Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary

I.part. fut. parsurus, Liv. 26, 13, 16; Suet. Tib. 62: “parciturus,” Hier. Ep. 14, 2), parsum, and less correctly parcĭtum, 3, v. n. and a. [for sparco; Gr. σπαρνός, rare; cf. Engl. spare; but v. also paucus, parvus], to act sparingly, be sparing with respect to a thing, to spare; constr. usually with dat. or absol.; ante-class. also with acc.

I. Lit.

A. Of things (rare but class.).

(α). With dat.: “nihil pretio parsit, filio dum parceret,” Plaut. Capt. prol. 32: “operae meae,” id. Mil. 4, 9, 3: “te rogo sumptu ne parcas,” Cic. Fam. 16, 4, 2: “non parcam operae,” id. ib. 13, 27, 1: “nec impensae, nec labori, nec periculo parsurum,” Liv. 35, 44: “petit, ne cui rei parcat ad ea perficienda,” Nep. Paus. 2, 5.—

(β). Absol.: “frumentum se exigue dierum XXX. habere, sed paulo etiam longius tolerare posse parcendo,” Caes. B. G. 7, 71, 4.—Poet.: “parcens = parcus: parcentes ego dexteras Odi (= parcius administrantes vinum, flores, etc.),” Hor. C. 3, 19, 21.—

(γ). With acc. (ante-class. and poet.): “oleas,” Cato, R. R. 58: “pecuniam,” Plaut. Curc. 3, 11: “argenti atque auri memoras quae multa talenta, Gnatis parce tuis,” spare, reserve for your children, Verg. A. 10, 532 Serv.—Prov.: “qui parcit virgae odit filium,” Vulg. Prov. 13, 24.—

B. Of persons, to spare, have mercy upon, forbear to injure or punish (eccl. and late Lat.), usually with dat.: “non pepercisti filio tuo,” Vulg. Gen. 22, 16; id. 2 Pet. 2, 4 et saep.—

II. Trop.

A. To spare, i. e. to preserve by sparing, to use carefully, not to injure.

(α). With dat.: “tibi parce,” Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 112: “justitia autem praecipit, parcere omnibus, consulere generi hominum,” Cic. Rep. 3, 12: aedificiis omnibus publicis et privatis, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 54, § 120: “amicitiis et dignitatibus,” id. Or. 26, 89; id. Phil. 2, 24, 59: “non aetate confectis, non mulieribus, non infantibus pepercerunt,” Caes. B. G. 7, 28: “subjectis, sed debellare superbos,” Verg. A. 6, 853: “ne reliquis quidem nepotibus parsurus creditur,” Suet. Tib. 62: “alicujus auribus,” i. e. to refrain from speaking on disagreeable topics, Cic. Quint. 12, 40; so, “auribus et consuetudini,” id. de Or. 3, 43, 170: “valetudini,” id. Fam. 11, 27, 1: “famae,” Prop. 1, 16, 11: “oculis,” i. e. to turn away one's eyes from an unpleasant sight, id. 4, 9, 35: “luminibus,” Tib. 1, 2, 33; Suet. Dom. 11: “parcit Cognatis maculis similis fera,” Juv. 15, 159.—

(β). With in and acc. (ante-and post-class.): “neque parcit in hostes,” Lucr. 6, 399: “parce in feminam,” App. M. 1, p. 105, 39.—

(γ). Absol. (poet.): “thyrso parcente ferit,” i. e. lightly, Stat. Ach. 1, 572.—

B. To abstain or refrain from doing a thing; to forbear, leave off, desist, stop, cease, let alone, omit (cf.: desino, mitto): meo labori non parsi, Cato ap. Fest. p. 242 Müll.; cf. Plaut. Ps. 1, 1, 3; id. Pers. 2, 5, 11; so, “neque parcetur labori,” Cic. Att. 2, 14, 2: “auxilio,” to make no use of proffered assistance, id. Planc. 35, 86: “lamentis,” Liv. 6, 3: “bello,” abstain from, Verg. A. 9, 656: “hibernis parcebant flatibus Euri,” id. G. 2, 339: “parce metu,” cease from, id. A. 1, 257.—

(β). With inf., to refrain, forbear (not in class. prose): “visere opera tua,” Cato, R. R. 1, 1: “hancine ego vitam parsi perdere,” Ter. Hec. 3, 1, 2: “proinde parce, sis, fidem ac jura societatis jactare,” Liv. 34, 32: “parcite, oves, nimium procedere,” Verg. E. 3, 94: “pias scelerare manus,” id. A. 3, 42: “defundere vinum,” Hor. S. 2, 2, 58: “ne parce dare,” id. C. 1, 28, 23: “parce postea paupertatem cuiquam objectare,” App. Mag. 23, p. 289, 3; Aug. Ep. 43, 24: “ori,” to refrain from speaking, Vulg. Job, 7, 11.—*

(γ). With acc.: “parcito linguam in sacrificiis dicebatur, i. e. coërceto, contineto, taceto,” Fest. p. 222 Müll.—*

(δ). With ab, to desist from: “precantes, ut a caedibus et ab incendiis parceretur,” Liv. 25, 25, 6; so with abl. alone: “caede,” Aus. Epigr. 130, 4.