I.to make spotted, to spot, speckle, variegate.
I. Lit.
A. In gen. (only poet.), to stain, tinge, dye: “telas maculare ostro,” Val. Fl. 4, 368: “et multo maculatum murice tigrim,” id. 6, 704.—
B. In partic., to spot, stain, defile, pollute: “maculari corpus maculis luridis,” Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 63: “solum sanguine,” Cat. 63, 7; cf.: “terram tabo,” Verg. A. 3, 29: dextra maculata cruore, Ov. de Nuce, 157.—
II. Trop. (acc. to I. B.), to defile, dishonor, disgrace, etc. (freq. in Cic.): “rex ille optimi regis caede maculatus,” Cic. Rep. 2, 25, 46; cf.: “partus suos parricidio,” Liv. 1, 13: “nemora nefario stupro,” Cic. Mil. 31, 85: “Catonis splendorem,” id. Sest. 28, 60: “tuum maculavi crimine nomen,” Verg. A. 10, 851: “inde metus maculat poenarum praemia vitae,” spoils, Lucr. 5, 1151: “obsoleta quoque (verba) et maculantia ex sordidiore vulgi usu ponit,” Gell. 16, 7, 4.—Hence, măcŭ-lātim , adv., in a spotted or mottled fashion (late Lat.), Aug. Gen. ad Lit. 5, 10.