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.

flātus, ūs, m. [flo], a blowing, breathing, snorting (mostly poet.; syn.: flamen, flabra, ventus, aura).

  1. I. Lit.: nondum spissa nimis complere sedilia flatu (sc. tibiae), Hor. A. P. 205; Phaedr. 5, 7, 14: flatuque secundo, Carbasa mota sonant, Ov. M. 13, 418; so of the wind, id. ib. 14, 226; Hor. C. 4, 5, 10; also in plur., Ov. M. 15, 302; Verg. G. 2, 339: ipsa sui flatus ne sonet aura, cavet, of his breath, Ov. F. 1, 428: (equi) humescunt spumis flatuque sequentum, with the snorting, Verg. G. 3, 111; in plur.: aestiferi, Cic. Arat. 111: ventris (with crepitus), a breaking wind, Suet. Claud. 32: flatu figuratur vitrum, Plin. 36, 26, 66, § 193.
    1. B. Transf., concr., the breath of life, the soul, Prud. στεφ. 3, 168.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. A breath, breeze (the fig. being taken from wind): cum prospero flatu fortunae utimur, ad exitus pervehimur optatos, Cic. Off. 2, 6, 19: ad id, unde aliquis flatus ostenditur, vela do, id. de Or. 2, 44, 187.
    2. B. Pride, haughtiness (mostly in plur.): det libertatem fandi flatusque remittat, Verg. A. 11, 346; Ov. A. A. 1, 715; Val. Fl. 3, 699; Stat. Th. 1, 321; 3, 192.

flo, flāvi, flātum, 1, v. n. and a. [root fla-; Gr. ἐκ-φλαίνω, to stream forth; φλασμός, vain-glorying; hence, Lat. flatus, flabrum, etc., flos, flōreo, Flōra; Germ. blasen, blähen; Eng. blow, bloom, blast, etc., Curt. Gr. Etym. p. 301; cf. Grimm, Wörterb. s. v. blähen, blasen].

  1. I. Neutr., to blow (class.; cf.: spiro, halo): belle nobis flavit ab Epiro lenissimus ventus, Cic. Att. 7, 2, 1: corus ventus in his locis flare consuevit, Caes. B. G. 5, 7, 3; id. B. C. 3, 25, 1; 3, 26 fin.; Quint. 12, 10, 67; Ov. M. 7, 664: Etesiae contra fluvium flantes, Lucr. 6, 717: quinam flaturi sint venti, Plin. 3, 9, 14, § 94: inflexo Berecynthia tibia cornu Flabit, will blow, sound, Ov. F. 4, 181.
    Prov.: simul flare sorbereque haud factu facile’st: ego hic esse et illic simitu hau potui, i. e. to do two opposite things at once, as we say, to blow hot and cold with the same breath, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 104.
  2. II. Act., to blow, blow at, blow out, blow up, or blow away (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose; not in Cic.).
    1. A. Lit.: hieme anima, quae flatur, omnium apparet, which is emitted, Varr. L. L. 6, § 9 Müll.: Chimaera Ore foras acrem flaret de corpore flammam. Lucr. 5, 906: pulvis vento flatus, Auct. B. Afr. 52, 4: tibia flatur, is blown, Ov. F. 4, 341: Phrygius lapis flatur follibus, donec rubescat, is blown upon, Plin. 36, 19, 36, § 143.
      1. 2. Transf., to cast or coin metals by blowing: aes antiquissimum, quod est flatum, pecore est notatum, Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 9: flata signataque pecunia, Gell. 2, 10, 3.
        Hence, the directors of the mint were called triumviri auro argento aeri flando feriundo (abbrev. III. VIRI A. A. A. F. F.), Inscr. Orell. 569; v. ferio.
    2. B. Trop.: omisso magna semper flandi tumore, of high-flown, bombastic talk, Quint. 12, 6, 5: spernere succina, flare rosas, Fulva monilia respuere, qs. to blow away, i. e. to despise, Prud. στεφ. 3, 21.