Lewis & Short

flŭo, xi, xum, 3 (archaic form of the sup.: FLUCTUM, acc. to Prisc. p. 817 P.; cf.: fluo, fluctum, Not. Tir. From this form are derived fluctio and fluctus. In Lucr. 6, 800, the correct read. is laveris, not flueris, v. Lachm. ad h. l.), v. n. [Gr. φλυ-, φλῦσαι, ἀναφλύω, etc.; Lat. fleo, fletus; flumen, fluctus, etc.; orig. one root with fla-, to blow, q. v. and cf. Curt. Gr. Etym. p. 302], to flow (cf.: mano, labor, etc.).

  1. I. Lit.: per amoenam urbem leni fluit agmine flumen, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 4 (Ann. v. 177 ed. Vahl.); cf.: ut flumina in contrarias partes fluxerint, Cic. Div. 1, 35, 78: flumen quod inter eum et Domitii castra fluebat, Caes. B. C. 3, 37, 1; cf. also: aurea tum dicat per terras flumina vulgo Fluxisse, Lucr. 5, 911: fluvius Eurotas, qui propter Lacedaemonem fluit, Cic. Inv. 2, 31, 96: Helvetiorum inter fines et Allobrogum Rhodanus fluit, Caes. B. G. 1, 6, 2: Arar in utram partem fluat, id. ib. 1, 12, 1: ea, quae natura fluerent atque manarent, ut aqua, Cic. N. D. 1, 15, 39: fluens unda, water from a stream (opp.: putealis unda, spring-water), Col. 1, 5, 1: in foveam, Lucr. 2, 475; cf. id. 5, 271: fluxit in terram Remi cruor, Hor. Epod. 7, 19; cf. Luc. 6, 61: imber, Ov. P. 4, 4, 2: sanguis, id. M. 12, 312: fluit de corpore sudor, id. ib. 9, 173; cf.: sudor fluit undique rivis, Verg. A. 5, 200: aes rivis, id. ib. 8, 445: nudo sub pede musta fluunt, Ov. R. Am. 190: madidis fluit unda capillis, drips, id. M. 11, 656: cerebrum molle fluit, id. ib. 12, 435: fluunt lacrimae more perennis aquae, id. F. 2, 820: fluens nausea, Hor. Epod. 9, 35; cf.: alvus fluens, Cels. 2, 6: fluit ignibus aurum, becomes fluid, melts, Ov. M. 2, 251.
    1. B. Transf.
      1. 1. Of bodies, to flow, overflow, run down, drip with any fluid.
        With abl.: cum fluvius Atratus sanguine fluxit, Cic. Div. 1, 43, 98; Ov. M. 8, 400: cruore fluens, id. ib. 7, 343: sudore fluentia brachia, id. ib. 9, 57; cf.: fluunt sudore et lassitudine membra, Liv. 38, 17, 7; 7, 33, 14; cf. id. 10, 28, 4: pingui fluit unguine tellus, Val. Fl. 6, 360: vilisque rubenti Fluxit mulctra mero, overflows, Sil. 7, 190.
        Without abl.: madidāque fluens in veste Menoetes, Verg. A. 5, 179: fluentes cerussataeque buccae, dripping with paint, Cic. Pis. 11, 25 (cf. Cic. de Or. 2, 66, 266, 2. b. infra): Graeculae vites acinorum exiguitate minus fluunt, i. e. yield but little wine, Col. 3, 2, 24; 3, 2, 5; 12, 52, 1.
        With acc. of kin. signif.: Oenotria vina fluens, Claud. Laud. Stil. 2, 264.
      2. 2. To move in the manner of fluids, to flow, stream, pour: inde alium (aëra) supra fluere, to flow, Lucr. 5, 514 and 522: unde fluens volvat varius se fluctus odorum, id. 4, 675 sq.; cf.: principio omnibus a rebus, quascumque videmus, Perpetuo fluere ac mitti spargique necesse est Corpora, quae feriant oculos visumque lacessant: Perpetuoque fluunt certis ab rebus odores, Frigus ut a fluviis, calor a sole, aestus ab undis Aequoris, id. 6, 922 sq.: aestus e lapide, id. 6, 1002: venti, id. 1, 280: fluit undique victor Mulciber, Sil. 17, 102: comae per levia colla fluentes, flowing, spreading, Prop. 2, 3, 13; cf.: blanditiaeque fluant per mea colla rosae, id. 4 (5), 6, 72: vestis fluens, flowing, loose, id. 3, 17 (4, 16), 32: tunicisque fluentibus, Ov. A. A. 3, 301: nodoque sinus collecta fluentes, Verg. A. 1, 320; cf. also: balteus nec strangulet nec fluat, Quint. 11, 3, 140: nec mersa est pelago, nec fluit ulla ratis, floats, is tossed about, Mart. 4, 66, 14: ramos compesce fluentes, floating around, spreading out, Verg. G. 2, 370: ad terram fluit devexo pondere cervix, droops, id. ib. 3, 524: omnisque relictis Turba fluit castris, pour forth, id. A. 12, 444: olli fluunt ad regia tecta, id. ib. 11, 236; so of a multitude or crowd of men: densatis ordinibus effuse fluentem in se aciem excepere, Curt. 6, 1, 6.
        1. b. Pregn., of bodies, to pass away, fall away, to fall off or out, to vanish: excident gladii, fluent arma de manibus, Cic. Phil. 12, 3, 8: capilli fluunt, Cels. 6, 1; Plin. 27, 4, 5, § 17: sponte fluent (poma) matura suā, Ov. Am. 2, 14, 25: quasi longinquo fluere omnia cernimus aevo, Lucr. 2, 69; cf.: cuncta fluunt omnisque vagans formatur imago, Ov. M. 15, 178: dissolvuntur enim tum demum membra fluuntque, Lucr. 4, 919: surae fluxere, Luc. 9, 770: buccae fluentes, fallen in, lank, Cic. de Or. 2, 66, 266.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen., to flow, spring, arise, come forth; to go, proceed: ex ejus (Nestoris) lingua melle dulcior fluebat oratio, Cic. de Sen. 10, 31: carmen vena pauperiore fluit, Ov. Pont. 4, 2, 20: Calidii oratio ita libere fluebat, ut nusquam adhaeresceret, Cic. Brut. 79, 274: in Herodoto omnia leniter fluunt, Quint. 9, 4, 18; cf. also: grammatice pleno jam satis alveo fluit, id. 2, 1, 4: quae totis viribus fluit oratio, id. 9, 4, 7: oratio ferri debet ac fluere, id. 9, 4, 112.
      Transf., of the writer himself: alter (Herodotus) sine ullis salebris quasi sedatus amnis fluit, Cic. Or. 12, 39; cf.: (Lucilius) cum flueret lutulentus, Hor. S. 1, 4, 11; 1, 10, 50; 1, 7, 28: facetiis, Plaut. Mil. 4, 8, 12: multa ab ea (luna) manant et fluunt, quibus animantes alantur augescantque, Cic. N. D. 2, 19, 50: haec omnia ex eodem fonte fluxerunt, id. ib. 3, 19, 48: dicendi facultatem ex intimis sapientiae fontibus fluere, Quint. 12, 2, 6; 5, 10, 19; 5, 9, 14: omnia ex natura rerum hominumque fluere, id. 6, 2, 13: nomen ex Graeco fluxisse, id. 3, 4, 12: ab isto capite fluere necesse est omnem rationem bonorum et malorum, Cic. Fin. 2, 11, 34; Quint. 1, 1, 12: unde id quoque vitium fluit, id. 11, 3, 109; 7, 3, 33: Pythagorae doctrina cum longe lateque flueret, spread itself, Cic. Tusc. 4, 1, 2: multum fluxisse video de libris nostris variumque sermonem, id. N. D. 1, 3, 6: sic mihi tarda fluunt ingrataque tempora, flow, pass, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 23: in rebus prosperis et ad voluntatem nostram fluentibus, going, Cic. Off. 1, 26, 90: rebus supra votum fluentibus, Sall. H. Fragm. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 2, 169 (Hist. 1, 101 Dietsch); Tac. H. 3, 48; Just. 23, 3; cf.: rebus prospere fluentibus, succeeding, prospering, Tac. Or. 5; id. A. 15, 5: illius rationes quorsum fluant, proceed, Attic. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 10, 4; cf.: res fluit ad interregnum, Cic. Att. 4, 16, 11; cuncta in Mithridatem fluxere, Tac. A. 11, 9.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. Of speech, etc., to flow uniformly, be monotonous: efficiendum est ne fluat oratio, ne vagetur, etc., Cic. de Or. 3, 49, 190: quod species ipsa carminum docet, non impetu et instinctu nec ore uno fluens, Tac. A. 14, 16; cf. Cic. Brut. 79.
        Pregn., to dissolve, vanish, perish: qua (voluptate) cum liquescimus fluimusque mollitia, Cic. Tusc. 2, 22, 52: fluens mollitiis, Vell. 1, 6, 2; 2, 88, 2: cetera nasci, occidere, fluere, labi, nec diutius esse uno et eodem statu, Cic. Or. 3, 10: fluit voluptas corporis et prima quaeque avolat, id. Fin. 2, 32, 106: fluentem procumbentemque rem publicam populi Romani restituere, Vell. 2, 16 fin.
        Hence,
      1. 1. fluens, entis, P. a.
    1. A. Lax, relaxed, debauched, enervated, effeminate: inde soluti ac fluentes non accipiunt e scholis mala ista, sed in scholas afferunt, Quint. 1, 2, 8: Campani fluentes luxu, Liv. 7, 29, 5: incessu ipso ultra muliebrem mollitiem fluentes, Sen. Tranq. 15: fluentibus membris, incessu femineo, Aug. Civ. D. 7, 26.
    2. B. Of speech,
      1. 1. Flowing, fluent: sed in his tracta quaedam et fluens expetitur, non haec contorta et acris oratio, Cic. Or. 20, 66: lenis et fluens contextus, Quint. 9, 4, 127.
      2. 2. Lax, unrestrained: ne immoderata aut angusta aut dissoluta aut fluens sit oratio, Cic. Or. 58, 198: dissipata et inculta et fluens oratio, id. ib. 65, 220; and transf. of the speaker: in locis ac descriptionibus fusi ac fluentes sumus, Quint. 9, 4, 138.
        Adv.: flŭenter, in a flowing, waving manner (very rare): res quaeque fluenter fertur, Lucr. 6, 935 (but not ib. 520, where the correct read. is cientur; v. Lachm.): capillo fluenter undante, App. M. 2, p. 122, 7.
      3. 2. fluxus, a, um, P. a. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose).
    1. A. Lit., flowing, fluid: elementa arida atque fluxa, App. de Mundo: sucus, Plin. 9, 38, 62, § 133: vas fluxum pertusumque, i. e. leaking, Lucr. 6, 20.
      1. 2. Transf., flowing, loose, slack: ipsa crine fluxo thyrsum quatiens, Tac. A. 11, 31: habena, Liv. 38, 29, 6: amictus, Luc. 2, 362; cf.: ut cingeretur fluxiore cinctura, Suet. Caes. 45 fin.: fluxa arma, hanging slack, loose, Tac. H. 2, 99.
          1. (β) Pregn., frail, perishable, weak: corpora, Tac. H. 2, 32; cf.: spadone eviratior fluxo, Mart. 5, 41, 1: (murorum) aevo fluxa, Tac. H. 2, 22.
    2. B. Trop.
      1. 1. Lax, loose, dissolute, careless: animi molles et aetate fluxi dolis haud difficulter capiebantur, Sall. C. 14, 5: cf.: animi fluxioris esse, Suet. Tib. 52: duces noctu dieque fluxi, Tac. H. 3, 76: spectaculum non enerve nec fluxum, Plin. Pan. 33, 1: fluxa atque aperta securitas, Gell. 4, 20, 8.
      2. 2. Pregn., frail, weak, fleeting, transient, perishable: res nostrae ut in secundis fluxae, ut in adversis bonae, decayed, impaired, disordered, Cic. Att. 4, 2, 1: hujus belli fortuna, ut in secundis, fluxa; ut in adversis, bona, id. ad Brut. 1, 10, 2: res humanae fluxae et mobiles, Sall. J. 104, 2: divitiarum et formae gloria fluxa atque fragilis est, id. C. 1, 4; cf.: instabile et fluxum, Tac. A. 13, 19: fluxa auctoritas, id. H. 1, 21: cave fidem fluxam geras, Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 79: fides, Sall. J. 111, 2; Liv. 40, 50, 5; cf.: fluxa et vana fides, unreliable, unstable, id. 28, 6, 11; Tac. H. 2, 75; 4, 23: studia inania et fluxa, id. A. 3, 50 fin.: fluxa senio mens, id. ib. 6, 38.
        Adv.: fluxē, remissly, negligently (post-class. and rare): more vitae remissioris fluxius agens, Amm. 18, 7.