ex-crŭcĭo, āvi, ātum, 1 (archaic inf. praes. excruciarier, Ter. Heaut. 3, 1, 4), v. a., to torment greatly, to torture, rack, plague (class.).
- I. Physically: perii! excruciabit me herus, Plaut. Mil. 3, 2, 45: servos fame vinculisque, Caes. B. G. 7, 19, 9; cf.: (uxores) igni atque omnibus tormentis excruciatae, id. ib. 6, 19, 3: aliquem vinculis ac verberibus atque omni supplicio excruciatum necare, Cic. de Imp. Pomp 5, 11; cf. also: hominem ingenuum fumo excruciatum semivivum reliquit, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 17, § 45: excruciatus inopiā, Plaut Bacch. 3, 4, 24: ipsos crudeliter excruciatos interficit, Caes. B. G. 7, 38, 9: frigus nudos excruciabat, Lucr. 5, 1426 et saep.
Comic. Ep. Hunc tibi dedo diem. St. Meam culpam habeto, nisi probe excruciavero, qs. thoroughly torture it, i. e. use it up, make the most of it, Plaut. Stich. 3, 1, 32.
- B. Transf., to force out by torturing, to extort: re excruciatā, Tert. ad Uxor. 2, 5 fin.
- II. Mentally, to afflict, distress, harass, vex, torment: conficior maerore, mea Terentia; nec meae me miseriae magis excruciant quam tuae, Cic. Fam. 14, 3, 1; cf.: non loquor plura, ne te quoque excruciem, id. Att. 10, 18, 3: haec sunt, quae me excruciant, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 9.
In imprecations: di deaeque te excrucient, Plaut. Pers. 5, 2, 50: temeritas et libido et ignavia semper animum excruciant et semper sollicitant, Cic. Fin. 1, 16, 50: se, Plaut. Curc. 1, 3, 14: quid illam miseram animi excrucias? id. Mil. 4, 2, 76; cf.: se animi, id. Rud. 2, 3, 68: tum Antipho me excruciat animi, Ter. Phorm. 1, 4, 10; v. also in the foll.
In the pass.: excrucior, Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 61; id. Trin. 1, 2, 66: id ego excrucior, id. Ep. 2, 2, 8; cf.: hoc sese excruciat animi, Quia, etc., id. Rud. 2, 3, 57.