heu! interj. (constr. absol. or with acc., rarely with nom. or voc.; cf. Huschke ad Tib. 2, 6, 28; Forbig. and Wagn. ad Verg. A. 2, 274. The passages cited for heu mihi, etc., Hand, Turs. III. 68 sq., are mostly corrected in recent edd.)
- I. An exclamation of grief or pain, oh! ah! alas! heu heu, quam ego malis perdidi modis, quod tibi detuli et quod dedi! Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 26: quatenus, heu nefas! Virtutem incolumem odimus, Hor. C. 3, 24, 30; cf.: palam captis gravis, heu nefas heu, id. ib. 4, 6, 17: o domus antiqua, heu quam dispari Dominare domino! Poët. ap. Cic. Off. 1, 39, 139 (Trag. Rel. Rib. p. 224): heu, mea fortuna, Enn. ap. Non. 90, 14 (Trag. v. 408 Vahl.): heu, hercle, mulier, multum et audax et mala’s, Plaut. Men. 5, 1, 31: heu, nimis longo satiate ludo (Mars)! Hor. C. 1, 2, 37: heu me miseram! interii, Enn. ap. Non. 504, 6 (Trag. v. 228 Vahl.); Ter. Hec. 2, 2, 29; so, heu me miserum! Plaut. Aul. 4, 9, 10; id. Merc. 3, 4, 39; Ter. And. 4, 1, 22; Afran. ap. Cic. Tusc. 4, 20, 45; Cic. Phil. 7, 4, 14: heu me infelicem! Ter. Hec. 3, 1, 2; Turp. ap. Cic. Tusc. 4, 35, 73: heu edepol hominem nihili! Plaut. Truc. 3, 2, 27: heu edepol res turbulentas! id. Epid. 1, 1, 68: heu hercle hominem multum et odiosum mihi! id. Men. 2, 2, 41: heu hercle odiosas res! id. Mil. 4, 2, 65; id. Men. 5, 2, 119: heu me, per urbem Fabula quanta fui! Hor. Epod. 11, 7: heu, cor meum finditur! Plaut. Bacch. 2, 3, 17: heu edepol, patrem eum miserum praedicas! id. Most. 4, 2, 65: illuc heu miseri traducimur, Juv. 3, 159: heu, edepol ne ego homo vivo miser, id. Men. 5, 5, 10: heu, nunc misero mihi demum exsilium infelix, Verg. A. 10, 849.
- II. In a few doubtful passages in Plautus as an exclamation of admiration or surprise, oh! heu hercle mortalem catum! Plaut. Poen. 5, 2, 147; cf.: heu edepol mortalis malos! id. ib. 3, 2, 26.‡ † Heurēsis, ĕos, f., = Εὕρησις (a finding out), a Roman festival in November, Calend. Farnes. ap. Orell. Inscr. II. p. 381.