vĭtĭo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [vitium], to make faulty, to injure, spoil, mar, taint, corrupt, infect, vitiate (class., esp. in the trop. sense; syn.: corrumpo, noceo).
- I. Lit.
- A. In gen.: dira lues quondam Latias vitiaverat auras, Ov. M. 15, 626; cf.: amnem salibus amaris, id. ib. 15, 286: ossa, Cels. 8, 2: corpora, Ov. F. 6, 136: oculos, id. F. 1, 691: facies longis vitiabitur annis, id. Tr. 3, 7, 33: ferramentum in opere, Col. 11, 1, 20: ova, id. 8, 11, 5: vina, Hor. S. 2, 4, 54: boves aliqua offensa, Pall. 4, 12, 1.
- B. In partic., to violate a woman (cf.: violo, polluo): aliquam in occulto, Cato ap. Gell. 17, 13, 4: virginem, Ter. Eun. 4, 4, 37; id. Ad. 4, 5, 52; Suet. Aug. 71; Quint. 9, 2, 70 al.; cf.: vitiati pondera ventris (sc. stupro), Ov. H. 11, 37.
- II. Trop.: comitiorum et contionum significationes sunt nonnumquam vitiatae atque corruptae, falsified, Cic. Sest. 54, 115 Halm N. cr.: dies, to make void the nomination of a day for the census, id. Att. 4, 9, 1; cf.: senatusconsulta arbitrio consulum supprimebantur vitiabanturque, Liv. 3, 55, 13: scripturas, Dig. 50, 17, 94: auspicia, Messala ap. Gell. 13, 15, 4: pectora limo malorum, Ov. P. 4, 2, 18; cf.: curis vitiatum corpus amaris, id. ib. 1, 10, 3.