1. pulcher, chra, chrum, and less correctly pulcer, cra, crum, adj. [for pol-cer, root pol-ire, akin with parēre, apparēre, prop. bright, shining; hence], beautiful, beauteous, fair, handsome, in shape and appearance (syn.: speciosus, venustus, formosus).
- I. Lit.: homo, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 20, 40 (Ann. v. 40 Vahl.): o puerum pulchrum, Cic. Off. 1, 40, 144; Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 74: pulcher ac decens, Suet. Dom. 18: virgo pulchra! Ter. Phorm. 1, 2, 54: pulchra juvenis, Phaedr. 2, 2, 5: quo pulchrior alter Non fuit Aeneadūm, Verg. A. 9, 179: formā pulcherrima, id. ib. 1, 496; cf.: Venus quem pulcherrima dium Fari donavit, Enn. ap. Prob. ap. Verg. E. 6, 31 (Ann. v. 18 Vahl.): O matre pulchrā filia pulchrior, Hor. C. 1, 16, 1; as an epithet of Apollo, Verg. A. 3, 119 Serv.: satus Hercule pulchro Pulcher Aventinus, id. ib. 7, 656: pulcher bos appellatur ad eximiam pinguedinem perductus, Fest. p. 238 Müll.: pulchro corpore creti, Lucr. 5, 1116: o faciem pulchram! Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 5: fuit vultu pulchro magis quam venusto, Suet. Ner. 51: color, Lucr. 4, 1133 and 1094: mulier pulchra nimis, Vulg. Gen. 12, 14: tunicae, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 33: testudo, Verg. G. 2, 463: recessus, Ov. M. 14, 261: horti, id. P. 1, 8, 37: fluvius, Verg. G. 2, 137; Val. Fl. 5, 486: quid potest esse aspectu pulchrius? Cic. Sen. 15, 53: urbs pulcherrima, id. Verr. 2, 4, 52, § 117; Liv. 7, 30, 16: pulcherrimorum agrorum judex, Cic. Agr. 2, 16, 43: acetum acerrimum et pulcherrimum, Cato, R. R. 104: panis longe pulcherrimus, Hor. S. 1, 5, 89: pulcherrima opera, Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 69.
Subst.: pulchrum, i, n., beauty: quid habet pulchri constructus acervus, Hor. S. 1, 1, 44.
- II. Trop., in a spiritual or moral sense, beautiful, fine, excellent, noble, honorable, glorious, illustrious, etc.: praetor interea, ne pulchrum se ac beatum putaret, that he might not think too highly of himself, Cic. Mur. 12, 26: res publica paulatim immutata ex pulcherrimā pessima ac flagitiosissima facta est, Sall. C. 5, 9; Cic. Off. 1, 32, 118: pulcherrimum exemplum, Caes. B. G. 7, 77: maximum et pulcherrimum facinus, Sall. C. 20, 3: fasces, Lucr. 5, 1234: pulcherrima consilia, Verg. A. 5, 728: nascetur pulchrā Trojanus origine Caesar, id. ib. 1, 286: poëmata, Hor. S. 1, 10, 6: divitiae, id. ib. 2, 3, 95: dies, favorable, fortunate, id. C. 1, 36, 10: o Sol pulcher, o laudande, id. ib. 4, 2, 47; 4, 4, 39: pulcherrimus exitus, Flor. 2, 2, 14: viae ejus viae pulchrae, Vulg. Prov. 3, 17: pulchrum sub pectore vulnus, honorable, Sil. 5, 594: quae majori parti pulcherrima videntur, ea maxime exoptant, Cic. Off. 1, 32, 118.
Poet., with gen.: pulcherrimus irae, glorious on account of (just) wrath, Sil. 11, 365.
Pulchrum (est), with a subj. -clause, it is beautiful, grand, glorious, etc.: cui pulchrum fuit in medios dormire dies, to whom it seemed a fine thing, Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 30: pulchrumque mori succurrit in armis, Verg. A. 2, 317: pulchrius hac fuerat, Troja, perire tibi, Prop. 2, 2, 44 (2, 3, 34): pulchrum putare, ducere, to think or consider beautiful: pati pulchrum Romanumque putant, Luc. 9, 391: turpe ducet cedere pari, pulchrum superasse majores, Quint. 1, 2, 22.
As a translation of the Gr. ὁ καλός (a complimentary formula), handsome, lovely, noble: propino hoc pulchro Critiae, Κριτίᾳ τῷ καλῷ, Cic. Tusc. 1, 40, 96.
Hence, adv.: pulchrē (-crē), beautifully, excellently, finely, nobly, very, etc.: subigere aliquid, Cato, R. R. 74: aedes probae pulchreque aedificatae, Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 61: oppidum pulchre munitum, id. Pers. 4, 4, 6: vendere, i. e. at a high price, id. ib. 4, 4, 31; 38: conciliare, at a low price, id. Ep. 3, 4, 36: victitare, id. Most. 1, 1, 51: admonere, id. Mil. 2, 6, 56: pulchre dictum, Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 26: pulchre et oratorie dicere, Cic. Or. 68, 227: pulchre asseverat, bravely, cunningly, id. Clu. 26, 73: proxima hostia litatur saepe pulcherrime, very favorably, id. Div. 2, 15, 36: ferre fortunam secundam pulcherrime, Sulp. ap. Cic. Fam. 4, 5, 6: intellegere, Cic. Fam. 11, 3, 3: Caesar ait se non posse galeam cognoscere, hominem pulchre posse, Sen. Ben. 5, 24, 2: peristi pulchre, you have done for yourself finely, utterly, Plaut. Mil. 2, 4, 50; so, occidi, id. Curc. 1, 3, 58.
Pulchre est mihi, I am well, it goes well with me, Cic. N. D. 1, 41, 114; Hor. S. 2, 8, 19; Cat. 23, 5.
Pulchre esse, to live well, enjoy one’s self, be happy, Plaut. Merc. 3, 3, 21: neque ligna ego praehiberi vidi pulcrius, in greater abundance, id. Aul. 3, 1, 5: pulchre, as an exclamation of applause (like recte, probe, etc.), excellently! bravo! well done! Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 4; id. Heaut. 2, 3, 92; Hor. A. P. 428.