I.to go and come, pass to and fro: remeare redire, ut commeare ultro citroque ire, unde commeatus (leave of absence; “v. commeatus, II. B.) dari dicitur, id est tempus, quo ire et redire commode quis possit,” Fest. p. 276, 5, and p. 277, 25.—Hence freq. with ultro and citro (in good prose; freq. in Cic. and the histt.; not in Quint.).
I. In gen.
A. Usu. of living beings: “pisciculi ultro ac citro commeant,” Varr. R. R. 3, 5, 16; Cic. N. D. 2, 33, 84; Liv. 25, 30, 5; Plin. 2, 38, 38, § 104; Suet. Calig. 19: “cum terra in aquam se vertit et cum ex aquā oritur aër, ex aëre aether, cumque eadem vicissim retro commeant,” Cic. N. D. 3, 12, 31; 2, 19, 49: “ut tuto ab repentino hostium incursu etiam singuli commeare possent,” Caes. B. G. 7, 36 fin.: “inter Veios Romamque,” Liv. 5, 47, 11; cf.: “commeantibus invicem nuntiis,” Tac. A. 13, 38: “quā viā omnes commeabant,” Nep. Eum. 8, 5; Plin. 10, 23, 32, § 63; Plin. Ep. 2, 7, 6. —
B. Transf., of inanim. and abstr. objects: alterum (genus siderum) spatiis inmutabilibus ab ortu ad occasum commeans. Cic. N. D. 2, 19, 49: (fossam) latitudinis, quā contrariae quinqueremes commearent, pass to and fro, Suet. Ner. 31; cf. Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 18, § 46; Tac. A. 2, 28; 4, 41: “quadrigae inter se occurrentes, sine periculo commeare dicuntur,” Curt. 5, 1, 25: “spiritum a summo ore in pulmonem, atque inde sursum in os commeare,” Gell. 17, 11, 3.—Impers. commeatur, we, they, etc., go, Dig. 43, 8, 2, § 21 al.—
C. Rarely with cognate acc. vias, Dig. 48, 10, 27, § 2 (for Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 82, v. 1. commeto).—
II. With particular reference to the terminus ad quem, to go, come, travel somewhere repeatedly or frequently; to visit a place often, to frequent: “insula Delos, quo omnes undique cum mercibus commeabant,” Cic. Imp. Pomp. 18, 55; cf. Caes. B. G. 1, 1; cf. Cic. Att. 8, 9, 3; Gell. 6, 10: “in urbem,” Ter. Hec. 1, 2, 100; Plaut. Truc. 3, 2, 14; Tac. A. 1, 46.—
B. Transf. to inanim. or abstr. things: “nam illaec catapultae ad me crebro commeant,” Plaut. Curc. 3, 28: “cujus in hortos, domum, Baias jure suo libidines omnium commearent,” Cic. Cael. 16, 38: “crebro illius litterae ab aliis ad nos commeant,” id. Att. 8, 9, 3; cf. Tac. A. 4, 41.
