Lewis & Short

2. tractus, ūs, m. [traho], a drawing, dragging, hauling, pulling, drawing out, trailing.

  1. I. Lit. (mostly poet.): tractu gementem Ferre rotam, Verg. G. 3, 183: tractu taurea terga domant, Val. Fl. 6, 359: modicus tractus (al. tractatus), Plin. 9, 46, 70, § 153: aut si qua incerto fallet te littera tractu, stroke, Prop. 4 (5), 3, 5: continuus subitarum tractus aquarum, i. e. a drinking, Luc. 4, 368; cf.: aëra pestiferum tractu, i.e. a drawing in, inhalation, id. 7, 412: repetitaque longo Vellera mollibat nebulis aequantia tractu, Ov. M. 6, 21: harenam fluctus trahunt … Syrtes ab tractu nominatae, i. e. from Gr. σύρω, = traho; because of this drawing, Sall. J. 78, 3: (risus) interdum quodam etiam corporis tractu lacessitur, i. e. movement, Quint. 6, 3, 7.
    Of a serpent, a drawing itself along, a creeping, crawling: squameus in spiram tractu se colligit anguis, Verg. G. 2, 154; Ov. M. 15, 725; Claud. B. Get. 22; id. II. Cons. Stil. 172.
      1. 2. Concr., a train, track, course: nonne vides longos flammarum ducere tractus, long trains, Lucr. 2, 207: flammarum, Verg. G. 1, 367; Luc. 2, 270: (Phaëthon) longo per aëra tractu Fertur, in a long train (of fire), Ov. M. 2, 320: longo per multa volumina tractu Aestuat unda minax, Luc. 5, 565; so of the course of the moon, Cic. Div. 2, 46, 97; of the Nile, Luc. 10, 257: (Cydnus) leni tractu e fontibus labens puro solo excipitur, Curt. 3, 4, 8: aquarum, id. 5, 3, 2: ut arborum tractu equitatus hostium impediretur, Nep. Milt. 5, 3; of the wind, Val. Fl. 1, 614; cf. Manil. 1, 532; 3, 366.
    1. B. Transf., a space drawn out, i. e. a stretch, extent, tract of a thing (class.): castrorum, Liv. 3, 28, 1: cujus (urbis) is est tractus ductusque muri, ut, etc., Cic. Rep. 2, 6, 11 Moser N. cr.: cum mediae jaceant immensis tractibus Alpes, Luc. 2, 630; and Claud. Rapt. Pros. 3, 9.
      1. 2. Concr., of places, a territory, district, region, tract of land (class.; syn.: regio, plaga): oppidi, Caes. B. C. 3, 112: corruptus caeli tractus, Verg. A. 3, 138 Serv.: tractus ille celeberrimus Venafranus, Cic. Planc. 9, 22: tractus uter plures lepores, uter educet apros, Hor. Ep. 1, 15, 22: tractu surgens oleaster eodem, Verg. G. 2, 182: genera (vitium) separari ac singulis conseri tractibus, utilissimum, Plin. 17, 22, 35, § 187; Flor. 1, 15, 2.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen., course, progress, movement: tractus orationis lenis et aequabilis, course, movement, current, Cic. de Or. 2, 13, 54; cf.: in omni corpore, totoque, ut ita dixerim, tractu (orationis), Quint. 9, 4, 61: cetera continuo magis orationis tractu decurrunt, id. 5, 8, 2.
      1. 2. Of time, space, lapse, period: quod neque clara suo percurrere fulmina cursu Perpetuo possint aevi labentia tractu, Lucr. 1, 1004; 5, 1216: eodem tractu temporum nituerunt oratores, etc., Vell. 2, 9, 1: aetatis, Val. Max. 8, 13, ext. 2: hoc legatum Cum voluerit, tractum habet, quamdiu vivat is, a quo, etc., duration, period, Dig. 32, 1, 11.
    2. B. In partic., a drawing out, protracting, lengthening, protraction, extension, length: quanta haesitatio tractusque verborum! drawling, Cic. de Or. 2, 50, 202: pares elocutionum, Quint. 4, 2, 118: illa (historia) tractu et suavitate atque etiam dulcedine placet, extent, copiousness, Plin. Ep. 5, 8, 10.
      1. 2. Of time: durante tractu et lentitudine mortis, Tac. A. 15, 64: belli, id. ib. 15, 10.
      2. 3. In gram.: in tractu et declinatione talia sunt, qualia apud Ciceronem beatitas et beatitudo, a lengthening in derivation, Quint. 8, 3, 32 Spald.