mōtus, ūs, m. moveo, a moving, motion (freq. and class.). Lit. In gen.: orbes, qui versantur contrario motu, Cic. Rep. 6, 17, 17: deus motum dedit caelo, id. Univ. 6: natura omnia ciens et agitans motibus et mutationibus suis, id. N. D. 3, 11, 27: motus astrorum ignoro, Juv. 3, 42.
—Poet.: futuri, departure, Verg. A. 4, 297: sub Aurorae primos excedere motus, Luc. 4, 734: crebri terrae, i. e. earthquakes, Curt. 4, 4, 20; 8, 11, 2.
— In partic., artistic movement, gesticulation, dancing: haud indecoros motus more Tusco dabant, gesticulated, Liv. 7, 2: Ionici, dances, Hor. C. 3, 6, 21: Cereri dare motūs, to perform dances, dance, Verg. G 1, 350: palaestrici, the motions of wrestlers, Cic. Off. 1, 36, 130.
—Of the gestures of an orator, Cic. Brut. 30, 116.
—Of military movements, evolutions: ut ad motūs concursūsque essent leviores, Nep. Iph. 1, 4.
— Transf., a stage in the growth of a plant: tres esse motūs in vite, seu potius in surculo, naturales: unum quo germinet: alterum quo floreat: tertium quo maturescat, Col. 4, 28, 2.
— Trop. In gen., of the mind or heart, a movement, operation, impulse, emotion, affection, passion, agitation, disturbance (syn.: affectus, perturbatio): cum semper agitetur animus, nec principium motus habeat, Cic. Sen. 21, 78: motūs animorum duplices sunt, alteri cogitationis, alteri appetitūs, id. Off. 1, 36, 130: motūs animi nimii, i. e. perturbationes, id. ib. 1, 38, 136: mentis meae, id. Att. 3, 8, 4: animi motus et virtutis gloriam esse sempiternam, id. Sest. 68, 143: tres quae dulcem motum afferunt sensibus, sensation, id. Fin. 2, 3, 10: Manto, divino concita motu, impulse, inspiration, Ov. M. 6, 158.
— In partic. A political movement, sudden rising, tumult, commotion. In a good sense: Italiae magnificentissimus ille motus, Cic. pro Dom. 56, 142.
— Rebellion, sedition: omnes Catilinae motūs conatūsque prohibere, Cic. Cat. 2, 12, 26: motum afferre rei publicae, id. ib. 2, 2, 4: populi, id. de Or. 2, 48, 199: servilis, a rising of the slaves, insurrection, Liv. 39, 29: motum in re publicā non tantum impendere video, quantum tu aut vides, aut ad me consolandum affers, a change, alteration, Cic. Att. 3, 8, 3.
— In rhet., a trope (= immutatio verborum, Cic.), Quint. 9, 1, 2; cf. id. 8, 5, 35.
— A motive (post-Aug.): audisti consilii mei motūs, Plin. Ep. 3, 4, 9.