dē-vŏro, āvi, ātum, 1
* V. a., to swallow, swallow down, gulp down, devour (class.; esp. freq. in transf. signif.—for syn. cf.: edo, comedo, vescor, pascor, mando).
* Lit., of the physical act: id quod devoratur,Cic. N. D. 2, 54, 135: ovum gallinaceum integrum,Cato R. R. 71: laseris paululum,Cels. 4, 4, 4: salivam suam,id. 2, 6, 98; lapides,Plin. 8, 10, 10, § 29: succum,id. 20, 23, 98, § 260: fumum,id. 26, 6, 16, § 30 et saep.
* Transf.
* Of inanimate subjects, to swallow up, ingulf, absorb: devorer telluris hiatu,Ov. H. 3, 63: terra devoravit montem,Plin. 2, 91, 93, § 205: vel me Charybdis devoret,Ov. Tr. 5, 2, 74: terras devorant aquae,Plin. 31, 1, 1, § 2: sol aquas devorans,id. 20 prooem. § 1: ne rotae devorarentur (viarum mollitudine),Vitr. 10, 6.
* Trop.
* To swallow down, repress, suppress, check: verborum pars devorari solet, to be swallowed, i. e. only half pronounced, Quint. 11, 3, 33; so, verba, Sen. de Ira, 3, 14 fin.; cf. lacrimas,i. e. to repress,Ov. F. 4, 845; id. M. 13, 540: gemitus,Sen. Ep. 66 med.
* Of property, to consume, to waste, = exhaurire: omnem pecuniam publicam,Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 76; id. Phil. 13, 2, 3; id. Pis. 21.—And with a pers. object: Si. Jamne illum comesurus es? Ba. Dum recens est, Dum datur, dum calet, devorari decet, Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 26; id. As. 2, 2, 71; cf.: ut hominem devorari, cujus patrimonium consumitur, Quint. 8, 6, 25.
* Trop., to consume, destroy: devorent vos arma vestra,Just. 14, 4, 14; cf.: aquilarum pinnae reliquarum alitum pinnas devorant,Plin. 10, 3, 4, § 15: vox devoratur,i. e. is swallowed up, lost,id. 11, 51, 112, § 270: devoravi nomen imprudens, swallowed, i. e. I have lost, utterly forgotten, Plaut. Trin. 4, 2, 63: devorato pudore, Ap. M. 9, p. 225.
* To swallow any thing unpleasant, i. e to bear patiently, to endure: hominum ineptias ac stultitias,Cic. Brut. 67, 236; so, molestiam paucorum dierum,id. Phil. 6, 6, 17: taedium illud,Quint. 11, 2, 41: bilem et dolorem, Tert. Res. carn. 54.
* To accept eagerly, enjoy: quid tibi faciam qui illos libros devorasti,Cic. Att. 7, 3, 2: os impiorum devorat iniquitatem,Vulg. Prov. 19, 28: auscultate et mea dicta devorate,Plaut. As. 3, 3, 59; cf.: orationem dulcem (aures),id. Poen. 5, 2, 9: verbum ipsum (voluptatis),id. Sest. 10, 23.
* Ejus oratio, nimia religione attenuata, a multitudine et a foro devorabatur, qs. swallowed but not digested (i. e. heard without being understood), Cic. Brut. 82, 283.

s. TLL