Semita, tæ, pe. co. Cæs. A path: a foote way.Fern semitis. Quint. Velox semita Lunæ. Claud. The swift course of the moone.Pigra semita Saturni. Cland. Semitam pro Via dixit. Ci. Rara per occultos ducebat semita calles.Virg.Spumea subsequitur fugientis semita claui.Val. Flac.The fomie print of the sterne of the ship that sayled, &c.Vitæ failentis semita. Hor. Secrete and solitarie life passing away vuknowen. Semitæ in vrbe, id est limites.Semitárius. Adiectiuum. That haunteth path wayes. vt Semitarius mœchus. Catul. Aduonterers that haunt al common streates and wayes.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
sēmĭta, ae,f.[se-(=sed-), i.e. aside; and root mi-, to go; cf.: meo, trames], a narrow way, a path, foot - path, lane, by - way, etc. (opp. via, a highway; cf.: callis, trames): quā ibant, ab itu iter appellarunt; quā id anguste, semita ut semiter, dictum, Varr. L. L. 5, 35 Müll. I.Lit. (freq. and class.): angustissimae semitae, Cic. Agr. 2, 35, 96; cf. Mart. 7, 61, 4: aut viam aut semitam monstrare, Plaut. Rud. 1, 3, 30: decedam ego illi de viā, de semitā, id. Trin. 2, 4, 80; cf. id. Curc. 2, 3, 8; Sen. Ep. 64, 10: scabras lutosasque semitas spectant, id. Ira, 3, 35, 5: omnibus viis notis semitisque essedarios ex silvis emittebat, Caes. B. G. 5, 19; so (opp. via) id. ib. 7, 8; Liv. 44, 43: semita angusta et ardua, id. 9, 24: ut Oresti nuper prandia in semitis decumae nomine magno honori fuerunt, Cic. Off. 2, 17, 58; Suet. Ner. 48; Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 20, 40 (Ann. v. 44 Vahl.): rara per occultos lucebat semita calles, Verg. A. 9, 383: quā jacet Herculeis semita litoribus,
the narrow way
, Prop. 1, 11, 2 et saep.—In mal. part., Plaut. Curc. 1, 1, 36; cf. vulgi, Prop. 2, 23 (3, 17), 1.—Prov.: qui sibi semitam non sapiunt, alteri monstrant viam, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 58, 132 (Trag. v. 358 Vahl.): de viā in semitam degredi, Plaut. Cas. 3, 5, 40.—B.Transf., of other ways or paths (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): formicae praedam Convectant calle angusto ... opere omnis semita fervet, Verg. A. 4, 407; so of the same, Plin. 11, 30, 36, 110: Phryxi quā semita jungi Europamque Asiamque vetat, Stat. Achill. 1, 409: spumea semita fugientis clavi, Val. Fl. 4, 420: velox Lunae pigraque Saturni, Claud. Laud. Stil. 2, 438: umida Iridis, id. Rapt. Pros. 2, 99: aratri, id. de Apono, 25: arteriae, id est spiritus semitae, Plin. 11, 37, 89, 219.—II.Trop. (rare but class.), a way, path, road: locuples et speciosa vult esse eloquentia ... feratur ergo non semitis, sed campis: non uti fontes angustis fistulis colliguntur, sed ut latissimi amnes totis vallibus fluat ac sibi viam, si quando non acceperit, faciat, Quint. 5, 14, 31: illius ego semita feci viam, Phaedr. 3, prol. 38: jam intellegetis, hanc pecuniam, quae via modo visa est exire ab isto, eandem semita revertisse, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 23, 57: secretum iter et fallentis semita vitae, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 103: semita certe Tranquillae per virtutem patet unica vitae, Juv. 10, 364: novum ad victoriam iter sanguinis sui semita aperire, Flor. 1, 14, 4; so in eccl. Lat., freq., of a way of life, course of conduct, etc.: justitiae, Vulg. Prov. 2, 8: justorum, id. ib. 16, 17.