scĕlĕro — Lewis & Short
scĕlĕro, no
I perf., ātum, 1, v. a. id., to pollute, defile, contaminate, desecrate (in the verb. finit. rare, and only poet.;
syn.: temero, polluo): impia non verita est divos scelerare parentes,Cat. 64, 405; cf. Stat. Th. 2, 663:
sanguine fauces,id. ib. 8, 761:
parce pias scelerare manus,Verg. A. 3, 42:
Cererem,Juv. 9, 25:
animum,Sil. 16, 122; cf.:
dextram sanguine,Stat. Th. 9, 666. —Hence, scĕlĕrātus, a, um, P. a., polluted, profaned by crime.
A Lit. (appellatively;
only in the poets): terra,Verg. A. 3, 60:
terrae,Ov. P. 1, 6, 29:
limina Thracum,id. M. 13, 628.—
2 In partic., as an adj. prop., denoting places where crimes had been committed or criminals punished. So,
a Sceleratus Vicus, that part of the Vicus Cyprius, on the Esquiline, in which Tullia, daughter of Servius Tullius, drove over her father's corpse, Liv. 1, 48; Varr. L. L. 5, § 159 Müll.; Ov. F. 6, 609; Fest. pp. 332 and 333 Müll.—
b Sceleratus Campus, under the city will hard by the porta Collina, where unchaste Vestals were buried alive, Liv. 8, 15; Fest. l. l.; Serv. Verg. A. 11, 206.—
c Scelerata sedes, the place of punishment for the wicked in Tartarus, Tib. 1, 3, 67; Ov. M. 4, 455;
also called Sceleratum limen,Verg. A. 6, 563.—For Scelerata Porta and Castra, v. infra, B. 2. b.—
B Transf.
1 Subjectively, bad, impious, wicked, ac-cursed, infamous, vicious, flagitious; in the masc. subst., a bad, impious, or vicious person ; a wretch, miscreant (the predom. signif.; freq. with nefarius, impious, etc.; cf. consceleratus);
of persons: virum sceleratum, facinorosum, nefarium,Cic. Rep. 3, 17, 27:
deliberantium genus totum sceleratum et impium,id. Off. 3, 8, 37; id. Mur. 30, 62 (with nefarius); id. Att. 9, 15, 5 (with impurus); Caes. B. G. 6, 13 (with impius); Plaut. Pers. 2, 4, 4; Ter. And. 1, 1, 132; id. Ad. 4, 2, 14; Cic. Cat. 1, 9, 23; Caes. B. G. 6, 34; Sall. C. 52, 36:
facto plus et sceleratus eodem,Ov. M. 3, 5:
puella,id. R. Am. 299; Liv. 1, 59; 31, 31; Suet. Ner. 46; Hor. S. 2, 3, 71; 2, 3, 221 al.—Comp.:
homo sceleratior,Ov. M. 11, 781.—Sup.:
refertam esse Graeciam sceleratissimorum hominum,Cic. Planc. 41, 98; Sall. J. 14, 2; 31, 12; Liv. 4, 32 et saep.—Of things:
sceleratas ejus preces et nefaria vota cognovimus,Cic. Clu. 68, 194:
contra patriam scelerata arma capere,id. Phil. 11, 1, 1; Ov. M. 5, 102:
conjuratio,Liv. 2, 6:
insania belli,Verg. A. 7, 461:
caput,Plaut. Ep. 3, 2, 33:
vox (with inhumana),Cic. Fin. 3, 19, 64:
consilia,Vell. 2, 130, 3:
amor habendi,Ov. M. 1, 131:
munera,id. ib. 8, 94:
ignes,id. F. 6, 439.—Comp.:
a sceleratiore hastā,Cic. Off. 2, 8, 29:
causa parricidii,Just. 10, 2, 1. —Sup.:
res,Quint. 3, 8, 45:
fraus humani ingenii,Plin. 34, 14, 39, § 138.—Poet.:
subit ira sceleratas sumere poenas,i.e. to take satisfaction for her crimes, Verg. A. 2, 576. —
2 (As a result of viciousness or criminality; cf. scelus, II. C.) Hurtful, harmful, noxious, pernicious, unhappy, unfortunate, calamitous, etc. (only poet. and in postAug. prose):
teritur sinapis scelerata: qui terunt, oculi ut exstillent, facit,Plaut. Ps. 3, 2, 28:
herba,App. Herb. 8.—Sup.:
sceleratissimis serpentium haemorrhoidi et presteri,Plin. 24, 13, 73, § 117:
frigus,Verg. G. 2, 256:
lues,Mart. 1, 102, 6:
poëmata,id. 3, 50, 9 et saep.: MATER, Inscr. Rein. cl. 12, 122; so Inscr. Fabr. p. 237, 631:
PARENTES,Inscr. Murat. 1187, 2.—
b Made hurtful, i. e. poisoned:
scelerata sucis spicula,Sil. 3, 272.—
c As an adj. prop.
(a) Scelerata Porta, the gate (also called Porta Carmentalis) through which the three hundred Fabii marched on their fatal expedition, Fest. pp. 334 and 335 Müll.; Serv. Verg. A. 8, 337; Flor. 1, 12, 2.—
(b) Scelerata Castra, the camp in which D. Drusus died, Suet. Claud. 1.—Hence, adv.: scĕlĕrātē (acc. to B. 1.), impiously, wickedly, nefariously (Ciceronian):
peccavi scelerateque feci,Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 2:
facere (with audacter),id. Sull. 24, 67:
dicere (opp. pie),id. Mil. 38, 103:
susceptum bellum,id. Cat. 1, 10, 27.—Comp.:
sceleratius,Vulg. Ezech. 16, 52. —Sup.:
sceleratissime machinatus omnes insidias,Cic. Sest. 64, 133.