Tractâtus, huius tractátus, m. g. pen. pro. Plin. An handling. Tractatus. Quint. A describing, handling, or intreating of any thing in wordes.Artium tractatus.Cic. Tractatus. Plin. A parte of a booke wherein any thing is handled.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
tractātus, ūs, m. [tracto], a touching, handling, working.I.Lit. (rare; not in Cic.): nucum, Plin. 15, 22, 24, 87: plantae tractatu mansuescunt ut ferae, id. 17, 10, 12, 66: tofacea aspera tractatu, id. 17, 7, 4, 44.—II.Trop., a handling, management, treatment (class.; esp. freq. in Quint.): artium (corresp. to the preced. tractantur), Cic. de Or. 3, 23, 86: asperiorum tractatu rerum atteruntur (ingenia), Quint. 8, prooem. 2; so, artis hujusce, id. ib.5: communis locorum, id. 12, 8, 2: temporis, id. 5, 10, 42: troporum, id. 1, 8, 16: aequi bonique, id. 12, 1, 8; 12, 2, 3: judicialis officii, Gell. 14, 2, 20; Vell. 2, 94, 4.—In plur.: tractatus omnes, Quint. 7, 6, 12: legales, id. 3, 8, 4.—2. Esp., of mental handling. reflection, consideration: de copiis expensisque, Veg. Mil. 3, 3; Dig. 19, 5, 5: si cognitio prolixiorem tractatum habeat, ib. 36, 1, 3: in tractatu habere, Lact. Mort. Pers. 48, 2. — 3.A consultation, discussion: cum tractatu habito societas coïta est, Dig. 17, 2, 32: diu multumque tractatu inter nos habito, Cypr. Ep. 3, 3. — B.Transf., in concr. 1.A treatise, tractate, tract: separatim toto tractatu sententia ejus judicanda est, Plin. 14, 4, 5, 45.—2. In eccl. Lat., a sermon, homily: tractatus populares, quos Graece homilias vocant, Aug. Haeres. 4 praef.