maculo

măcŭlo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [1. macula], 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.