seco

sĕco, cŭi, ctum ( part. fut. secaturus, Col. 5, 9, 2), 1, v. a. [root sak-, to cut; whence securis, sĕcula, serra (secra), segmen, sexus, saxum, etc.; cf. sīca, and Gr. keiô, keazô, schizô], to cut, cut off, cut up (class.; syn.: caedo, scindo).

I.

Lit.

A.

In gen.:

leges duodecim tabularum, si plures forent, quibus rens esset judicatus, secare, si vellent, atque partiri corpus addicti sibi hominis permiserunt,

Gell. 20, 1, 48 sq.; cf.:

et judicatos in partes secari a creditoribus leges erant,

Tert. Apol. 4:

cape cultrum, seca Digitum vel aurem,

Plaut. Merc. 2, 2, 38 sq.:

omne animal secari ac dividi potest, nullum est eorum individuum,

Cic. N. D. 3, 12, 29: pabulum secari non posse, be cut, mown, * Caes. B. G. 7, 14; so,

sectae herbae,

Hor. S. 2, 4, 67:

gallinam,

to cut to pieces, Juv. 5, 124:

placenta,

Mart. 3, 77, 3:

alicui collum gladio suā dexterā,

Q. Cic. Petit. Cons. 3, 10:

palatum,

to divide, Cels. 8, 1:

tergora in frusta,

Verg. A. 1, 212: dona auro gravia sectoque elephanto, i. e. of carved, wrought ivory (an imitation of the Homeric pristos elephas, Od. 18, 196), Verg. A. 3, 464:

marmora,

Hor. C. 2, 18, 17: sectis nitebat marmoribus, Luc. 10, 114; so absol.:

nec ideo ferrum secandi vim non perdidit,

Sen. Ben. 5, 5, 1:

prave sectus unguis,

Hor. Ep. 1, 104:

secti lapides,

Vulg. Exod. 20, 25. —

B.

In partic.

1.

Med. t. t., to cut surgically; to operate on; to cut off or out, amputate, excise, etc.:

in corpore si quid ejusmodi est, quod reliquo corpori noceat, id uri secarique patimur,

Cic. Phil. 8, 5, 15; cf.:

saevitia secandi,

Plin. 29, 1, 6, § 13; so,

membra,

id. 26, 11, 69, § 112:

vomicam,

Plaut. Pers. 2, 5, 13:

varices Mario,

Cic. Tusc. 2, 15, 35 (for which, exciditur, Cels. 7, 31); cf. of the same: C. Marius cum secaretur, ut supra dixi, principio vetuit se alligari;

nec quisquam ante Marium solutus dicitur esse sectus,

was cut, operated upon, Cic. Tusc. 2, 22, 53:

servum,

Just. Inst. 4, 3, 6.—

2.

To cut, castrate (very rare):

puer avari sectus arte mangonis,

Mart. 9, 7, 4; so,

sectus Gallus (corresp. to eviratus),

id. 5, 41, 3.—

C.

Transf. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose).

1.

To scratch, tear, wound, hurt, injure (cf. caedo, II.):

ambo (postes) ab infimo tarmes secat,

the worms are gnawing them, they are wormeaten, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 140:

luctantis acuto ne secer ungui,

lest I should be torn, Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 47; cf.:

rigido sectas invenit ungue genas,

Ov. F. 6, 148:

teneras plantas tibi (glacies),

Verg. E. 10, 49:

corpora vepres,

id. G. 3, 444:

crura (sentes),

Ov. M. 1, 509:

pete ferro Corpus et intorto verbere terga seca,

cut, lacerate, Tib. 1, 9, 22; so,

sectus flagellis,

Hor. Epod. 4, 11:

loris,

Mart. 10, 5, 14 al.:

si quem podagra secat,

gnaws, torments, Cat. 71, 2;

imitated by Martial: podagra cheragraque secatur Gaius,

Mart. 9, 92, 9.—

2.

Like the Gr. temnein, and our to cut, i. e.,

a.

To divide, cleave, separate ( poet. and in post-Aug. prose):

quos (populos) secans interluit Allia,

Verg. A. 7, 717:

medios Aethiopas (Nilus),

Plin. 5, 9, 10, § 53:

medios agros (Tiberis),

Plin. Ep. 5, 6, 12:

medium agmen (Turnus),

Verg. A. 10, 440:

agrum (limes),

Plin. 18, 34, 77, § 331:

caelum (zonae),

Ov. M. 1, 46:

sectus orbis,

Hor. C. 3, 27, 75; cf.:

in longas orbem qui secuere vias,

Ov. Am. 2, 16, 16.—

b.

With the idea of motion, to cut through, i. e. to run, sail, fly, swim, go, etc., through:

delphinum similes, qui per maria umida nando Carpathium Libycumque secant,

cut through, cleave, Verg. A.5, 595:

aequor,

id. ib. 5, 218:

pontum,

id. ib. 9, 103:

aequor Puppe,

Ov. M. 11, 479:

fretum puppe,

id. ib. 7, 1; cf.:

vada nota (amnis),

id. ib. 1, 370:

ales avis... geminis secat aëra pennis,

Cic. Arat. 48:

aethera pennis (avis),

Verg. G. 1, 406; 1, 409:

auras (cornus),

id. A. 12, 268:

ventos (Cyllenia proles),

ib. ib. 4, 257:

sub nubibus arcum (Iris),

id. ib. 9, 15 et saep.— Secare viam (vias), the Gr. temnein hodon, to take one's way, to travel a road:

ille viam secat ad naves,

Verg. A. 6, 899:

hinc velut diversae secari coeperunt viae,

Quint. 3, 1, 14.—

II.

Trop. (acc. to I. C. 1. and 2.).

* A.

To cut up, lash in speaking, i.e. to censure, satirize:

secuit Lucilius Urbem,

Pers. 1, 114.—

B.

To divide (not freq. till after the Aug. per.):

cum causas in plura genera secuerunt,

Cic. de Or. 2, 27, 117:

haec in plures partes,

Quint. 8, 6, 13; cf.:

scrupulose in partes sectā divisionis diligentiā,

id. 4, 5, 6:

quae natura singularia sunt secant (corresp. to divido),

id. 4, 5, 25:

sectae ad tenuitatem suam vires (just before: distinguendo. dividendo),

id. 12, 2, 13.—Hence, in Hor., like dirimo (II.), of disputes, to cut off, i.e. to decide them:

quo multae magnaeque secantur judice lites,

Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 42: magnas res, to cure (as it were, by a light operation), id. S. 1, 10, 15.—And once in Verg.: secare spem (the figure borrowed from the phrases secare mare, auras, viam): quae cuique est fortuna hodie, quam quisque secat spem, whatever hope each follows, i. e. indulges in, entertains, Verg. A. 10, 107 (secat, sequitur, tenet, habet;

ut: Ille viam secat ad naves,

id. ib. 6, 899: unde et sectas dicimus, habitus animorum et instituta philosophiae circa disciplinam, Serv.).