Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

2. actus, ūs, m. [ago].

  1. I.
    1. A. The moving or driving of an object, impulse, motion: linguae actu, Pacuv. ap. Non. 506, 17: mellis constantior est natura … et cunctantior actus, Lucr. 3, 192: levi admonitu, non actu, inflectit illam feram, by driving, Cic. Rep. 2, 40: fertur in abruptum magno mons inprobus actu, Verg. A. 12, 687: pila contorsit violento spiritus actu, Sen. Agam. 432; hominum aut animalium actu vehiculum adhibemus, Cael. Aurel. Tard. 1, 1.
      Hence,
    2. B. Transf.
      1. 1. The right of driving cattle through a place, a passage for cattle: aquae ductus, haustus, iter, actus, Cic. Caec. 26; Ulp. Dig. 8, 3, 1.
      2. 2. A road between fields; a cart- or carriage-way, Dig. 8, 1, 5; 8, 5, 4; 43, 19, 1 al.
        And,
      3. 3. A measure or piece of land (in quo boves aguntur, cum aratur, cum impetu justo, Plin. 18, 59): actus minimus, 120 feet long and 4 feet wide: quadratus, 120 feet square; and duplicatus, 240 feet long and 120 feet wide, Varr. L. L. 5, § 34 Müll.; id. R. R. 1, 10; Paul. ex Fest. p. 17 Müll. Also a division made by bees in a hive, Plin. 11, 10, 10, § 22.
  2. II. The doing or performing or a thing, an act, performance.
    1. A. In gen. (so not in Cic.; for Leg. 1, 11, inst. of pravis actibus, is to be read, pravitatibus; but often in the post-Aug. per.): post actum operis, Quint. 2, 18, 1: in vero actu rei, id. 7, 2, 41: rhetorice in actu consistit, id. 2, 18, 2: donec residua diurni actus conficeret, Suet. Aug. 78; so id. Claud. 30: non consenserat actibus eorum, Vulg. Luc. 23, 51.
    2. B. Esp.
      1. 1. Public employment, business of state, esp. judicial: actus rerum, jurisdiction, Suet. Aug. 32; id. Claud. 15, 23; also absol. actus, Dig. 39, 4, 16; 40, 5, 41 al.
      2. 2. The action accompanying oral delivery.
        1. a. Of an orator: motus est in his orationis et actus, Quint. 9, 2, 4; 11, 3, 140.
        2. b. Of an actor: the representation of a play, a part, a character, etc.: neque enim histrioni, ut placeat, peragenda est fabula, modo in quocunque fuerit actu, probetur, Cic. de Sen. 19, 70: carminum actus, recital, Liv. 7, 2: histrionum actus, Quint. 10, 2, 11: in tragico quodam actu, cum elapsum baculum cito resumpsisset, Suet. Ner. 24.
          Hence, also, a larger division of a play, an act: primo actu placeo, Ter. Hec. prol. 31: neque minor quinto, nec sit productior actu Fabula, Hor. A. P. 189, and trop. (in Cic. very often): extremus actus aetatis, Cic. de Sen. 2; id. Marcell. 9: quartus actus improbitatis, id. Verr. 2, 2, 6; so id. Phil. 2, 14; id. Fam. 5, 12 al.