Lewis & Short

cursus, ūs, m. [curro], a running (on foot, on a horse, chariot, ship, etc.), a course, way, march, passage, voyage, journey, etc. (very freq.).

  1. I. Lit.
      1. 1. Of living beings: ingressus, cursus, accubitio, etc., Cic. N. D. 1, 34, 94: ibi cursu, luctando … sese exercebant, Plaut. Bacch. 3, 3, 24; cf. id. Most. 1, 2, 73, and Hor. A. P. 412: quique pedum cursu valet, etc., Verg. A. 5, 67: cursu superare canem, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 51: milites cursu exanimati, Caes. B. G. 2, 23: huc magno cursu intenderunt, at full speed, id. ib. 3, 19: magno cursu concitatus, id. B. C. 1, 70: cursu incitatus, id. ib. 1, 79; 3, 46; Auct. B. Alex. 20; cf.: in cursu esse, Cic. Att. 5, 16, 1; cf. II. fin. infra: strictis gladiis cursu in hostem feruntur, advance at a run, Liv. 9, 13, 2: effuso cursu, id. 2, 50, 6: eo cursu proripere, ut, etc., id. 24, 26, 12; 31, 21, 6: eo cursu, Auct. B. Alex 30: eodem cursu contendere, right onward, Caes. B. C. 2, 35; cf. id. B. G. 6, 67: citato cursu. Just. 11, 15, 2: cursus in Graeciam per tuam provinciam, Cic. Att. 10, 4, 10: quis umquam tam brevi tempore tot loca adire, tantos cursus conficere potuit? id. Imp. Pomp. 12, 34: (terrae) tuis non dicam cursibus, sed victoriis lustratae sunt, id. ib. 2, 5: agmen cursūs magis quam itineris modo ducit, Curt. 5, 13, 5; 6, 1, 12; Just. 15, 3, 11; 11, 8, 2: Miltiades cursum direxit, quo tendebat, Nep. Milt. 1, 6; Vell. 2, 19, 4; 1, 4, 1: Ulixi per mare, Hor. C. 1, 6, 7: iterare cursus relictos, id. ib. 1, 34, 4: Naxon, ait Liber, cursus advertite vestros, Ov. M. 3, 636 et saep.; cf. B.: cursum per auras Derigere, Verg. A. 6, 194; so of flying, Ov. M. 2, 838; 4, 787 al.
        1. b. Cursum tenere (in a march or on shipboard), to hold one’s course, to maintain a direct course: equites cursum tenere atque insulam capere non potuerant, Caes. B. G. 4, 26 fin.: Dionysius cum secundissimo vento cursum teneret, Cic. N. D. 3, 34, 83; Caes. B. G. 5, 8; cf. 2. b.
      2. 2. Of inanimate objects: solis cursus lunaeque meatus Expediam, Lucr. 5, 77; cf. id. 5, 772 al.: lunae, id. 5, 629; cf. id. 5, 630: stellarum, Cic. Rep. 6, 17, 17: neque clara suo percurrere fulmina cursu Perpetuo possint, Lucr. 1, 1003: si lacus emissus lapsu et cursu suo ad mare profluxisset, Cic. Div. 1, 44, 100; so of the course or flow of a stream, Ov. M. 1, 282; 9, 18; Plin. 5, 24, 20, § 85: longarum navium, Caes. B. G. 5, 8; cf. Cic. Mur. 15, 33; id. Off. 3, 12, 50 al.: Aquilonis et Austri, Lucr. 5, 688; cf. id. 6, 302: menstrui, Plin. 11, 39, 94, § 230: quadripertiti venarum, id. 16, 39, 76, § 195 et saep.
        1. b. Cursum tenere, as supra, 1. b.: tanta tempestas subito coorta est, ut nulla earum (navium) cursum tenere posset, Caes. B. G. 4, 28.
    1. B. Meton.
      1. 1. Cursum exspectare, to wait for a fair wind (lit. for a passage), Cic. Att. 5, 8, 1.
      2. 2. (Abstr. pro concr.) Cursus publici, in the time of the emperors, posts or relays divided into stations, for the speedy transmission of information upon state affairs, Cod. Just. 12, 51; Cod. Th. 8, 5; Inscr. Orell. 3181; 3329; cf.. equi publici, Amm. 14, 6, 16: vehicula publica, id. 21, 13, 7: cursus vehicularius, Capitol. Ant. P. 12, 3: vehicularis, Dig. 50, 4, 18, § 4: cursus fiscalis, Spart. Had. 7; v. Suet. Aug. 49.
  2. II. Trop. (freq. in Cic. and Quint.), a course, progress, direction, way: qui cursus rerum, qui exitus futurus sit, Cic. Fam. 4, 2, 3; cf. Tac. H. 4, 34; id. Agr. 39: implicari aliquo certo genere cursuque vivendi, Cic. Off. 1, 32, 117: vitae brevis cursus, gloriae sempiternus, id. Sest. 21, 47: reliquus vitae cursus, id. Phil. 2, 19, 47: totius vitae cursum videre, id. Off. 1, 4, 11: omnem vitae suae cursum conficere, id. Cael. 17, 39: in omni vitae cursu optimum visum est, ut, etc., Macr. S. 1, 2, 3: temporum, Cic. Fam. 6, 5, 2: tuorum honorum, id. ib. 3, 11, 2; cf. Tac. H. 1, 48: continuus proeliorum, id. Agr. 27 al.: cursus vocis per omnis sonos, Cic. de Or. 3, 61, 227: cursus verborum, id. ib. 1, 35, 161; so of the motion or flow of discourse, etc., id. Part. Or. 15, 52; Quint. 8, prooem. § 27; 9, 4, 70: cursus hic et sonus rotundae volubilisque sententiae, Gell. 11, 13, 4: quem enim cursum industria mea tenere potuisset sine forensibus causis, etc., Cic. Phil. 8, 4, 11; cf. id. Or. 1, 4: nos in eodem cursu fuimus a Sullā dictatore ad eosdem fere consules, id. Brut. 96, 328; so, esse in cursu, to go on, continue, Ov. M. 13, 508; id. F. 6, 362.