And someonemight say, “You will have accomplished nothing.”
106BCE – 43BCE,Cicero,Cato Maior de Senectute 12.42:
Impedit enim cōnsilium voluptās; ratiōnī inimīca est; mentīs,ut ita dīcam, praestringit oculōs; nec habet ūllum cum virtūte commercium.
For pleasure hinders judgment; it is an enemy to reason; it blinds,so to speak, the eyes of the mind; nor has it any connection with virtue. (“So that I may speak thus”; English equivalents: “so to speak" or “as it were”. Since the abstract mind or intellect does notliterally have eyes to see, Cicero includes this phrase as a “softener” or a “hedging” expression for rhetorical effect.)
dīcitur ante ārās media inter nūmina dīvum multa Iovem manibus supplex ōrāsse supīnīs
It is said [that King Iarbas] – before the altars, amid divine presences all around – often prostrated himself, with hands raised in supplication, to implore Jupiter.
1Pre-Classical. 2At least one use of the Old Latin "sigmatic future" and "sigmatic aorist" tenses is attested, which are used byOld Latin writers; most notablyPlautus andTerence. The sigmatic future is generally ascribed a future or future perfect meaning, while the sigmatic aorist expresses a possible desire ("might want to"). 3The present passive infinitive in-ier is a rare poetic form which is attested.
“dico”, inCharlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879),A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“dico”, inCharlton T. Lewis (1891),An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
"dico", in Charles du Fresne du Cange,Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894),Latin Phrase-Book[1], London:Macmillan and Co.
to appoint a date for an interview:diem dicere colloquio
to whisper something in a person's ears:in aurem alicui dicere (insusurrare) aliquid
I heard him say..:ex eo audivi, cum diceret
every one says:vulgo dicitur, pervulgatum est
give me your opinion:dic quid sentias
to speak the truth, admit the truth:verum dicere, profiteri
to be truthful in all one's statements:omnia ad veritatemdicere
to have a superficial knowledge, a smattering of literature, of the sciences:primis (ut dicitur) orprimoribus labris gustare orattingere litteras
to contradict some one:dicere contra aliquem oraliquid (notcontradicere alicui)
they say; it is commonly said:tradunt, dicunt, ferunt
to speak extempore:subito, ex tempore (opp.ex praeparato)dicere
to speak very fluently:copiose dicere
to speak well, elegantly:ornate dicere
to speak frankly, independently:libere dicere (Verr. 2. 72. 176)
to speak openly, straightforwardly:plane, aperte dicere
to speak in clear, expressive language:perspicue, diserte dicere
to speak without circumlocution:missis ambagibus dicere
to be a persuasive speaker:accommodate ad persuadendum dicere
(1) to speak vehemently, passionately; (2) to speak pompously, boastfully:magnifice loqui, dicere
to speak at great length on a subject, discuss very fully:fusius, uberius, copiosius disputare, dicere de aliqua re
to read a speech:de scripto orationemhabere, dicere (opp.sine scripto, ex memoria)
I said it in jest:haec iocatus sum, per iocum dixi
to be witty:facete dicere
to indulge in apt witticisms:facete et commode dicere
to make jokes on a person:dicta dicere in aliquem
to say in earnest..:serio dicere (Plaut. Bacch. 1. 1. 42)
to say only a few words:pauca dicere (pauca verba dicere only of the orator)
the wordamicitia comes fromamare:nomen amicitiae (or simplyamicitia)dicitur ab amando
to be used in speakingof a thing:in aliqua re dici
anger is defined as a passionate desire for revenge:iracundiam sic (ita) definiunt, ut ulciscendi libidinem esse dicant orut u. libido sit oriracundiam sic definiunt, ulc. libidinem
the wordaemulatio is employed with two meanings, in a good and a bad sense:aemulatio dupliciter dicitur, ut et in laude et in vitio hoc nomen sit
as the proverb says:ut orquod orquomodo aiunt, ut orquemadmodum dicitur
Cicero says in his 'Laelius.:Cicero dicit in Laelio (suo) orin eo (notsuo)libro, qui inscribitur Laelius
our (notnoster) author tells us at this point:scriptor hoc loco dicit
Cicero says this somewhere:Cicero loco quodam haec dicit
to lose one's composure; to be disconcerted:de gradu deici, ut dicitur
to love some one very dearly, with all one's heart:aliquem toto pectore,ut dicitur, amare (Leg. 18. 49)
to tell lies:mendacium dicere
to tell lies:falsa (pro veris) dicere
to greet a person:salutem alicui dicere, impertire, nuntiare
Cicero sends cordial greetings to Atticus:Cicero AtticoS.D.P. (salutem dicit plurimam)
to separate, be divorced (used of man or woman):repudium dicere orscribere alicui
to support a bill (before the people):pro lege dicere
to name a person dictator:dictatorem dicere (creare)
a dictator appoints amagister equitum:dictator dicit (legit) magistrum equitum
to give an opinion (also used of a judge, cf. sect. VI. 4):sententiam dicere
to administer justice (said of the praetor):ius dicere
to summon some one to appear on a given day; to accuse a person:diem dicere alicui
to give evidence on some one's behalf:testimonium dicere pro aliquo
to state as evidence:pro testimonio dicere
to address the court (of the advocate):causam dicere, orare (Brut. 12. 47)
to defend oneself before the judge (of the accused):causam dicere
to defend a person:causam dicere pro aliquo
to give sentence (of the judge, cf. sect. VI. 4, noteNot...):sententiam ferre, dicere (Off. 3. 16. 66)
to take the military oath:sacramentum (o) dicere (vid. sect. XI. 2, notesacramentum...)
to dictate the terms of peace to some one:pacis condiciones dare, dicere alicui (Liv. 29. 12)
to sum up..:ut eorum, quae dixi, summam faciam
I will only say this much..:tantum orunum illud orhoc dico
this can be said of..., applies to..:hoc dici potest de aliqua re
I saiden passant, by the way:dixi quasi praeteriens orin transitu
I have said it a thousand times:sexcenties, millies dixi
(ambiguous) as I said above:ut supra (opp.infra)diximus, dictum est
I cannot find words for..:dici vix (non) potest orvix potest dici (vix likenon always beforepotest)
I avoid mentioning...; I prefer not to touch upon..:supersedeo oratione (notdicere)
I avoid mentioning...; I prefer not to touch upon..:omitto dicere
(ambiguous) this I have to say:haec habeo dicere orhabeo quae dicam
he spoke (very much) as follows:haec (fere) dixit
the tenor of his speech was this..:hanc in sententiam dixit
which I can say without offence, arrogance:quod non arroganter dixerim
allow me to say:pace tua dixerim ordicere liceat
allow me to say:bona (cum) venia tua dixerim
(ambiguous) so much for this subject...; enough has been said on..:ac (sed) de ... satis dixi, dictum est
(ambiguous) a short, pointed witticism:breviter et commode dictum
(ambiguous) a witticism, bon mot:facete dictum
(ambiguous) a far-fetched joke:arcessitum dictum (De Or. 2. 63. 256)
(ambiguous) so to speak (used to modify a figurative expression):ut ita dicam
(ambiguous) not to mention..:ut non (nihil) dicam de...
(ambiguous) to say nothing further on..:ut plura non dicam
(ambiguous) not to say... (used in avoiding a stronger expression):ne dicam
(ambiguous) to say the least..:ne (quid) gravius dicam
(ambiguous) to put it briefly:ut breviter dicam
(ambiguous) to use the mildest expression:ut levissime dicam (opp.ut gravissimo verbo utar)
(ambiguous) to express myself more plainly:ut planius dicam
(ambiguous) to put it more exactly:ut verius dicam
(ambiguous) to say once for all:ut semel orin perpetuum dicam
(ambiguous) I will give you my true opinion:dicam quod sentio
(ambiguous) as I said above:ut supra (opp.infra)diximus, dictum est
(ambiguous) this I have to say:haec habeo dicere orhabeo quae dicam
(ambiguous) so much for this subject...; enough has been said on..:ac (sed) de ... satis dixi, dictum est
(ambiguous) there is something in what you say; you are more or less right:aliquid (τι) dicis (opp.nihil dicis)
(ambiguous) what do you mean:quorsum haec (dicis)?
(ambiguous) it is incredible:monstra dicis, narras
Sihler, Andrew L. (1995),New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press,→ISBN
