agnovit, Cic. Tusc. 1, 19, 43.
        1. b. With and without dat. of person; of occurrences, to happen to one, to befall, fall to one’s lot, to succeed in, obtain a thing; and absol., to happen, fall to, turn out, come to pass (so most freq. in all perr. and species of composition; in gen., of favorable, but sometimes of indifferent, or even adverse occurrences).
          1. (α) With dat.: cui tam subito tot contigerint commoda, Ter. Eun. 5, 8, 3: haec tot propter me gaudia illi contigisse laetor, id. Hec. 5, 3, 35: quod isti (Crasso) contigit uni, Cic. de Or. 2, 56, 228; 1, 35, 164; id. Off. 1, 43, 153; id. Fam. 5, 21, 1; Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 24, 1; Caes. B. G. 1, 43; Quint. 10, 1, 115; 12, 11, 29; Suet. Caes. 35; id. Calig. 3, 10 et saep.; Ov. M. 3, 321; 11, 268; 15, 443; Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 46; 1, 4, 10; 1, 17, 9 et saep.: cum tanto plura bene dicendi exempla supersint quam illis contigerunt, Quint. 10, 2, 28: quam mihi maxime hic hodie contigerit malum, Enn. ap. Non. p. 268, 12: quod (sc. servitus) potentibus populis saepe contigit, Cic. Tusc. 5, 6, 15; id. Cat. 1, 7, 16: cum miseri animi essent, quod plerisque contingeret, id. N. D. 1, 11, 27; id. Phil. 14, 8, 24; id. Fam. 5, 16, 5; id. Sen. 19, 71; id. Off. 2, 14, 50; 2, 19, 65; id. Fam. 11, 16, 2 al.: quoties ipsi testatori aliquid contingit, a misfortune befalls, etc., Dig. 28, 3, 6: si quid ei humanitus contigerit, ib. 34, 4, 30 fin. (cf. ib. § 2: sive in viā aliquid mihi humanitus acciderit, and v. 2. accido, II. B.).
            Impers. with inf.: non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum, Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 36: mihi Romae nutriri atque doceri, id. ib. 2, 2, 41: mihi recusare principatum, Vell. 2, 124, 2: mihi cognoscere (eos), Quint. 12, 11, 3; 1, 1, 11; 5, 7, 25; 6, 1, 4 al.
            And, at the same time, a dat. of the predicate (post-class. and rare): quo tempore mihi fratrique meo destinari praetoribus contigit, Vell. 2, 124, 4: maximo tibi et civi et duci evadere contigit, Val. Max. 5, 4, ext. 2 (in Ov. M. 11, 220, the better read. is nepotem); cf. Haase in Reisig. Lect. p. 794 sq.
            With ut: volo hoc oratori contingat, ut, etc., Cic. Brut. 84, 290; id. Off. 1, 1, 3; id. Phil. 5, 18, 49; Quint. 11, 2, 51 al.
          2. (β) With acc. (very rare): sors Tyrrhenum contigit, fell upon Tyrrhenus, Vell. 1, 1 fin.: Italiam palma frugum, Plin. 18, 11, 29, § 109.
          3. (γ) Absol. (very freq.): hanc mi expetivi, contigit, Ter. And. 4, 2, 13: magis adeo id facilitate quam aliā ullā culpā meā contigit, Cic. de Or. 2, 4, 15: quod si nulla contingit excusatio, Quint. 11, 1, 81: ubi quid melius contingit et unctius, Hor. Ep. 1, 15, 44 et saep.
            With abl.: quia memoria atque actio naturā non arte contingant, Quint. 3, 3, 4; so id. 1, 1, 33; 2, 2, 11 al.
            With ex: gratia, quae continget ex sermone puro atque dilucido, Quint. 11, 1, 53; so id. 8, 3, 70: ex eādem brassicā contingunt aestivi autumnalesque cauliculi, arise, spring, Plin. 19, 8, 41, § 138 al.: nihil horum nisi in complexu loquendi serieque contingit, Quint. 1, 5, 3.
            With inf.: fingere cinctutis non exaudita Cethegis Continget, Hor. A. P. 51; Quint. 1, 1, 11; 5, 7, 25: concitare invidiam, etc. … liberius in peroratione contingit, id. 6, 1, 14.
            With ut: quod nunquam opinatus fui … id contigit, ut salvi poteremur domi, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 32; so Quint. 4, 1, 7; 9, 3, 72; 11, 2, 39.