The corpus record — Latin

amicus

amicus · adj

friendly

Generated live from the audited Latin corpus — every figure on this page is a database query, not prose from memory.

Where it lives

Laelius De Amicitia 93 · 99.61/10k
Commentariolum Petitionis 31 · 71.4/10k
Trinummus 40 · 40.65/10k
Appendix Vergiliana 4 · 36.5/10k
De vita Hadriani 17 · 33.15/10k
Stichus 20 · 32.22/10k
Antoninus Pius 7 · 31.19/10k
Satyrarum libri 42 · 29.58/10k
Maximini Duo 15 · 27.65/10k
Ad Scapulam 4 · 26.81/10k
Epodon 8 · 26.61/10k
Epicedion in Patrem 1 · 26.39/10k

Densest 12 of 283 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

1. ămīcus — Lewis & Short

ămīcus (old form ămēcus, Paul. ex a, um, adj.amo,

Fest. p. 15 Müll.),

I friendly, kind, amicable, favorable, inclined to, liking; constr. with dat., Zumpt, Gram. § 410: animo esse amico erga aliquem, Ter. Hec. 3, 3, 29; Cic. Fam. 1, 7, 3: tribuni sunt nobis amici, id. Q. Fr. 1, 2 fin.: homo amicus nobis jam inde a puero, Ter. Ad. 3, 3, 86: Pompeium tibi valde amicum esse cognovi, Cic. Fam. 1, 8, 5; id. Att. 9, 5: amicus non magis tyranno quam tyrannidi, Nep. Dion, 3, 2; id. Att. 9: male numen amicum, Verg. A. 2, 735; Ov. F. 3, 834: (Fortuna) amica varietati constantiam respuit, Cic. N. D. 2, 16: amica luto sus, fond of, Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 26.—Comp.: mihi nemo est amicior Attico, Cic. Att. 16, 16: amicior Cilicum aerariis quam nostro, id. ib. 7, 1, 6; id. Fam. 3, 2, 1.—Sup.: Deiotarum, fidelissimum regem atque amicissimum rei publicae nostrae, Cic. Att. 15, 2, 2: cum summi viri, tum amicissimi, id. Am. 2, 8: amicissimi viri, Suet. Caes. 1: successor conjunctissimus et amicissimus, Cic. Fam. 3, 3: hoc libro ad amicum amicissimus de amicitiā scripsi, id. Am. 1, 5; 23, 88 (but the comp. and sup. may sometimes be rendered as belonging to 2. amicus, a greater friend, the greatest friend, as in Cic. Att. 16, 16, and Am. 1, 5; so in Gr. basileu/s etc.).—

B Of things, kindly, pleasing (mostly poet.; so Cic. rarely): nihil homini amico est opportuno amicius, Plaut. Ep. 3, 3, 44: secundum te nihil est mihi amicius solitudine, Cic. Att. 12, 15: portus intramus amicos, Verg. A. 5, 57: fessos opibus solatur amicis, id. ib. 5, 416: vento amico ferri, Ov. Tr. 1, 5, 17: per amica silentia lunae, Verg. A. 2, 255: amici imbres, id. G. 4, 115: sidus amicum, Hor. Epod. 10, 9: sol amicum tempus agens, bringing the welcome hour, id. C. 3, 6, 43: tempus fraudibus amicum, Stat. S. 5, 2, 39: brevitas postulatur, qui mihimet ipsi amicissima est, Cic. Quinct. 34.—*

C Amicum est mihi (after the Gr. fi/lon e)sti/ moi; in pure Lat., mihi cordi est, etc.); with inf., it pleases me, it accords with my feelings: nec dis amicum est nec mihi te prius Obire, Hor. C. 2, 17, 2.—Hence, adv., in a friendly manner, kindly, amicably.

a Old form ămīcĭter, Pac. ap. Non. 510, 26; Plaut. Pers. 2, 3, 3.—

b Class. form ămīcē: facis amice, Cic. Am. 2, 9: haec accipienda amice, id. ib. 24, 88; id. Fin. 1, 10; id. Off. 1, 26. —* Comp., Front. ad M. Caes. 1, 6.—Sup., Cic. Div. in Caecil. 9; Caes. B. C. 2, 17.

2. ămīcus — Lewis & Short

ămīcus, i, m.from amo, as fi/los from file/w, and from (

I gen. plur. amicūm, Ter. Heaut. prol. 24).

A A friend; constr. with gen. or poss. adj.; v. Zumpt, Gram. § 410: est is (amicus) tamquam alter idem, Cic. Am. 21, 80 (cf. id. ib. 25, 92; id. Off. 1, 17): amicum qui intuetur, tamquam exemplar intuetur sui, id. Am. 7, 23: Non tam utilitas parta per amicum, quam amici amor ipse delectat, id. ib. 14, 51: Amicus certus in re incertā cernitur, Enn. ap. Cic. ib. 17, 64: boni improbis, improbi bonis amici esse non possunt, Cic. ib. 20, 74: ex omnibus saeculis vix tria aut quattuor nominantur paria amicorum, id. ib. 4, 15: tu ex amicis certis mi es certissimus, Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 54 and 57: vetus verbum hoc est, Communia esse amicorum inter se omnia, Ter. Ad. 5, 4, 18: Respicis antiquum lassis in rebus amicum, Ov. P. 2, 3, 93: Alba tuus antiquissimus non solum amicus, verum etiam amator, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 63 fin.: hospitis et amici mei M. Pacuvii fabula, id. Am. 7, 24: suis incommodis graviter angi non amicum sed se ipsum amantis est, of one loving not his friend, but himself, id. ib. 3, 10: ab amicis honesta petere, amicorum causā honesta facere, id. ib. 13, 44: paternus amicus ac pernecessarius, id. Fl. 6, 14: amicus novus, id. Am. 19, 67: vetus, id. ib.; Verg. A. 3, 82; Hor. S. 2, 6, 81; Ov. P. 1, 6, 53: amici ac familiares veteres, Suet. Tib. 55: aequaevus, Verg. A. 5, 452: ardens, id. ib. 9, 198: dulcis, Hor. S. 1, 3, 69; Ov. P. 1, 8, 31: carus, Hor. C. 4, 9, 51; Ov. Tr. 3, 6, 7: jucundus, Hor. S. 1, 3, 93: amici jucundissimi et omnium horarum, Suet. Tib. 42: amicus propior, Hor. Ep. 1, 9, 5: fidelis, id. ib. 2, 2, 1; Vulg. Eccli. 6, 14: fidus, Hor. Ep. 1, 5, 24: verus, Cic. Am. 21, 82; Vulg. Eccli. 25, 12: mendax, Hor. A. P. 425: secernere blandum amicum a vero, Cic. Am. 25, 95: memor, Ov. Tr. 5, 9, 33: summus, Ter. Phorm. 1, 1, 1: primus, Vulg. 1 Macc. 10, 65: amici tristes, Hor. C. 1, 7, 24: maesti, Ov. Tr. 1, 9, 5: dives, Hor. Ep. 1, 8, 24: inops, id. S. 1, 2, 5: inferioris ordinis amici, Cic. Am. 19, 69: communes amici, Cic. Fam. 5, 2: amice, salve! Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 12; so Cat. 55, 7; Verg. A. 6, 507; Hor. C. 2, 14, 6; and Vulg. Matt. 20, 13: magnanimi veritatis amici, Cic. Off. 1, 19: amicos parare, Ter. And. 1, 1, 39: amicos parare optimam vitae, ut ita dicam, supellectilem, Cic. Am. 15, 55: minus amicorum habens, Ter. Eun. 4, 6, 22: me unum atque unicum amicum habuit, Cat. 73, 6; amicos habere, Cic. Am. 11, 36; so Vulg. Prov. 22, 11: nos sibi amicos junget, Ter. Hec. 5, 2, 32; Hor. S. 1, 3, 54: amicum servare, id. ib.: amicum servare per durum tempus, Ov. P. 2, 6, 29: aliquo uti amico, to have one as a friend, Cic. de Or. 1, 14, 62; Hor. S. 1, 4, 96: sibi amicum facere, Vulg. Luc. 16, 9: amicum diligere, Verg. A. 9, 430; Vulg. Deut. 13, 6: amico inservire, Ter. Heaut. 3, 1, 8: amico parcere, Hor. S. 1, 4, 35: et monendi amici saepe sunt et objurgandi, Cic. Am. 24, 88: amico ignoscere, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 110: angorem pro amico capere, Cic. Am. 13, 48: amici jacentem animum excitare, id. ib. 16, 59: amicum consolari, Ov. Tr. 5, 4, 41: amico orbatus, Cic. Am. 3, 10: amicum offendere, Hor. S. 1, 3, 73: non paucis munitus amicis, Ov. P. 2, 3, 25.—Also for patronus, patron, protector; so Horace of Mæcenas, Epod. 1, 2: amicus potens, powerful friend, id. C. 2, 18, 12; so, magnus, Juv. 3, 57; 6, 313: Suet. Aug. 56: valentissimi, id. ib. 35.—And for socius, companion: trepido fugam exprobravit amico, Ov. M. 13, 69.—

B In polit. relations, a friend of the State (who was not always socius, an ally, but the socius was always amicus; cf. amicitia): Deiotarus ex animo amicus, unus fidelis populo Romano, Cic. Phil. 11, 13: socio atque amico regi, Liv. 37, 54; 7, 30 et saep.; Suet. Caes. 11.—

C In and after the Aug. per., a counsellor, courtier, minister of a prince, Nep. Milt. 3, 2 Dähn.: fuerunt multi reges ex amicis Alexandri Magni, id. Reg. 3, 1; so Suet. Caes. 70, 72; 70, 79; id. Aug. 16; 17; 35; 56; 66; id. Calig. 19; id. Ner. 5; id. Galb. 7 al.; cf. Ernest. ad Suet. Excurs. XV.—Hence, ămī-ca, ae, f.

A In bon. part., a female friend (very rare; cf. e(tai/ra in Hom., Aristoph., Plato): amicae, cognatae, Ter. Hec. 4, 2, 16: at haec amicae erunt, ubi, etc., id. ib. 5, 2, 24: Me (laedit) soror et cum quae dormit amica simul, Prop. 2, 6, 12: ibit ad adfectam, quae non languebit, amicam Visere, Ov. Am. 2, 2, 21; cf. Juv. 3, 12; 6, 353; 6, 455; 6, 481; so Inscr. Grut. 865, 17; 891, 4. —

B In mal. part., = meretrix, a concubine, mistress, courtesan (esp. freq. in the comic poets; so in Gr. e(tai/ra com. in Att. usage): eum suus pater ab amicā abduxit, Naev. ap. Gell. 6, 8: mulierem pejorem quam haec amica est Phaedromi non vidi, Plaut. Curc. 5, 1, 3; so id. Trin. 3, 2, 25; 3, 4, 22; id. Cist. 2, 3, 28; id. Ep. 5, 2, 36; 5, 2, 39 al.: sive ista uxor sive amica est, Ter. And. 1, 3, 11; id. Heaut. 1, 1, 52; 1, 2, 15; 3, 3, 6; 4, 6, 15 et saep.; Cic. Att. 10, 10; Dig. 50, 16, 144.

3. amicus — Walde–Hofmann

amicus, 4 m., -@ f. „Freund, -in" (seit Naev., rom.): zu amó, -i- nach Brugmann Grdr, II*1, 496 auf Grund eines Lallworts *ami (gegenüber "ami in amita); ameci (Paul. Fest.) u. inschr. ameieus, ameicitia (erst seit Ende des 2, Jhs.) sprechen kaum für altes -ei-, s, Persson Beitr. 4107. - - — [Walde–Hofmann, s.v. amicus, p. 71]

In the wild

amicis Bede, Historiam ecclesiasticam gentis Anglorum 4.24.p1
amicorum Livy, Ab urbe condita 4.42.15.7
amici Ovid, Amores 3.9.63
amicorum Cicero, Laelius De Amicitia 57
amicorum Cicero, De Oratore 1.78
amicus Horace, Satyrarum libri 1.4.132

6 of 3,612 attestations shown.

Where it came from

Ernout-Meillet, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue latine Treated in Ernout-Meillet, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue latine s.v. amicus (scan p. 53; entry #509).
Walde-Hofmann, Lateinisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Walde-Hofmann, Lateinisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. amicus (scan p. 71; entry #179).

Latin text and lemmatization derived from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-latinLit), CC BY-SA 4.0. Lewis & Short (public domain) via Perseus. This derived data is shared under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 license.