the rain descends in torrents

rŭo, ŭi, ŭtum (ruiturus, a, um, Ov. M. 4, 459; Luc. 7, 404; Mart. 1, 88, 4; Plin. Ep. 7, 19, 8; gen. plur. part. ruentum, Verg. A. 11, 886), 3, v. n. and a., to fall with violence, rush down; to fall down, tumble down, go to ruin (cf.: labor, procumbo, cado).

Neutr. (very freq. and class.).

Lit. Rarely of persons:

caedebant pariter pariterque ruebant Victores victique,

Verg. A. 10, 756; so Val. Fl. 7, 642.—Of things:

ruere illa non possunt, ut haec non eodem labefacta motu concidant,

Cic. Imp. Pomp. 7, 19:

spectacula runnt,

fell down, tumbled down, Plaut. Curc. 5, 2, 47; cf.:

parietes ruunt,

id. Most. 1, 2, 36:

lateres veteres,

id. Truc. 2, 2, 50; so,

aedes,

id. Am. 5, 1, 43; id. Most. 1, 2, 69:

omnia tecta (supra aliquem),

Lucr. 4, 403; Liv. 4, 21, 5; Quint. 8, 3, 68 al.:

altae turres,

Lucr. 5, 307:

moles et machina mundi,

id. 5, 96:

murus,

Liv. 21, 11:

templa deum,

Hor. S. 2, 2, 104;

aulaea,

id. ib. 2, 8, 71:

acervus,

id. Ep. 2, 1, 47:

murus latius quam caederetur,

Liv. 21, 11:

tecta in agris,

id. 4, 21:

silices a montibus altis,

Lucr. 5, 314:

alto a culmine Troja,

Verg. A. 2, 290.— Poet.:

caeli templa,

Lucr. 1, 1105: ruit arduus aether, it rains, or the rain descends in torrents, Verg. G. 1, 324; cf. id. A. 8, 525:

caelum imbribus immodicis,

Mart. 3, 100, 3; cf.:

caelum in se,

Liv. 40, 58:

ruit imbriferum ver,

i.e. is ending, hastening to its close, Verg. G. 1, 313; cf.:

turbidus imber aquā,

id. A. 5, 695:

tempestas,

Tac. A. 1, 30.

Prov.: caelum ruit, the sky is falling; of any thing very improbable: Cl. Quid tum, quaeso, si hoc pater resciverit? Sy. Quid si nunc caelum ruat? Ter. Heaut. 4, 3, 41. —

Transf., of rapid, hasty movements, to hasten, hurry, run, rush (cf.:

volo, curro): id ne ferae quidem faciunt, ut ita ruant atque turbentur,

Cic. Fin. 1, 10, 34; cf. id. Att. 7, 7, 7:

(Pompeium) ruere nuntiant et jam jamque adesse,

id. ib. 7, 20, 1:

huc omnis turba ruebat,

Verg. A. 6, 305:

Aeneadae in ferrum ruebant,

id. ib. 8, 648:

per proelia,

id. ib. 12, 526:

quidam inermes ultro ruere ac se morti offerre,

Tac. Agr. 37:

contis gladiisque ruerent,

id. A. 6, 35:

in aquam caeci ruebant,

Liv. 1, 27 fin.:

in castra fugientes,

id. 24, 16, 2: in vulnera ac tela, id. 26, 44:

promiscue in concubitus,

id. 3, 47:

eques pedesque certatim portis ruere,

id. 27, 41:

ad urbem infesto agmine,

id. 3, 3:

ad portas,

Tac. A. 1, 66:

ad convivium,

id. H. 2, 68 fin.:

per vias,

id. ib. 5, 22:

destinatā morte in proelium,

Flor. 2, 18, 12:

ruebant laxatis habenis aurigae,

Curt. 4, 15, 3:

de montibus amnes,

Verg. A. 4, 164:

flumina per campos,

Ov. M. 1, 285:

in Galliam Rhenus,

Tac. H. 5, 19.— Poet., of time:

vertitur interea caelum et ruit Oceano Nox,

i.e. hastens up, sets in, Verg. A. 2, 250:

revoluta ruebat dies,

was advancing, hastening on, id. ib. 10, 256; cf. of the setting of the sun, Val. Fl. 1, 274; App. M. 3, p. 136, 19.— Of sound, to break forth:

antrum, unde ruunt totidem voces, responsa Sibyllae,

Verg. A. 6, 44.—

Trop.

(Acc. to A. 1.) To fall, fail, sink (very rare):

ratio ruat omnis,

Lucr. 4, 507:

quae cum accidunt nemo est quin intellegat, ruere illam rem publicam,

Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 6, § 12:

Vitellium ne prosperis quidem parem, adeo ruentibus debilitatum,

by his falling fortunes, Tac. H. 3, 64:

tam florentes Atheniensium opes ruisse,

Just. 5, 1, 9.—

(Acc. to A. 2.) To rush, dash, hurry, hasten, run, etc. (freq. and class.):

tamquam ad interitum ruerem voluntarium,

Cic. Marcell. 5, 14:

emptorem pati ruere et per errorem in maximam fraudem incurrere,

to act hastily, commit an oversight, id. Off. 3, 13, 55; cf. Liv. 3, 11:

cum cotidie rueret,

Cic. Sest. 64, 133; id. Att. 2, 14, 1; Quint. 2, 20, 2:

compescere ruentes,

Tac. H. 1, 56; 2, 63 fin.; cf. id. ib. 2, 34:

ad seditiones et discordias et bella civilia,

id. ib. 1, 46:

crudelitatis odio in crudelitatem ruitis,

Liv. 3, 53:

in servitium,

Tac. A. 1, 7:

in exitium,

id. H. 1, 84:

in sua fata,

Ov. M. 6, 51:

omnia fatis In pejus,

Verg. G. 1, 200:

quo scelesti ruitis?

Hor. Epod. 7, 1:

quo ruis,

Verg. A. 10, 811; Ov. M. 9, 428:

multos video, quā vel impudentiā vel fames duxit, ruentes,

Quint. 2, 20, 2.— Poet., with inf.:

quo ruis imprudens, vage, dicere fata?

Prop. 4 (5), 1, 71:

scire ruunt,

Luc. 7, 751; Stat. Th. 7, 177; Claud. Rapt. Pros. 3, 387.— Impers. pass.:

ut ferme fugiendo in media fata ruitur,

Liv. 8, 24.—

Act., to cast down with violence, to dash down, tumble down, hurl to the ground, prostrate (except the jurid. phrase ruta caesa, perh. only poet. and in post-Aug. prose, for in the passage, Cic. Att. 2, 15, 2, seu ruet seu eriget rem publicam, ruet might be neutr.)

Lit.:

imbres fluctusque... frangere malum, Ruere antennas, etc.,

Plaut. Trin. 4, 1, 18:

naves (vis venti),

Lucr. 1, 272:

res impetibus crebris (venti),

id. 1, 293:

ceteros ruerem, agerem, raperem, funderem et prosternerem,

Ter. Ad. 3, 2, 21:

immanem molem volvuntque ruuntque,

Verg. A. 9, 516:

cumulos ruit pinguis harenae,

breaks down, levels, id. G. 1, 105: sese superne in praedam, to cast one ' s self upon, App. Flor. 1, p. 341, 6.—

Poet., transf., to cast up from the bottom, to turn up, throw up, rake up: cum mare permotum ventis, ruit intus harenam, casts up (syn. eruit), Lucr. 6, 726; cf.:

totum (mare) a sedibus imis (venti),

Verg. A. 1, 85:

spumas salis aere,

id. ib. 1, 35:

cinerem et confusa Ossa focis,

id. ib. 11, 211:

atram nubem ad caelum (ignis),

id. G. 2, 308:

unde Divitias aerisque ruam, dic, augur, acervos,

Hor. S. 2, 5, 22.—Hence, rŭtus, a, um, P. a., found only in the phrase rūta et caesa or rūta caesa (acc. to Varro, the u was pronounced long, although it is short in the compounds erutus, obrutus, etc.:

in venditionis lege fundi ruta caesa ita dicimus, ut U producamus,

Varr. L. L. 9, § 104).—In jurid. lang., every thing dug up (ruta) and cut down (caesa) on an estate without being wrought, and which is reserved by the owner at a sale; the timber and minerals: si ruta et caesa excipiantur in venditione, ea placuit esse ruta, quae eruta sunt, ut harena, creta et similia;

caesa ea esse, ut arbores caesas, et carbones et his similia, etc.,

Dig. 19, 1, 17:

in rutis caesis ea sunt, quae terrā non tenentur, quaeque opere structili tectoriove non continentur,

ib. 50, 16, 241:

ruta caesa dicuntur, quae venditor possessionis sui usus gratiā concidit ruendoque contraxit,

Fest. p. 262 Müll.:

ut venditores, cum aedes fundumve vendiderint rutis caesis receptis, concedant tamen aliquid emptori, quod ornandi causā apte et loco positum esse videatur,

Cic. Top. 26, 100: dicet te ne in rutis quidem et caesis solium tibl fraternum recepisse, Crass. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 55, 226.