Lewis & Short

1. campus, i, m. [cf. κῆπος, Dor. κᾶπος; perh. for scampus from σκάπτω, to dig, scabo; whence Campania, and perh. Capua; for the inserted m, cf. AAB-’ λαμβάνω].

  1. I. In gen.
    1. A. Lit., of any open, level land, without reference to cultivation or use, an even, flat place, a plain, field (freq. and class.; cf.: ager, planities, aequor; opp. mons, collis, silva, etc.; cf. Doed. Syn. III. p. 8 sq.): saxum plani raptim petit aequora campi, Lucr. 3, 1015; cf. id. 5, 950: in camporum patentium aequoribus, Cic. Div. 1, 42, 93: aequor campi, Verg. A. 7, 781; Sil. 5, 376: aequo dare se campo, id. 9, 56: in aequo campi, Liv. 5, 38, 4: campos pedibus transire, Lucr. 4, 460; cf. id. 5, 493: campos et montes peragrantes, Cic. Div. 1, 42, 94; cf. id. N. D. 2, 39, 98: spatia frugifera atque immensa camporum, id. ib. 2, 64, 161; Col. 1, 2, 4; Lucr. 5, 1372: campus in prata et arva salictaque et arundineta digestus, Col. 1, 2, 3; cf. Auct. Her. 4, 18, 25; Curt. 8, 1, 4; Lucr. 5, 782; Tib. 4, 3, 1: virentes, Lucr. 1, 19: frequens herbis et fertilis ubere, Verg. G. 2, 185: gramineus, id. A. 5, 287; Hor. C. 2, 5, 6: pingues Asiae, id. Ep. 1, 3, 5: redeunt jam gramina campis, id. C. 4, 7, 1: herbosus, id. ib. 3, 18, 9: herbidus aquosusque, Liv. 9, 2, 7: opimus, id’. 31, 41, 7: campi frumenti ac pecoris et omnium copiā rerum opulenti, id. 22, 3, 3: pigri, Hor. C. 1, 22, 17 al.
      Campus, like ager, is used in a wider or more restricted sense, as conveying a particular or more general idea: in agro publico campi duo milia jugerum immunia possidere, Cic. Phil. 3, 9, 22: agros Vaticanum et Pupinium, cum suis opimis atque uberibus campis conferendos, id. Agr. 2, 35, 96: si pinguis agros metabere campi, Verg. G. 2, 274 and 276; Lucr. 2, 324 sq.: certamina magna per campos instructa, id. 2, 5: campus terrenus, Liv. 33, 17, 8: dimicaturum puro ac patenti campo, id. 24, 14, 6: (praefecti regii) suas copias in campum Marathona deduxerunt, Nep. Milt. 4, 2: numquam in campo (in the free, open field) sui fecit potestatem, id. Ages. 3, 6; so id. Hann. 5, 4; Ov. M. 10, 151; cf. id. ib. 13, 579: insistere Bedriacensibus campis ac vestigia recentis victoriae lustrare oculis concupivit (Vitellius), Tac. H. 2, 70; so, Bebriaci Campo spolium affectare, the battlefield, Juv. 2, 106: campum colligere, Veg. Mil. 3, 25.
      1. 2. Meton., the produce of the field: moriturque ad sibila (serpentis) campus, Stat. Th. 5, 528.
    2. B. Poet. like aequor, in gen., any level surface (of the sea, a rock, etc.): caeruleos per campos, Plaut. Trin. 4, 1, 15: campi natantes, Lucr. 5, 489; 6, 405; 6, 1141: liquentes, Verg. A. 6, 724; 10, 214: campus Liberioris aquae, Ov. M. 1, 41; 1, 43: latus aquarum, id. ib. 1, 315; 11, 356: immotā attollitur undā Campus (i. e. saxum), Verg. A. 5, 128.
    3. C. Trop.: feratur eloquentia non semitis sed campis, on the open field, Quint. 5, 14, 31: (oratio) aequo congressa campo, on a fair field, id. 5, 12, 92: velut campum nacti expositionis, id. 4, 2, 39.
  2. II. Esp.
    1. A. As geog. designation.
      1. 1. Campi Alēii, a plain in Lycia, Cic. Tusc. 3, 26, 63.
      2. 2. Campi Lăpĭdĕi, a stony plain near Marseilles, now La Crau, Hyg. Astr. 2, 6; Plin. 3, 4, 5, § 34; 21, 10, 31, § 57.
      3. 3. Campi Ma-cri, a district in Gallia Cisalpina, on the river Macra, Varr. R. R. 2, prooem. § 6; Liv. 41, 18, 6; 45, 12, 11.
      4. 4. Campi Magni, in Africa, Enn. ap. Cic. de Or. 3, 42, 167 (cf. Vahl. p. 167); Liv. 30, 8, 3.
      5. 5. Campi Vĕtĕres, in Lucania, Liv. 25, 16, 25.
    2. B. An open place in or near Rome.
      1. 1. Campus Esquĭlīnus, on the Esquiline Hill, Cic. Phil. 9, 7, 17; Suet. Claud. 25.
      2. 2. Campus Flāmĭnĭus, on which stood the Circus Flaminius, Varr. L. L. 5, § 32 Müll.
      3. 3. Campus Scĕlĕrātus, near the Colline Gate, Liv. 8, 15, 8; Fest. p. 333 Müll.
      4. 4. Far more freq. Campus, a grassy plain in Rome along the Tiber, in the ninth district, orig. belonging to the Tarquinii, after whose expulsion it was consecrated to Mars (Liv. 2, 5, 2); hence fully called Campus Martĭus, a place of assembly for the Roman people at the comitia centuriata, Cic. Cat. 1, 5, 11; id. Q. Fr. 2, 2, 1; id. Rab. Perd. 4, 11; Hor. C. 3, 1, 11; Quint. 11, 1, 47 al.
        Hence,
        1. b. Meton., the comitia themselves: curiam pro senatu, campum pro comitiis, Cic. de Or. 3, 42, 167: fors domina campi, id. Pis. 2, 3: venalis, Luc. 1, 180; also, much resorted to by the Romans for games, exercise, and recreation, a place for military drills, etc. (cf. campicursio and campidoctor), Cic. Off. 1, 29, 104; id. Quint. 18, 59; id. Fat. 4, 8; 15, 34; id. de Or. 2, 62, 253; 2, 71, 287; Hor. C. 1, 8, 4; 1, 9, 18; 3, 7, 26; id. S. 1, 6, 126; 2, 6, 49; id. Ep. 1, 7, 59; 1, 11, 4; id. A. P. 162.
  3. III. Trop., a place of action, a field, a theatre, opportunity, subject for debate, etc. (cf. area) (a favorite figure of Cic.): me ex hoc ut ita dicam campo aequitatis ad istas verborum angustias revocas, Cic. Caecin. 29, 84: cum sit campus, in quo exsultare possit oratio, cur eam tantas in angustias et in Stoicorum dumeta compellimus? id. Ac. 2, 35, 112; cf. id. de Or. 3, 19, 70: in hoc tanto tamque immenso campo cum liceat oratori vagari libere, id. ib. 3, 31, 124: magnus est in re publicā campus, multis apertus cursus ad laudem, id. Phil. 14, 6, 17: nullum vobis sors campum dedit, in quo excurrere virtus cognoscique posset, id. Mur. 8, 18; Plin. Pan. 31, 1: honoris et gloriae campus, id. ib. 70, 8: rhetorum campus de Marathone, Salamine, Plataeis, etc., Cic. Off. 1, 18, 61; Juv. 1, 19.