1. ex-cŏlo — Lewis & Short
ex-cŏlo, cŏlŭi, cultum, 3, v. a.,
I to work carefully, to tend, cultivate.
I Lit. (very rare, and mostly post-Aug.):
vineas,Plin. 14, 4, 5, § 48; cf. rura, Claud. ap. Eutr. 2, 196:
victum hominum (boves),Plin. 8, 47, 72, § 187:
lanas rudes,i. e. to spin fine, Ov. A. A. 2, 220.—
B Transf., in gen., to improve, polish, adorn, perfect:
marmora, quibus solum, quibus parietes excolantur,Plin. Ep. 9, 39, 3; Plin. 35, 10, 37, § 118; cf.:
praetoria xystis et nemoribus,Suet. Aug. 72:
urbem adeo, ut jure sit gloriatus marmoream se relinquere,id. ib. 28:
aedificium,Dig. 7, 1, 44:
fructuarius excolere quod invenit potest, qualitate aedium non immutata,ib. 7, 1, 13, § 7:
vagos resecare capillos Doctus et hirsutas excoluisse genas,Mart. 6, 52, 4:
triumphum,Plin. 35, 11, 40, § 135:
tumulum in tropaei modum,Flor. 4, 12:
legionarii injecere flammae arma sua, quibus exculti funus celebrabant,Suet. Caes. 84.—
II Trop.
A To improve, ennoble, refine, perfect (the class. signif. of the word):
nihil tam horridum, tam incultum, quod non splendescat oratione et tamquam excolatur, Cic. Parad. prooem. § 3: C. Tuditanus omni vita atque victu excultus atque expolitus,id. Brut. 25, 95; cf.:
mansuefactus et excultus,id. Tusc. 1, 25, 62:
ex agresti immanique vita exculti ad humanitatem et mitigati sumus,id. Leg. 2, 14, 36:
excultus doctrinā,id. Tusc. 1, 2, 4; cf. id. ib. 4, 38, 84; Ov. Tr. 4, 10, 15:
animos doctrina,Cic. Arch. 6, 12:
ingenia disciplinā exculta,id. Or. 15, 48:
aetas exculta,id. Rep. 2, 10:
quibus rebus exculta hominum vita tantum distat a victu et cultu bestiarum,id. Off. 2, 4, 15:
inventas aut qui vitam excoluere per artes,Verg. A. 6, 663:
an victus hominum Atheniensium beneficio excoli potuit, oratio non potuit?Cic. Or. 9, 31; so,
mores aut studia,Quint. 4 praef. § 3:
mores studiis,id. 12, 2, 1; 12, 3, 1; Gell. 13, 5, 2:
orationem,Quint. 8, 3, 86; Tac. Or. 22:
excultae cujusdam elegantiae,Quint. 6, 3, 20.—
B Of persons, to honor (poet., and very rare, for the class. colere):
deos,Phaedr. 4, 11, 10:
aliquem,Ov. Pont. 1, 7, 59.