I.to call one to account, to make complaint against, to reproach, blame.
I. In gen., of persons: “si id non me accusas, tu ipse objurgandus es,” if you do not call me to account for it, you yourself deserve to be reprimanded, Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 59: “quid me accusas?” id. As. 1, 3, 21: “meretricem hanc primum adeundam censeo, oremus, accusemus gravius, denique minitemur,” we must entreat, severely chide, and finally threaten her, Ter. Hec. 4, 4, 94 sq.: “ambo accusandi,” you both deserve reproach, id. Heaut. 1, 1, 67: “cotidie accusabam,” I daily took him to task, id. ib. 1, 1, 50: “me accusas cum hunc casum tam graviter feram,” Cic. Att. 3, 13; id. Fam. 1, 1 Manut.: “me tibi excuso in eo ipso, in quo te accuso,” id. Q. Fr. 2, 2: “ut me accusare de epistularum neglegentia possis,” that you may blame me for my tardiness in writing, id. Att. 1, 6. —Also metaph. of things, to blame, find fault with: “alicujus desperationem,” Cic. Fam. 6, 1: inertiam adolescentium, id. de Or. 1, 58 (cf. incusare, Tac. H. 4, 42); “hence also: culpam alicujus,” to lay the fault on one, Cic. Planc. 4, 9; cf. id. Sest. 38, 80; id. Lig. 1, 2; id. Cael. 12, 29.—Hence,
II. Esp.
A. Transferred to civil life, to call one to account publicly (ad causam publicam, or publice dicendam provocare), to accuse, to inform against, arraign, indict (while incusare means to involve or entangle one in a cause); t. t. in Roman judicial lang.; constr. with aliquem alicujus rei (like κατηγορεῖν, cf. Prisc. 1187 P.): “accusant ii, qui in fortunas hujus invaserunt, causam dicit is, cui nihil reliquerunt,” Cic. Rosc. Am. 5: “numquam, si se ambitu commaculasset, ambitus alterum accusaret,” id. Cael. 7: “ne quis ante actarum rerum accusaretur,” that no one should be called to account for previous offences, Nep. Thras. 3, 2; Milt. 1, 7. Other rarer constructions are: aliquem aliquid (only with id, illud, quod), Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 59; cf. Ter. Ph. 5, 8, 21: “aliquo crimine,” Cic. Verr. 1, 16; Nep. Milt. 8; id. Lys. 3, 4; id. Ep. 1 al.: “de pecuniis repetundis,” Cic. Clu. 41, 114; cf.: “de veneficiis,” id. Rosc. Am. 32, 90: “inter sicarios,” id. ib. 32; cf. Zumpt, § 446; Rudd. 2, 165 sq.; 169, note 4.—The punishment that is implied in the accusation is put in gen.: “capitis,” to accuse one of a capital crime, Nep. Paus. 2, 6; cf. Zumpt, § 447. —
B. Casus accusandi, the fourth case in grammar, the accusative case, Var. L. L. 8, § 66 Müll.; v. accusativus.
