marceo

marcĕo, ēre, v. n. [Sanscr. root mar, die; Gr. marainô, marasmos; cf. also morbus, morior], to wither, droop, shrink, shrivel

I.

Lit. ( poet. ): marcebant coronae, [p. 1113] Claud. Rapt. Pros. 3, 244:

silva comis,

Stat. S. 5, 5, 29.—

II.

Transf., to be faint, weak, drooping, feeble, languid, lazy (not in Cic. or Cæs.):

annis corpus jam marcet,

Lucr. 3, 946:

marcent luxuria, vino, et epulis per totam hiemem confecti,

Liv. 23, 45:

otio ac desidia corrupti marcebant,

Just. 30, 1:

pavore,

Curt. 4, 13, 18; Vell. 2, 84:

si marcet animus, si corpus torpet,

Cels. 2, 2:

amor,

Claud. Laud. Seren. 226:

juventa,

Nemes. Ecl. 1, 60.—Hence, marcens, entis, P. a., withering, drooping, feeble, wasted away, exhausted, weak, languid, indolent (mostly poet. ).

A.

Lit.:

marcentes coronae, Claud. Epithal. Pall. et Celer. 96: marcentes tibi porrigentur uvae,

Mart. 5, 78, 12:

bracchia marcentia vino,

Col. 10, 428.—

B.

Transf.:

colla,

Stat. Th. 2, 630:

guttura,

Ov. M. 7, 314:

senex marcentibus annis,

Sil. 15, 746:

visus,

Sen. Agam. 788:

stomachus,

Suet. Calig. 58:

terga,

Mart. Cap. 6, § 704.— Absol.:

tostis marcentem squillis recreabis,

Hor. S. 2, 4, 58:

Vitellius deses et marcens,

Tac. H. 3, 36:

pocula,

i. e. enfeebling, Stat. S. 4, 6, 56:

pax,

Tac. G. 36: flamma cupiditatis, Mam. Grat. Act. ad Julian. 17.