I.to tread down, trample upon (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose).
I. Lit.: “turbatus eques sua ipse subsidia territis equis proculcavit,” Liv. 10, 36, 5: “crescenti segetes proculcat in herbā,” Ov. M. 8, 290; cf. Sev. ap. Sen. Suas. 6, 26, 26 sq.—Of a Centaur: “pedibusque virum proculcat equinis,” Ov. M. 12, 374: “solum,” Col. 3, 13, 6: “uvas,” id. 12, 19, 3; cf. id. 12, 15, 3; Phaedr. 1, 32, 9: “nepotem,” trample to death, Just. 44, 4, 4: “una ala ipso impetu proculcata erat,” crushed, Curt. 3, 11, 14: “aliquem,” Tac. H. 3, 81: “materiam,” Just. 38, 10, 3: qui tot proculcavimus nives, have trodden, i. e. traversed, Curt. 6, 3, 16.—
II. Trop., to trample upon, tread under foot, despise: “qui fata proculcavit,” Sen. Phoen. 193: “proculcato senatu,” Tac. H. 1, 40: “proculcata desertaque respublica,” Suet. Vesp. 5: “contumeliosā voce,” Val. Max. 9, 5, 3.—Hence, prōculcātus , a, um, P. a., trodden down; trop., = tritus, trodden under foot, mean, low, common (post-class.): “verba proculcata vulgo et protrita,” Gell. 18, 4, 6; cf. id. 17, 2, 10.
