Lewis & Short

luctor, ātus, 1 (part. gen. plur. luctantūm, Prop. 4 (5), 22, 9; act. collat. form: viri validis viribus luctant, Enn. ap. Non. 472, 8: plurimum luctavimus, Plaut. ap. Non. 468, 32; Varr. L. L. 5, 10, § 61 Müll.: dum luctat, Ter. Hec. 5, 3, 31), v. dep. [lucta, q. v.], to wrestle.

  1. I. Lit.: ibi cursu luctando disco hasta … sese exercebant (juventus), Plaut. Bacch. 3, 3, 24: luctabitur Olympiis Milo, Cic. Fat. 13: fulvā luctantur harenā, Verg. A. 6, 643: luctabatur adsidue, Suet. Ner. 53: paucae (feminae) luctantur, Juv. 2, 53: umeris, ut luctaturi solent, ad occipitium ductis, Quint. 11, 3, 160.
    1. B. Transf, to wrestle, struggle, strive, contend.
        1. a. Of living creatures: in pestilenti atque arido solo luctari, Liv. 7, 38, 7: boves luctari, Plin. 18, 19, 49, § 177: luctandum in turbā, Hor. S. 2, 6, 28: inter se adversis luctantur cornibus haedi, Verg. G. 2, 526: non luctor de nomine hujus temporis, Ov. F. 6, 69.
          1. (β) With inf. (poet.): et infracta luctatur harundine telum Eripere, Verg. A. 12, 387: deducere versum, Ov. P. 1, 5, 13: compescere risum, id. H. 17, 161; id. M. 15, 300.
        2. b. Of inanimate things: et in lento luctantur marmore tonsae, Verg. A, 7, 28: tristia robustis luctantur funera plaustris, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 74; Prop. 4 (5), 1, 147: luctantem Icariis fluctibus Africum, Hor. C. 1, 1, 15; cf.: luctantes venti, Verg. A. 1, 53.
      1. 2. In partic., in mal. part.: cum aliquo, Prop. 2, 1, 13.
  2. II. Trop., of mental or moral strife, to struggle, strive, contend: non luctabor tecum amplius, Cic. de Or. 1, 17, 74: cum aliquo luctari, id. Sull. 16, 47: Plancus diu, quarum esset partium secum luctatus, Vell. 2, 63, 3; Plin. 18, 5, 6, § 28: cum latentibus nodis, Curt. 3, 1, 18: cum ardore et siccitate regionis, id. 4, 7, 7.
          1. (β) With dat. (poet.): luctataeque diu tenebris hiemique sibique, Stat. Th. 11, 522: crudo pelago, Sil. 14, 453: morti, id. 10, 296.
          2. (γ) With abl.: ignis viridi luctetur robore, Luc. 3, 503; Vell. 2, 86, 2.
            Hence, luctans, antis, P. a., struggling, reluctant: luctantia oscula carpere, Ov. M. 4, 358: composuit luctantia lumina somnus, Sil. 7, 204.
    1. B. In partic., as subst., of cross-beams, rafters, because they oppose and uphold each other like wrestlers, Isid. Orig. 19, 19.