I.to tear to pieces, to mangle, rend, mutilate, lacerate (class., esp. in the trop. sense; syn.: lanio, discerpo).
I. Lit.: “quin spolies, mutiles, laceres quemquam nacta sis,” Ter. Hec. 1, 1, 8: lacerat lacertum Largi mordax Memmius, Crass. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 59, 240: “corpus uti volucres lacerent in morte feraeque,” Lucr. 3, 880: “membra aliena,” Juv. 15, 102; cf.: lacerato corpore, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 2 (Trag. v. 95 Vahl.): “morsu viscera, Cic. poët. Tusc. 2, 8: ora, comas, vestem lacerat,” Ov. M. 11, 726: “amictus,” Sil. 13, 389: “genas,” Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 51: “verbere terga,” id. F. 2, 695: “Tum autem Syrum impulsorem, vah, quibus illum lacerarem modis,” Ter. Ad. 3, 2, 17: “tergum virgis,” Liv. 3, 58; 26, 13: “unguibus cavos recessus luminum,” Sen. Oedip. 968: “quid miserum laceras?” Verg. A. 3, 41: “ferro,” Hor. C. 3, 27, 46: “loricam,” Verg. A. 12, 98: lacerari morsibus saevis canum, Phaedr. 1, 12, 11: “ferae corpus lacerabant,” Petr. 115 sq.: “carnes dentibus,” Vulg. Job, 13, 4; id. Gen. 40, 19.—
B. Esp.
1. To break up, to wreck, shatter: “navem Ulixis,” Ov. P. 3, 6, 19: “majorem partem classis,” Vell. 2, 79, 3: “naves,” Liv. 29, 8: “navigia,” Curt. 4, 3, 18: “lecticam,” Suet. Aug. 91.—
3. To waste, plunder: cum Hannibal terram Italiam laceraret atque vexaret, Cato ap. Serv. Verg. E. 6, 7, 6: “orbem,” Juv. 4, 37.—
II. Trop.
A. To tear to pieces with words, to censure, asperse, abuse, rail at: “obtrectatio invidiaque, quae solet lacerare plerosque,” Cic. Brut. 42, 156: “optimum virum verborum contumeliis,” id. Phil. 11, 2: “aliquem probris,” Liv. 31, 6: “Pompeium dempto metu lacerant,” Sall. H. 3, 61, 21 Dietsch: “meque vosque male dictis,” id. J. 85, 26: “famam alicujus,” to slander, calumniate, id. 38, 54: “alicujus carmina,” Ov. P. 4, 16, 1: “lacerari crebro vulgi rumore,” Tac. A. 15, 73.—
B. To distress, torture, pain, afflict: “intolerabili dolore lacerari,” Cic. Ac. 2, 8, 23: “quam omni crudelitate lacerastis,” id. Dom. 23, 59: “quid laceras pectora nostra morā?” Ov. H. 15, 212: “meus me maeror cottidianus lacerat et conficit,” Cic. Att. 3, 8, 2; cf.: “aegritudo lacerat, exest animum planeque conficit,” id. Tusc. 3, 13, 27.—
C. To ruin, destroy, dissipate, squander, waste: “male suadendo et lustris lacerant homines,” Plaut. Curc. 4, 2, 22: “patriam omni scelere,” Cic. Off. 1, 17, 57: “bonorum emptores, ut carnifices, ad reliquias vitae lacerandas et distrahendas,” to scatter, disperse, Cic. Quint. 15, 50: “pecuniam,” to squander, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 70, § 164: “lacerari valde suam rem,” Plaut. Merc. 1, 1, 48; cf.: “bona patria manu, ventre,” to lavish, squander, Sall. C. 14, 2: “diem,” to waste, Plaut. As. 2, 2, 25; id. Stich. 3, 1, 45.
