flŭĭto (contract. flūto, Lucr. 3, 189; 4, 77; Varr. ap. Macr. S. 2, 12), āvi, ātum, 1
* V. freq. n. [fluo], to float, swim, or sail about on the water, to flow (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose).
* Lit.: in lacu Apuscidamo omnia fluitant, nihil mergitur (shortly before: in quo stagno nihil innatet),Plin. 31, 2, 18, § 22: materies primo sidit, postea fluitare incipit,id. 13, 7, 14, § 57: rei publicae navem fluitantem in alto tempestatibus, *Cic. Sest. 20, 46: fluitans alvĕus,Liv. 1, 4, 6: fluitantes insulae,Plin. 16, 36, 66, § 168: ebenus in aquis non fluitat,id. 16, 40, 76, § 204: in summo,id. 28, 9, 35, § 134: contra aquas,id. 29, 3, 12, § 52: fusile aurum per rictus,to flow,Ov. M. 11, 127: jucundum utrumque per jocum ludumque fluitantibus,those who sail about,Plin. Ep. 8, 8, 4.
* Transf., to move in a waving, unsteady manner; to wave, undulate: fluitantia aplustra,Lucr. 2, 555: pleno fluitantia vela theatro,Prop. 3, 18 (4, 17), 13: vela summo fluitantia malo,Ov. M. 11, 470: fluitantia lora,i. e. flowing, slack,id. A. A. 2, 433: vestis non fluitans sed stricta et singulos artus exprimens,flowing, loose,Tac. G. 17: amictus,Cat. 64, 68: fluitans labansque miles,staggering,Tac. H. 5, 18; 3, 27: vela (in theatris) per malos trabesque trementia flutant namque ... cogunt suo fluitare colore,to wave,Lucr. 4, 77 sq.
* Trop., to be doubtful or uncertain, to waver: animi incerto errore fluitans,Lucr. 3, 1052: spe dubiae horae,Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 110: unde primum creditur Caecinae fides fluitasse,Tac. H. 2, 93 fin.: fluitans fides,Claud. B. G. 247: citra lectionis exemplum labor ille (scribendi) carens rectore fluitabit, i. e. will be performed at random,Quint. 10, 1, 2.

s. TLL