I.to strike or dash to the ground, to cast down utterly, overthrow, overcome, conquer (class.; syn.: sterno, prosterno).
I. Lit.: “inimicos profligare,” Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 75: “copias hostium,” Cic. Phil. 14, 14, 37: “classem hostium,” Caes. B. C. 2, 32: “hostes,” Nep. Dat. 6, 8: “proelia,” i. e. the warriors, Tac. A. 14, 36: “aciem virorum,” Sil. 11, 400; Tac. A. 13, 4.—
II. Trop.
A. To overthrow, ruin, destroy: “rem publicam,” Cic. de Or. 3, 1, 3: “tantas opes,” Nep. Pelop. 2, 3: “undique se suosque profligante fortunā,” Liv. 33, 19: “valetudinem,” Gell. 19, 5, 2.—
B. To overwhelm, crush in spirit: “quanti illum maerore afflictum esse et profligatum putatis,” Cic. Cat. 2, 1, 2.—
C. To bring almost to an end, to almost finish, despatch: “bellum commissum ac profligatum conficere,” Liv. 21, 40, 11: “profligato fere Samnitium bello,” id. 9, 29, 1; 28, 2, 11: “profligatum bellum ac paene sublatum,” Cic. Fam. 12, 30, 2: “profligata jam haec, et paene ad exitum adducta quaestio est,” id. Tusc. 5, 6, 15: “omnia ad perniciem profligata,” id. Rosc. Am. 13, 38: “sperans, ante Vitellii adventum profligari plurimum posse,” that it would be brought nearly to an end, Suet. Oth. 9: “profligaverat bellum Judaicum Vespasianus,” Tac. H. 2, 4; Flor 2, 15, 2; Just. 31, 7, 3; Sen. Ben. 7, 13, 2: “profligatis in Africā rebus,” Just. 22, 8, 1: “victoriam,” Front. Strat. 2, 3, 2: “quantum profligatum sit,” how far advanced, Just. 20, 4, 13; cf. Front. Strat. 2, 3, 20.—Hence, prōflīgātus , a, um, P. a.
A. Wretched, miserable, vile (class.; “syn. perditus): senatoria judicia perdita profligataque,” Cic. Verr. 1, 3, 8.—
B. In a moral sense, corrupt, dissolute, abandoned, profligate (class.): “tu omnium mortalium profligatissime ac perditissime,” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 26, § 65: “homines,” id. Arch. 6, 14: “omnia ad perniciem profligata atque perdita,” id. Rosc. Am. 13, 38: “profligatissimus quisque,” Suet. Tib. 35.—
C. Of time, advanced (post-Aug.): “profligatae aetatis (homo),” Sen. Ot. 2, 2 (al. Vit. Beat. 29, 2).—In neutr. absol.: “in profligato esse,” to be almost ended, Gell. 15, 5, 2.