Lewis & Short

verber, ĕris (nom., dat., and acc. sing. do not occur, and the sing. in gen. very rarely; Neue, Formenl. 1, p. 476), n., a lash, whip, scourge, rod (syn.: scutica, flagrum),

  1. I. Lit. (rare; perh. not in Cic., but cf. in II. B.).
          1. (α) Plur.: Tr. Quid me fiet nunc jam? Th. Verberibus caedere, lutum, pendens, Plaut. Most. 5, 2, 45: verberibus caedere, id. Pers. 2, 3, 17; Ter. And. 1, 2, 28: adulescentem nudari jubet verberaque adferri, Liv. 8, 28, 4: verbera saetosa movebat arator, Prop. 4 (5), 1, 25; Verg. A. 5, 147; Quint. Decl. 19, 3.
          2. (β) Sing.: illi instant verbere torto, Verg. G. 3, 106: Phoebus equos stimuloque domans et verbere Saevit, Ov. M. 2, 399: conscendit equos Gradivus et ictu Verberis increpuit, id. ib. 14, 821: pecora verbere domantur, Sen. Const. 12, 3; of a top: volitans sub verbere turbo, Verg. A. 7, 378.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Concr., a thong of a sling and other similar missile weapons (poet.; syn. lorum), Verg. G. 1, 309; Sil. 1, 314; Luc. 3, 469.
    2. B. Abstr., a lashing, scourging, flogging, etc. (class.; syn. plaga).
      1. 1. Lit.
          1. (α) Plur.: dignus es verberibus multis, Plaut. Mil. 2, 3, 71: tibi erunt parata verba, huic homini verbera, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 115: mitto vincla, mitto carcerem, mitto verbera, mitto secures, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 24, § 59: aliquem vinculis ac verberibus atque omni supplicio excruciare, id. Imp. Pomp. 5, 11; id. Phil. 11, 2, 5; id. Rep. 1, 38, 59; 2, 37, 62; id. Fin. 5, 20, 55; id. Tusc. 3, 27, 64; XII. Tab. ap. Cic. Leg. 3, 3, 6; Quint. 1, 3, 15; 4, 2, 113; 11, 1, 40; 11, 3, 90; 11, 3, 117; Hor. S. 1, 3, 121: cum positā stares ad verbera veste, Ov. Am. 1, 6, 19: saeva, id. ib. 1, 13, 18: tergum foedum vestigiis verberum, Liv. 2, 23, 7: post verbere, Stat. Th. 2, 143; 2, 172.
          2. (β) Sing.: percutimur caput conversae verbere virgae, Ov. M. 14, 300; Sen. Herc. Fur. 801.
        1. b. Of inanim. things, a stripe, stroke, blow (mostly poet.).
          1. (α) Plur.: turgentis caudae, Hor. S. 2, 7, 49: ventorum, Lucr. 5, 957; 6, 115: radiorum (solis), id. 5, 485; 5, 1104: aquarum, Claud. Laud. Stil. 1, 288.
            Of the strokes of oars: puppis Verberibus senis agitur, Luc. 3, 536; Sil. 11, 493; cf. Ov. H. 18, 23.
          2. (β) Sing.: remorum in verbere perstant, Ov. M. 3, 662: trementes Verbere ripae, Hor. C. 3, 27, 24: adverso siderum, Plin. 2, 8, 6, § 33.
      2. 2. Trop., plur., lashes, strokes: contumeliarum verbera subire, Cic. Rep. 1, 5, 9: verbera linguae, i. e. chidings, Hor. C. 3, 12, 3 (cf.: verberari verbis, convicio, etc., under verbero): fortunae verbera, the strokes of fate, Gell. 13, 27, 4.