gesto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. freq. a. and n. [gero].
- I. Act., to bear, to carry, to have; to wear, wield (mostly poet. and in postAug. prose; for fero, porto, gero, habeo).
- A. Lit.: quae olim parva gestavit crepundia, Plaut. Rud. 4, 4, 36: quae nisi fecissem, frustra Telamone creatus Gestasset laeva taurorum tergora septem (i. e. scutum), Ov. M. 13, 347: clavos trabales et cuneos manu ahena (Necessitas), Hor. C. 1, 35, 19: gemmam digito, Plin. 2, 63, 63, § 158: coronam lauream capite, Suet. Tib. 69; cf. Ov. M. 2, 366: ferrum et scopulos gestare in corde, id. ib. 7, 33: non obtunsa adeo gestamus pectora, Verg. A. 1, 567; cf.: neque jam livida gestat armis Brachia, Hor. C. 1, 8, 10: mercem sine fucis, id. S. 1, 2, 83: quem ego puerum tantillum in manibus gestavi meis, Ter. Ad. 4, 2, 24: post cervicibus fractis caput abscidit, idque affixum gestari jussit in pilo, * Cic. Phil. 11, 2, 5; cf. Vell. 2, 27, 3: agnam lecticā, Hor. S. 2, 3, 214: dorso, sicut jumenta, onera gestare, Curt. 4, 2; cf.: arma umeris, Liv. 27, 48, 16: in umeris, Vulg. Isa. 46, 7: suum in pectore testem, Juv. 13, 198: cur in hoc digito gestaretur annulus, Macr. Sat. 7, 13, 11: lorum in collo pro bullae decore, id. ib. 1, 6, 13.
Absol.: (elephantos) decem annis gestare in utero vulgus existimat, to go with young, Plin. 8, 10, 10, § 28: ex urbe atque Italia irritamenta gulae gestabantur, Tac. H. 2, 62; cf. Sen. Q. N. 5 fin.
- 2. In partic., gestari, to be carried about (in a litter, carriage, boat, etc.), to take the air, to ride, drive, sail, etc., for pleasure: nunc exerceamur, nunc gestemur, nunc prandeamus, Sen. Ep. 122 med.; cf. Mart. 12, 17, 3: gestatus bijugis Regulus esset equis, id. 1, 13, 8: porticus in qua gestetur dominus, Juv. 7, 179: equus gestandi gratia commodatum, for the sake of a ride, Gai. Inst. 3, 196; cf. in the foll. II.
- B. Trop.: hicine non gestandus in sinu est? i. e. to be dearly loved, Ter. Ad. 4, 5, 75: tu quidem Meum animum gestas: scis, quid acturus siem, know my wish, Plaut. Merc. 3, 3, 11; cf.: rex te ergo in oculis … gestare, Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 11.
- 2. In partic., to carry about, to report, blab, tell: homines qui gestant quique auscultant crimina, Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 12: pessimum genus hominum videbatur, qui verba gestarent: sunt qui vitia gestant, Sen. Ep. 123.
- II. Neutr., like veho, in the signif. of I. A. 2., to be carried out, to ride, drive, sail, etc., to take the air (very rare): simul gestanti, conspecto delatore ejus, Vis, inquit, etc., Suet. Dom. 11: ne ad gestandum quidem umquam aliter iter ingressus, quam ut, etc., id. Galb. 8.