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. mĕto, messŭi (Cato ap. Prisc. p. 903 P.; Mart. Cap. 3, § 319), messum, 3, v. a. and n. [root ma-; Gr. ἀμάω, mow, reap; ἄμη, sickle; cf. messis, messor], to reap, mow, crop; of the vintage, to gather, gather in, collect; and poet. of the sucking of honey from flowers (class.).

  1. I. Lit.: cum est matura seges, metendum, Varr. R. R. 1, 50, 3: sunt autem metendi genera complura, Col. 2, 21, 2: in metendo occupatos, Caes. B. G. 4, 32: pabula falce, to cut, cut down, Ov. H. 6, 84: farra, id. F 2, 519: arva, Prop. 4 (5), 10, 30.
    Prov.: ut sementem feceris, ita et metes, as you sow, so shall you reap, Cic. de Or. 2, 65, 261; cf.: ventum seminabunt et turbinem metent, Vulg. Os. 8, 7: qui seminant iniquitatem metet mala, id. Prov. 22, 8: mihi istic nec seritur, nec metitur, i. e. I have no share in it, it does not concern me, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 80: sibi quisque ruri metit, every one looks out for himself, id. Most. 3, 2, 112: Tibi aras, tibi occas, tibi seris; tibi item metes, id. Merc. prol. 71.
    Of the vintage, to gather, etc.: postremus metito, Verg. G. 2, 410; so, vindemiam, Plin. 17, 22, 35, § 185.
    Of bees: purpureosque metunt flores, reap the flowers, i. e. gather the pollen, Verg. G. 4, 54.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. In gen., to cut off, pluck off, crop (poet.): virgā lilia summa metit, Ov. F. 2, 706: barbam forfice, Mart. 7, 95, 12: capillos, id. 10, 83, 11: olus, to cut, gather, Calp. Ecl. 2, 74: et ferus in silvā farra metebat aper, laid waste, Ov. Am. 3, 10, 40: ille metit barbam, Juv. 3, 186.
      1. 2. In partic., in battle, to mow down, cut down: proxima quaeque metit gladio, Verg. A. 10, 513: primosque et extremos metendo Stravit humum, Hor. C. 4, 14, 31 tum Vesulum ense metit rapido, Sil. 10, 147: agmina plura metam, Val. Fl. 3, 670.
        So of death: metit Orcus Grandia cum parvis, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 178: vita omnibus metenda, ut fruges (transl. of the Greek of Euripid.: ἀναγκαίως δ’ ἔχει βίον θερίζειν), Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 25, 59.
    2. B. To inhabit a region (poet.): qui Batulum Nucrasque metunt, Sil. 8, 566 (cf. a like poetic transfer of the verbs colere, arare, serere, and bibere).