Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

1. carmen, ĭnis, n. (old form cas-men, Varr. L. L. p. 86 Bip.) [Sanscr. çasto declaim, praise; cf.: camilla, censeo], a tune, song; poem, verse; an oracular response, a prophecy; a form of incantation (cf.: cano, cantus, and canto).

  1. I. In gen., a tune, song, air, lay, strain, note, sound, both vocal and instrumental (mostly poet.; in prose, instead of it, cantus; cf. also versus, numeri, modi): carmen tuba ista peregit ( = sonus), Enn. Ann. 508 Vahl.: carmine vocali clarus citharāque Philammon, Ov. M. 11, 317; cf. vocum, id. ib. 12, 157: per me (sc. Apollinem) concordant carmina nervis, id. ib. 1, 518; cf. id. ib. 11, 5; 5, 340: solaque culminibus ferali carmine bubo Saepe queri, Verg. A. 4, 462; so id. G. 4, 514; Ov. M. 10, 453: cygnorum, id. ib. 5, 387; cf. id. ib. 14, 430; Mart. 13, 77: citharae liquidum carmen, Lucr. 4, 981; cf. id. 2, 506; Hor. C. 1, 15, 15: lyrae carmen, Prop. 2, 1, 9 Hertzb.: canere miserabile carmen, Ov. M. 5, 118: harundineum, id. Tr. 4, 1, 12: socialia carmina, id. H. 12, 139: barbaricum, id. M. 11, 163.
    With allusion to playing on the cithara: hoc carmen hic tribunus plebis non vobis sed sibi intus canit, Cic. Agr. 2, 26, 68; cf. Aspendius.
    Also the sound of waves, Claud. Cons. Mall. Th. 319; cf. Auct. Aetn. 295.
  2. II. Esp., a composition in verse, a poem; poetry, verse, song, whether in a broader sense, of every kind of poetic production, epic, dramatic, lyric (opp. to prose and to cantus, the melody), or, in a more restricted sense, for lyric poetry.
    1. A. Cum hanc felicitatem non prosa modo multi sint consecuti sed etiam carmine, Quint. 10, 7, 19; cf. id. 1, 8, 2; 8, 6, 27; 10, 1, 95: perspicuum est, et cantus (melodies) tum fuisse rescriptos vocum sonis et carmina (words), Cic. Tusc. 4, 2, 3; id. de Or. 2, 8, 34; 3, 51, 197: carminibus cum res gestas coepere poetae Tradere, Lucr. 5, 1444: Maeonii carminis alite, Hor. C. 1, 6, 2: epicum carmen, Quint. 10, 1, 62: heroici sublimitas, id. 1, 8, 5; cf. Prop. 3 (4), 3, 16: Iliacum, Hor. A. P. 129: historia quodammodo carmen solutum, Quint. 10, 1, 31: Pierium, Lucr. 1, 946; 4, 21: tragicum, Hor. A. P. 220: carmina Livi, id. Ep. 2, 1, 69; cf. Tac. A. 11, 13: Saliorum carmina, Varr. L. L. 3, 26; 9, 61; Quint. 1, 6, 40; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 86 Schmid.; cf. Liv. 1, 20, 4 al.: lyricorum carmina, Quint. 9, 4, 53; Prop. 4 (5), 6, 32: Aeolium, Hor. C. 3, 30, 13: Lydis remixto carmine tibiis, id. ib. 4, 15, 30; cf. id. Epod. 9, 5: carmen funebre proprie Naenia, Quint. 8, 2, 8: carmina quae in Phaeacum epulis canuntur, Cic. Brut. 18, 71; cf. id. ib. 19, 75: lascivum, Quint. 9, 4, 108: obscena, satirical, abusive poems, libels, Prop. 1, 16, 10; the same: famosum, Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 31 Schmid.: malum, id. ib. 2, 1, 153; id. S. 2, 1. 82 Heind.: obliquum, Stat. S. 1, 2, 27: probrosum, Tac. A. 4, 31; cf.: si quis carmen condidisset quod infamiam faceret flagitiumve alteri, Cic. Rep. 4, 10, 12; and Fragm. XII. Tab. 8, 1, ap. Wordsw. Fragm. and Spec. p. 259 sq.; Fischer ad Cic. Tusc. 4, 2, 4.
      Phrases: canere, Cic. Brut. 18, 71; Liv. 1, 20, 4 al.: cantare cui, Hor. C. 3, 1, 4: cantitare, Cic. Brut. 19, 75: CONDERE, XII. Tab. ap. Cic. Rep. 4, 10, 12; Lucr. 5, 1; Hor. S. 2, 1, 82; id. A. P. 436: contexere, Cic. Cael. 8, 18: disponere, Lucr. 3, 420: pangere, id. 1, 934; 4, 9: fingere, Hor. C. 4, 2, 32; id. Ep. 2, 1, 227; id. A. P. 331: dicere, id. C. 4, 12, 10; id. C. S. 8: dictare, id. S. 1, 10, 75; id. Ep. 2, 1, 110: docere, id. C. 2, 19, 1: ad umbilicum adducere, id. Epod. 14, 7: deducere ad sua tempora, Ov. M. 1, 4: fundere, Cic. Tusc. 1, 26, 64: componere ad lyram, Quint. 1, 10, 29; cf. id. 11, 2, 11.
    2. B. Esp.
      1. 1. In a restricted sense for lyric or epic poetry: carmine tu gaudes, hic delectatur iambis, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 59 Schmid.; cf.: carmina compono, hic elegos, id. ib. 2, 2, 91: amabile carmen, i. e. a love poem or song, id. ib. 1, 3, 24.
        And opp. to the drama for an epic or lyric poem: fabula, quae versatur in tragoediis atque carminibus, Quint. 2, 4, 2.
      2. 2. A part of a great epic poem, a book, canto: in primo carmine, Lucr. 6, 937.
      3. 3. A poetic inscription: et tumulum facite et tumulo superaddite carmen: Daphnis ego, etc., Verg. E. 5, 42; id. A. 3, 287; Ov. M. 14, 442; id. F. 3, 547 al.
      4. 4. A response of an oracle, a prophecy, prediction: ultima Cumaei venit jam carminis aetas, Verg. E. 4, 4; so Ov. M. 6, 582; Liv. 1, 45, 5; 23, 11, 4; 25, 12, 4; 29, 10, 6; 38, 45, 3; Tac. A. 3, 63; 4, 43; 6, 12 al.
      5. 5. A magic formula, an incantation: MALVM, Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Plin. 28, 2, 4, § 17; cf. Fragm. XII. Tab. 8, 1, a. ap. Wordsw. Fragm. and Spec. p. 260: polleantne aliquid verba et incantamenta carminum, Plin. 28, 2, 3, § 10: carmina vel caelo possunt deducere lunam; Carminibus Circe socios mutavit Ulixi, Verg. E. 8, 69 sq.; so id. A. 4, 487; Hor. Epod. 5, 72; 17, 4; id. S. 1, 8, 19; Prop. 2 (3), 28, 35; Ov. M. 7, 137; 14, 58; Quint. 7, 3, 7; Tac. A. 2, 69; 4, 22 al.
      6. 6. On account of the very ancient practice of composing forms of religion and law in Saturnian verse, also a formula in religion or law, a form: diro quodam carmine jurare, Liv. 10, 38, 10; 10, 41, 3; 31, 17, 9; 1, 24, 6 and 9; Plin. 28, 2, 3, § 12: cruciatus carmina, Cic. Rab. Perd. 4, 13; cf. id. Mur. 12, 26: lex horrendi carminis erat: duumviri perduellionem judicent, etc., of a dreadful form, Liv. 1, 26, 6: rogationis carmen, id. 3, 64, 10.
      7. 7. Moral sentences composed in verses: Appii Caeci carmen, Cic. Tusc. 4, 2, 4; cf.: liber Catonis qui inscriptus est Carmen de moribus, Gell. 11, 2, 2: ut totum illud, VTI. LINGVA. NVNCVPASSIT., non in XII. tabulis, sed in magistri carmine scriptum videretur, Cic. de Or. 1, 57, 245: necessarium, id. Leg. 2, 23, 59.

2. carmen, ĭnis, n. [1. caro], a card, for wool or flax, Venant. Ep. Praem. Carm. 6, 5.