Lewis & Short

1. bĭbo, bĭbi (post-class. part. fut. bĭbĭtūrus, Hier. Isa. 8, 25, 8; Vulg. Matt. 20, 22; id. Act. 23, 12; Cassiod. Hist. Eccl. 1, 1; part. perf. bĭbĭtus, a, um, Cael. Aur. Chron. 4, 3, 60; Capitol. Ver. 5, 3; Aem. Mac. c. de Porro; Plin. Val. 2, 18; inf. apocop. biber, Cato, Titin., and Fannii Annal. ap. Charis. p. 99), 3, v. a. [root bi; Gr. πι-, πίνω, πέπωκα; whence Lat. poto, as if from po; Sanscr. pī; Slav. piti; Lith. pota], to drink (usually from thirst, a natural want; poto, to drink from passion, habit, etc.; but poto is occasionally used of water, etc., e. g. Plin. 11, 37, 68, § 179; cf.: bibere naturae est, potare luxuriae, Isid. Diff. 1. 74; and the partt. potus and potatus are regularly used instead of the partt. of bibo).

  1. I. With acc.
      1. 1. Of the liquid drunk: per aestatem boves aquam bonam et liquidam bibant semper curato, Cato, R. R. 73: jejunus heminam bibito, id. ib. 126: si voles vinum Choum bibere, licebit bibas, id. ib. 48: eapse merum condidicit bibere; foribus dat aquam quam bibant, Plaut. Curc. 1, 3, 4: vicit vinum quod bibi, Ter. Eun. 4, 5, 1: Darius in fugā cum aquam turbidam bibisset, Cic. Tusc. 5, 34, 97: patrono malo suadebat ut mulsum frigidum biberet, id. de Or. 2, 70, 282: viveret, nisi illud (i. e. venenum) bibisset, Quint. 8, 5, 31: bibo aquam, id. 6, 3, 93: cur apud te vinum aetate tuā vetustius bibitur? Sen. Vit. Beat. 17, 2: nisi Hy. mettia mella Falerno Ne biberis diluta, Hor. S. 2, 2, 15: et Veientani bibitur faex crassa rubelli, Mart. 1, 103, 9: lac bibere, to suck, Ov. Am. 3, 10, 22; id. M. 9, 377; 9, 615.
        Also nutricem bibere (i. e. lac de nutrice), App. M. 2, p. 115, 29.
        Poet.; Caecubam … Tu bibes uvam (i. e. vinum), Hor. C. 1, 20, 10: in usu radix tantum duabus drachmis bibenda (i. e. sucus radicis), Plin. 25, 6, 30, § 67.
      2. 2. Pocula or cyathos bibere.
          1. (α) Poet., = vinum (cf. πίνειν κρατῆρας): tristia cum multo pocula felle bibat, Tib. 1, 5, 50: ipse bibebam Sobria suppositā pocula victor aquā, id. 1, 6, 28: plura pocula = plus vini, id. 1, 9, 59; so, nomismata and aera, id. 1, 26, 3.
          2. (β) Of the number of cups drunk at a merry-making: vide quot cyathos bibimus: St. Tot quot digiti sunt tibi in manu, Plaut. Stich. 5, 4, 24.
            Esp. of the custom of drinking names, i. e. as many cups as there are letters in a name proposed; the number is frequently expressed by fractional parts of the as (uncia = a cyathus; quincunx = 5 cyathi, etc.): quincunces et sex cyathos bessemque bibamus, Gaius ut fiat, Julius, et Proculus, Mart. 11, 36, 7: crebros ergo licet bibas trientes, id. 1, 106, 8: diluti bibis unciam Falerni, id. v. 3 (cf. with potare: sextantes et deunces, id. 12, 28).
            Hence, nomen bibere, Julium, etc., bibere: ut jugulem curas, nomen utrumque bibam, Mart. 8, 57, 26: Laevia sex cyathis, septem Justina bibatur, Quinque Lycas, Lyde quattuor, Ida tribus, id. 1, 71, 1 sq.: Astyanacta bibes, id. 8, 6, 16.
      3. 3. Fluvium, undam, pruinas bibere (poet.).
          1. (α) = aquam ex flumine bibere: priusquam Pabula gustassent Trojae Xanthumque bibissent, Verg. A. 1, 473: jam crassus torrens bibitur tamen, Stat. Th. 4, 821: puram bibis amnibus undam, Claud. Laud. Herc. 74.
          2. (β) Trop., to arrive at the region of the river: non illum nostri possunt mutare labores, Nec si … Hebrumque bibamus Sithoniasque nives … subeamus (i. e. si Thraciam adeamus), Verg. E. 10, 65: ante … Aut Ararim Parthus bibet, aut Germania Tigrim Quam, etc., sooner will the Parthians come to Germany, or the Germans to the country of the Parthians, id. ib. 1, 63: turbaque Phasiacam Graia bibistis aquam, Ov. H. 12, 10.
            Hence,
          3. (γ) Qui flumen bibunt, = the inhabitants of the country through which the river passes: qui Tiberim Fabarimque bibunt, Verg. A. 7, 715: qui profundum Danubium bibunt, Hor. C. 4, 15, 21: qui Nilum ex ipso protinus ore bibunt, Mart. 7, 88, 6: populosque bibentes Euphraten, Luc. 8, 213: qui te, Nile, bibit, Claud. Prob. et Olybr. 38.
            So of an inland sea: caesamque bibens Maeotin Alanus, Claud. in Rufin. 1, 812.
            Of a single person: extremum Tanaim si biberes, Lyce, Hor. C. 3, 10, 1.
            Similarly, montium pruinas bibere, of the rivers fed by a mountain range: amniumque … quicunque Odrysias bibunt pruinas, Mart. 10, 7, 2: fluvios qui … Alpinasque bibunt de more pruinas, Claud. Prob. et Olybr. 255.
      4. 4. Bibere aquas, to be drowned: neu bibat aequoreas naufragus hostis aquas, Ov. H. 7, 62.
        Transf., of ships, to founder, to be wrecked: o utinam … Argo funestas pressa bibisset aquas! Ov. Am. 2, 11, 6.
      5. 5. Sanguinem or cruorem bibere.
          1. (α) Sanguinem, in a figurative sense, = sanguinem sitire: cujus sanguinem (Antonium) non bibere censeatis? (sitire, animo bibere), Cic. Phil. 11, 5, 10.
          2. (β) Cruorem bibere, to draw blood, to kill: hasta virgineum alte bibit acta cruorem, Verg. A. 11, 803; Claud. in Rufin. 1, 78.
      6. 6. Transf. to things other than liquids.
        1. a. Of concrete things: dixit et ardentes avido bibit ore favillas, breathed in, drew in (of the sparks of a funeral pyre), Mart. 1, 42, 5: vigilandae noctes et fuligo lucubrationum bibenda, inhale, Quint. 11, 3, 23.
        2. b. Figuratively, of abstract things.
          1. (α) = cupideaudire, legere: pugnas et exactos tyrannos … bibit aure vulgus, eagerly listens to, Hor. C. 2, 13, 32: incipe: suspensis auribus ista bibam, Prop. 3, 4, 8: hinc ille justitiae haustus bibat, imbibe (by reading) the love of justice, Quint. 12, 2, 31: illa divino fruitur sermone parentis, maternosque bibit mores, Claud. Nupt. Hon. et Mar. 231.
          2. (β) To imbibe, be affected with: infelix Dido, longumque bibebat amorem, Verg. A. 1, 749: totisque novum bibit ossibus ignem, the fire of love, Stat. Achill. 1, 303.
          3. (γ) To draw out, exhaust: nudae illae artes omnem sucum ingenii bibunt, Quint. prooem. 24.
        3. c. To swallow, i. e. forget: quamquam ego vinum bibo, mandata hau consuevi simul bibere una, Plaut. Pers. 2, 1, 3.
      7. 7. Transf., of inanim. subjects, to absorb liquids, draw, imbibe them: id si feceris metreta oleum non bibet, Cato, R. R. 100.
        So trop.: claudite jam rivos … sat prata biberunt, Verg. E. 3, 111: inriguumque bibant violaria fontem, id. G. 4, 32: quae (terra) bibit humorem, absorbs moisture, id. ib. 2, 218: amphora fumum bibere instituta, Hor. C. 3, 8, 11: mista bibunt molles lacrimis unguenta favillae, Ov. F. 3, 561: tunc bibit irriguus fertilis hortus aquas, Tib. 2, 1, 44: lanarum nigrae nullum colorem bibunt, take no color, Plin. 8, 48, 73, § 193; so, candorem (i. e. colorem candidum) bibere, id. 31, 11, 47, § 123: arcus bibit (aquas) and nubes bibunt (aquas), the rainbow, the clouds draw water (according to a popular belief among the ancients): cur bibit arcus aquas? Prop. 3, 5 (4, 4), 32: et bibit ingens Arcus, Verg. G. 1, 380.
        And, jestingly, of an old woman given to drink: ecce autem, bibit arcus; hercle, credo, hodie pluet, Plaut. Curc. 1, 2, 39 (44): unde aures nubesque bibunt atque imbrifer arcus, Stat. Th. 9, 405.
        So with object understood: bibite, festivae fores, with reference to the wine spilled, Plaut. Curc. 1, 1, 88: palma toto anno bibere amat, i. e. aquam, Plin. 13, 4, 7, § 28.
  2. II. Absol. (the obj. acc. understood).
        1. a. Sc. aquam: nec sitis est exstincta priusquam vita bibendo (of those seized by the plague), Ov. M. 7, 569.
        2. b. Of liquids in general: numquam sitiens biberat, Cic. Tusc. 5, 34, 97: edendi mihi erit bibendique finis desideria naturae restinguere, Sen. Vit. Beat. 20, 5: ut nec bibant sine ambitione, nec edant, id. ib. 12, 5: conducit inter cibos bibere, Plin. 23, 1, 23, § 41: vino debemus homines quod soli animalium non sitientes bibimus, id. 23, 1, 23, § 42.
        3. c. Esp. of wine: es, bibe, animo obsequere mecum, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 82: quamquam illud est dulce, esse et bibere, id. Trin. 2, 1, 37: jam diu factum postquam bibimus: nimis diu sicci sumus, id. Pers. 5, 2, 45; id. Poen. 4, 2, 13: decet luxuriosum bibendo mori, Quint. 8, 5, 23: ut jejuni biberent, Plin. 14, 28 med.
          Pass. impers. bibitur, they drink, he drinks, people drink: dies noctisque estur, bibitur, Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 78: ab tertiā horā bibebatur, ludebatur, vomebatur, Cic. Phil. 2, 41, 104: bibitur usque eo dum de solio ministretur, id. Pis. 27, 67.
  3. III. With adverbs or adverbial phrases.
        1. a. Of manner: jucundius bibere, Cic. Tusc. 5, 34, 97; id. Att. 13, 52, 1: large, Plin. 10, 34, 52, § 105: fit invitatio ut Graeco more biberetur, i. e. propinando, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 26, § 66.
        2. b. With num. adv. denoting the number of cups: jam bis bibisse oportuit, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 3, 122: sic ago, semel bibo, id. Rud. 3, 6, 46: plus quam deciens, Sextiliane, bibis, Mart. 1, 26, 10: quare bis deciens, Sextiliane bibis? id. 1, 11, 2.
  4. IV. With abl. or prep. and abl.
      1. 1. Of the liquid, river, etc.: de eo vino … bibito ante cenam, Cato, R. R. 114: a fonte bibatur … an lacu, Mart. 9, 99, 9: ab amne, id. 12, 11: ex aquā, Prop. 2, 30, 32: ex fonte, id. 4, 4, 14.
      2. 2. Of the vessel.
          1. (α) Abl.: gemmā, i. e. poculo ex gemmā facto, Verg. G. 2, 506: caelato = e poculo caelato, Juv. 12, 47: conchā, id. 6, 304: fictilibus, id. 10, 25: testā, Mart. 3, 82, 3: vitro, id. 1, 37, 2; 4, 85, 1: ossibus humanorum capitum, Plin. 7, 2, 2, § 12.
            And bibere understood: poscunt majoribus poculis, i. e. bibi, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 26, § 66.
          2. (β) With ex: ex solido auro, L. Varius ap. Macr. 6, 1: e gemmā, Prop. 3, 3, 26.
          3. (γ) With in: hac licet in gemmā bibas, Mart. 14, 120: in Priami calathis, id. 8, 6, 16: in auro, Sen. Thyest. 453: in argento potorio, Dig. 34, 12, 21: in ossibus capitum, Flor. 3, 4, 2.
  5. V. Particular phrases.
      1. 1. Bibe si bibis = bibe nunc, si omnino bibere vis, a formula urging to drink, Plaut. Stich. 5, 4, 33; 5, 4, 51 (cf.: age, si quid agis, id. ib. 5, 4, 35).
      2. 2. Dare bibere, to give to drink, a Grecism, perh. only in the foll. passages: date illi biber, Titin ap. Charis. p. 99 P. (Com. Rel. v. 78 Rib.): jubebat biber dari, Fann. Ann. ib: bibere da usque plenis cantharis, Plaut. Pers. 5, 2, 40 (45): quod jussi ei dari bibere, Ter. And. 3, 2, 4; cf.: ut Jovi bibere ministraret, Cic. Tusc. 1, 26, 65: ut bibere sibi juberet dari, Liv. 40, 47, 5: cf.: dare with subj.: tum vos date bibat tibicini, Plaut. Stich. 5, 5, 16.
        And with rel. and subj.: nimium dabat quod biberem, Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 19: dat aquam quam bibant, id. Curc. 1, 3, 4.
      3. 3. Prov.: aut bibat aut abeat, taken from the Greek banquets, in which the chairman (arbiter bibendi, Hor. C. 2, 7, 25) could demand unconditional submission to the drinking laws ([?H\ PI = QI, H) A)/PIQI ?]), Cic. Tusc. 5, 41, 118.