fluctus (noun M) : (ante-class. form of the
* Gen. sing. fluctuis, Varr. and Nigid. ap. Gell. 4, 16, 1; nom. plur. flucti, Pac. and Att. ap. Non. 488, 12), m. fluo; cf. fluctio, the peculiar motion of fluids, a flowing, waving.
* In abstr. (rare; cf.: unda, fluentum): jactetur aquae fluctu quoque terra vacillans,Lucr. 6, 554 sq.—Of the flowing motion of the magnetic fluid (v. aestus): Cogitur offensare pulsareque fluctu Ferrea texta suo,Lucr. 6, 1053.—In mal. part., Lucr. 4, 1271; cf. fluctuo, I. α fin.
* Transf., a flow, flood.—In concr., a wave, billow, surge, esp. of the sea (the predom. signif. of the word in prose and poetry; esp. freq. in the plur.).
* Sing.: fons aquae dulcis, qui fluctu totus operiretur, nisi, etc., the flood, i. e. high tide, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 53, § 118: alia fluctus differt, dissipat visceratim membra, Maria salsa spumant sanguine, Enn. ap. Non. 183, 18 (Trag. v. 144 ed. Vahl.): ab saxo avortit fluctus ad litus scapham,Plaut. Rud. 1, 2, 76; 82: fluctum a saxo frangi,Cic. Fam. 9, 16, 6: fluctus uti ... volutus Ad terras immane sonat per saxa,Verg. G. 3, 237: ad fluctum aiunt declamare solitum Demosthenem, ut fremitum assuesceret voce vincere,to the waves,Cic. Fin. 5, 2, 5.
* Plur.: indu mari magno fluctus extollere certant, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 2 (Ann. v. 425 ed. Vahl.): mulserat huc navim compulsam fluctibus pontus, id. ap. Prisc. p. 870 P. (Ann. v. 257 ed. Vahl.): excitatis maximis fluctibus,Cic. Rep. 1, 6: (insulae) fluctibus cinctae,id. ib. 2, 4; cf.: Massilia, quae cincta Gallorum gentibus barbariae fluctibus alluitur,id. Fl. 26, 63: sese fluctibus committere,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 37, § 91: sedatis fluctibus,id. Inv. 2, 51, 154: puppes ad magnitudinem fluctuum tempestatumque accommodatae,Caes. B. G. 3, 13, 3: in fluctibus consistere,id. ib. 4, 24, 2: fluctibus compleri,id. ib. 4, 28 fin.: luctantem Icariis fluctibus Africum Mercator metuens,Hor. C. 1, 1, 15: o navis, referent in mare te novi Fluctus,id. ib. 1, 14, 2: mulcere fluctus et tollere vento,Verg. A. 1, 66: procella ... fluctus ad sidera tollit,id. ib. 1, 103: revomere salsos fluctus pectore,id. ib. 5, 182.—Prov.: excitare fluctus in simpulo, to raise a tempest in a tea-pot, i. e. to make much ado about nothing, Cic. Leg. 3, 16, 36.
* Trop., like tempestas and unda, and our waves or billows, for turbulence, commotion, disturbance: qui in hac tempestate populi jactemur et fluctibus,Cic. Planc. 4, 11; cf. contionum,id. Mil. 2, 5: rerum Fluctibus in mediis,Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 85; cf. also Lucr. 5, 11: hoc omne tempus post consulatum objecimus iis fluctibus, qui per nos a communi peste depulsi, in nosmet ipsos redundarunt,Cic. de Or. 1, 1, 3; id. Att. 8, 3, 5: fluctus civiles,Nep. Att. 6: capere irarum fluctus in pectore,Lucr. 3, 298; so, irarum,id. 6, 74; Verg. A. 12, 831; Val. Max. 9, 3 init.: tristes curarum,Lucr. 6, 34: belli,id. 5, 1290.

s. TLL