Lewis & Short

ad-dīco, xi, ctum, 3, v. a. (imp. addice, for addic, Plaut. Poen. 2, 50; addixti, Mart. 12, 16), orig., to give one’s assent to a thing (“addicere est proprie idem dicere et approbare dicendo,” Fest. p. 13 Müll.), in its lit. signif. belonging only to augural and judicial language (opp. abdĭco).

  1. I. Of a favorable omen, to be propitious to, to favor, usually with aves as subj., and without obj.: cum sacellorum exaugurationes admitterent aves, in Termini fano non addixere, Liv. 1, 55, 3; so, Fabio auspicanti aves semel atque iterum non addixerunt, id. 27, 16, 15; also with auspicium as subj.: addicentibus auspiciis vocat contionem, Tac. A. 2, 14; cf. Drak. Liv. 1, 36, 3; 27, 16, 15.
    And with acc. of obj.: illum quem aves addixerant, Fest. p. 241 Müll.
    In judicial lang.: alicui aliquid or aliquem, to award or adjudge any thing to one, to sentence; hence Festus, with reference to the adjudged or condemned person, says: “alias addicere damnare est,” p. 13 Müll.: ubi in jus venerit, addicet praetor familiam totam tibi, Plaut. Poen. 1, 1, 57: bona alicui, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 52: addictus erat tibi? had he been declared bound to you for payment? id. Rosc. Com. 14, 41; hence ironic.: Fufidium . . . creditorem debitoribus suis addixisti, you have adjudged the creditor to his debtors (instead of the reverse), id. Pis. 35: liberum corpus in servitutem, Liv. 3, 56.
    Hence subst., addictus, i, m., one who has been given up or made over as servant to his creditor: ducite nos quo jubet, tamquam quidem addictos, Plaut. Bacch. 5, 2, 87: addictus Hermippo et ab hoc ductus est, Cic. Fl. 20 extr.; cf. Liv. 6, 15, 20. (The addictus, bondman, was not properly a slave = servus, for he retained his nomen, cognomen, his tribus, which the servus did not have; he could become free again by cancelling the demand, even against the will of his dominus; the servus could not; the addictus, when set free, was also again ingenuus, the servus only libertinus; v. Quint. 7, 3, 27. The inhuman law of the Twelve Tables, which, however, was never put in execution, that one indebted to several creditors should be cut in pieces and divided among them, is mentioned by Gell. 20, 1: Niebuhr, Rom. Gesch. 1, 638; Smith’s Antiq.): addicere alicui judicium, to grant one leave to bring an action, Varr. L. L. 6, § 61 Müll.: addicere litem, sc. judici, to deliver a cause to the judge. This was the office of the praetor. Such is the purport of the law of XII. Tab. Tab. I.: POST MERIDIEM PRAESENTI STLITEM ADDICITO, ap. Gell. 17, 2: judicem or arbitrum (instead of dare judicium), to appoint for one a judge in his suit, Dig. 5, 1, 39, 46 and 80: addicere aliquid in diem, to adjudge a thing to one ad interim, so that, upon a change of circumstances, the matter in question shall be restored in integrum, Dig. 18, 2; 6, 1, 41; 39, 3, 9.
    1. B. In auctions, to adjudge to the highest bidder, knock down, strike off, deliver to (with the price in abl.): ecquis est ex tanto populo, qui bona C. Rabirii Postumi nummo sestertio sibi addici velit, Cic. Rab. Post. 17; so id. Verr. 2, 1, 55; Suet. Caes. 50.
      Addicere bona alicujus in publicum, i. e. to confiscate, Caes. B. C. 2, 18; hence in Plaut., of a parasite, who strikes himself off, as it were, i. e. promises himself to one as guest, on condition that he does not in the mean time have a higher bid, i. e. is not attracted to another by a better table, Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 76 sq.
    2. C. In gen., to sell, to make over to: addice tuam mihi meretricem, Plaut. Poen. 2, 50: hominem invenire neminem potuit, cui meas aedes addiceret, traderet, donaret, Auct. Or. pro Dom. 41. Antonius regna addixit pecunia, Cic. Phil. 7, 5, 15; so Hor. S. 2, 5, 109.
      In a metaph. signif.,
    3. D. To deliver, yield, or resign a thing to one, either in a good or a bad sense.
        1. a. In a good sense, to devote, to consecrate to: senatus, cui me semper addixi, Cic. Planc. 39, 93: agros omnes addixit deae, Vell. 2, 25; hence, morti addicere, to devote to death, Cic. Off. 3, 10, 45: nolite . . . omnem Galliam prosternere et perpetuae servituti addicere, to devote to perpetual slavery, Caes. B. G. 7, 77.
        2. b. In a bad sense, to give up, to sacrifice, to abandon (very freq.); ejus ipsius domum evertisti, cujus sanguinem addixeras, Cic. Pis. 34, 83: libidini cujusque nos addixit, id. Phil. 5, 12, 33; so id. Mil. 32; id. Sest. 17; id. Quint. 30; hence poet.: quid faciat? crudele, suos addicere amores, to sacrifice, to surrender his love, Ov. M. 1, 617 (where some read wrongly abdicere).
    4. E. In later Latin, to attribute or ascribe a work to one: quae (comoediae) nomini eius (Plauti) addicuntur, Gell. 3, 3, 13.
      Hence, addic-tus, P. a. (after II. D.), dedicated or devoted to a thing; hence,
        1. a. Destined to: gladiatorio generi mortis addictus, Cic. Phil. 11, 7, 16; cf. Hor. Epod. 17, 11.
        2. b. Given up to, bound to: qui certis quibusdam destinatisque sententiis quasi addicti et consecrati sunt, Cic. Tusc. 2, 2, 5: nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 14: Prasinae factioni addictus et deditus, Suet. Cal. 55.
          Comp., sup., and adv. not used.