Lewis & Short

tĕro, trīvi, trītum, 3 (perf. terii, acc. to Charis. p. 220 P.; perf. sync. tristi, Cat. 66, 30), v. a. [root ter; Gr. τείρω, τρύω, τρίβω, to rub; cf. Lat. tribulare, triticum; akin to τέρην, tender, Lat. teres], to rub, rub to pieces; to bruise, grind, bray, triturate (syn.: frico, tundo, pinso).

  1. I. Lit. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose).
    1. A. In gen.: num me illuc ducis, ubi lapis lapidem terit? (i. e. into a mill), Plaut. As. 1, 1, 16: lacrimulam oculos terendo vix vi exprimere, Ter. Eun. 1, 1, 23: teritur lignum ligno ignemque concipit attritu, Plin. 16, 40, 77. § 208: sed nihil hederā praestantius quae teritur, lauro quae terat, id. ib.: aliquid in mortario, id. 34, 10, 22, § 104: aliquid in farinam, id. 34, 18, 50, § 170: bacam trapetis, Verg. G. 2, 519: unguibus herbas, Ov. M. 9, 655: dentes in stipite, id. ib. 8, 369: lumina manu, Cat. 66, 30: sucina trita redolent, Mart. 3, 64, 5: piper, Petr. 74: Appia trita rotis, Ov. P. 2, 7, 44: cibum in ventre, i. e. to digest, Cels. 1 praef. med.
      Poet.: labellum calamo, i. e. to rub one’s lip (in playing), Verg. E. 2, 34: calcemque terit jam calce Diores, treads upon, id. A. 5, 324: crystalla labris, Mart. 9, 23, 7.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. To rub grain from the ears by treading, to tread out, thresh: frumentum, Varr. R. R. 1, 13, 5: milia frumenti tua triverit area centum, Hor. S. 1, 1, 45: area dum messes teret, Tib. 1, 5, 22: teret area culmos, Verg. G. 1, 192; cf.: ut patria careo, bis frugibus area trita est, i. e. it has twice been harvest-time, Ov. Tr. 4, 6, 19.
      2. 2. To cleanse or beautify by rubbing, to smooth, furbish, burnish, polish, sharpen (syn.: polio, acuo): oculos, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 103: crura mordaci pumice, Ov. A. A. 1, 506: hinc radios trivere rotis, smoothed, turned, Verg. G. 2, 444: vitrum torno, Plin. 36, 26, 66, § 193: catillum manibus, Hor. S. 1, 3, 90: tritus cimice lectus, Mart. 11, 33, 1.
      3. 3. To lessen by rubbing, to rub away; to wear away by use, wear out: (navem) ligneam, saepe tritam, Plaut. Men. 2, 3, 52: hoc (tempus) rigidas silices, hoc adamanta terit, Ov. Tr. 4, 6. 14: ferrum, to dull, id. M. 12, 167: mucronem rubigine silicem liquore, Prop. 2, 25 (3, 20), 15: trita labore colla, Ov. M. 15, 124: trita subucula, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 96: trita vestis, id. ib. 1, 19, 38: librum, i. e. to read often, Mart. 8, 3, 4; 11, 3, 4; cf.: quid haberet, Quod legeret tereretque viritim publicus usus? Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 92: pocula labris patrum trita, Mart. 11, 12, 3: ut illum di terant, qui primum olitor caepam protulit, crush, annihilate, Naev. ap. Prisc. p. 681 P.
      4. 4. Of persons, pass., to be employed in. occupied with: nos qui in foro verisque litibus terimur, Plin. Ep. 2, 3, 5: litibus, id. ib. 10, 12, 3.
      5. 5. To tread often, to visit, frequent a way or place (cf.: calco, calcito): angustum formica terens iter, Verg. G. 1, 380: iter propositum, Prop. 2, 30 (3, 28), 14: Appiam mannis, Hor. Epod. 4, 14: viam, Ov. A. A. 1, 52; Lucr. 1, 927: via trita pede, Tib. 4, 13, 10: ambulator porticum terit, Mart. 2, 11, 2: limina, id. 10, 10, 2: mea nocturnis trita fenestra dolis, Prop. 4 (5), 7, 16: nec jam clarissimorum virorum receptacula habitatore servo teruntur, Plin. Pan. 50, 3: flavaeque terens querceta Maricae Liris, Claud. Cons. Prob. et Olybr 259.
      6. 6. In mal. part.: Bojus est, Bojam terit, Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 108; so Prop. 3, 11 (4. 10), 30; Petr. 87.
  2. II. Trop. (freq. in good prose).
    1. A. To wear away, use up, i. e. to pass, spend time; usu. to waste, spend in dissipation, etc. (syn.: absumo, consumo): teritur dies, Plaut. Truc. 5, 20: diem sermone terere segnities merast, id. Trin. 3, 3, 67: naves diem trivere, Liv. 37, 27, 8: tempus in convivio luxuque, id. 1, 57, 9: tempus ibi in secreto, id. 26, 19, 5: omnem aetatem in his discendis rebus, Cic. de Or. 3, 31, 123: teretur interea tempus, id. Phil. 5, 11, 30: jam alteram aetatem bellis civilibus, Hor. Epod. 16, 1: omne aevum ferro, Verg. A. 9, 609: spe otia, id. ib. 4, 271: otium conviviis comissationibusque inter se, Liv. 1, 57, 5.
    2. B. To expend, employ (late Lat.): qui operam teri frustra, Amm. 27, 12, 12.
    3. C. To exert greatly, exhaust: ne in opere longinquo sese tererent, Liv 6, 8, 10: ut in armis terant plebem, id. 6, 27, 7.
    4. D. Of language, to wear out by use, i. e. to render common, commonplace, or trite (in verb finit. very rare, but freq. as a P. a.): jam hoc verbum satis hesterno sermone trivimus, Cic. Ac. 2, 6, 18: quae (nomina) nunc consuetudo diurna trivit, id. Fin. 3, 4, 15.
    5. * E. To tread under foot, i. e. to injure, violate a thing: jurata deorum majestas teritur, Claud. in Rufin. 1, 228.
      Hence, P. a.: trītus, a, um.
    1. A. Prop. of a road or way, oft-trodden, beaten, frequented, common: iter, Cic. Phil. 1, 3, 7: via, id. Brut. 81, 281: quadrijugi spatium, Ov. M. 2, 167.
      Sup.: tritissima quaeque via, Sen. Vit. Beat. 1, 2.
    2. B. Fig.
      1. 1. Practised, expert: tritas aures habere, Cic. Fam. 9, 16, 4; so id. Brut. 32, 124.
        Comp.: tritiores manūs ad aedificandum perficere, Vitr. 2, 1, 6.
      2. 2. Of language, used often or much, familiar, common, commonplace, trite: quid in Graeco sermone tam tritum atque celebratum est, quam, etc., Cic. Fl. 27, 65: nomen minus tritum sermone nostro, id. Rep. 2, 29, 52: ex quo illud: summum jus summā injuriā factum est jam tritum sermone proverbium, id. Off. 1, 10, 33.
        Comp.: faciamus tractando usitatius hoc verbum ac tritius, Cic. Ac. 1, 7, 27: compedes, quas induere aureas mos tritior vetat, Plin. 33, 12, 54, § 152.