Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary

I. Act., to turn a thing round like a wheel; to swing round, whirl about (poet. and in post-Aug. prose; cf. torqueo).

A. Lit.: “Learchum bis terque per auras More rotat fundae,” Ov. M. 4, 517; cf. id. ib. 9, 217; id. A. A. 2, 374: “jactare caput et comas excutientem rotare, fanaticum est,” Quint. 11, 3, 71: “sanguineos orbes (i. e. oculos),” to roll about, Val. Fl. 4, 235: ensem fulmineum, to brandish (in order to add force to the blow), Verg. A. 9, 441: “telum,” Liv. 42, 65, 10: “telum in ora loquentis,” Stat. Th. 9, 802: “clipeum, Val Fl. 6, 551: saxa,” Sen. Q. N. 3, 27, 6: “flammam (venti),” Lucr. 6, 202; cf.: “(venti) trudunt res ante rapidique rotanti turbine portant,” in a whirling tornado, id. 1, 295: “flammae fumum,” Hor. C. 4, 11, 11: “se in vulnus (ursa),” Luc. 6, 222: “conreptum rotatumque sternit,” Plin. 8, 16, 19, § 51.— Mid., to turn or go round in a circle, to roll round, revolve: “Tyrrheni greges circumque infraque rotantur,” Stat. Achill. 1, 56: “circum caput igne rotato,” Ov. M. 12, 296: “poterisne rotatis Obvius ire polis?” id. ib. 2, 74; cf.: “nivibus rotatis (with glomerari),” id. ib. 9, 221: sphaerico motu in orbem rotari, Macr Somn. Scip. 2, 14, 31.— *

B. Trop.: “aut curtum sermone rotato Torqueat enthymema,” round, compact, concise, Juv. 6, 449: “sic ordinem fati rerum aeterna series rotat,” Sen. Q. N. 2, 35, 2.—

II. Neutr., = rotari, to turn or roll round, to revolve (very rare): “parte ex aliā, quā saxa rotantia late Impulerat torrens,” Verg. A. 10, 362 Serv. (cf.: “volventia plaustra,” id. G. 1, 163); “so of a peacock spreading its tail out like a wheel,” Col. 8, 11, 8.