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.

parcus, a, um, adj., = παῦρος [v. parco], sparing in any thing, esp. in expenditure; in a good and bad sense, frugal, thrifty, economical; niggardly, penurious, parsimonious (syn.: tenax, restrictus).

  1. I. Lit.
          1. (α) Absol.: detrusisti me ad senem parcissimum, Plaut. Aul. 2, 5, 9: patre parco ac tenaci, Cic. Cael. 15, 36: optimus colonus, parcissimus, modestissimus, frugalissimus, id. de Or. 2, 71, 287: parcumque genus patiensque laborum, Ov. M. 7, 656: parcā manu offerre aliquid, Hor. C. 3, 16, 43.
          2. (β) With gen.: veteris non parcus aceti, Hor. S. 2, 2, 62: donandi parca juventus, id. ib. 2, 5, 79: pecuniae, Tac. H. 1, 49: pecuniae parcus ac tenax, Suet. Tib. 46.
    1. B. In gen., sparing, chary, moderate in any thing: operā haud fui parcus meā, Plaut. Rud. 4, 2, 14: nimium parcus in largiendā civitate, Cic. Balb. 22, 50: non tam vereor, ne me in laudibus suis parcum, quam ne nimium putet, Plin. Pan. 3, 3: quam modica cultu, quam parca comitatu, id. ib. 83, 7: civium sanguinis parcus, Tac. H. 3, 75: parcissimus somni, Luc. 9, 590: parcissimus vini, Suet. Aug. 77: acies non parca fugae, Sil. 10, 30: beneficiorum parcissimus aestimator, Plin. Pan. 21, 2: parcus Deorum cultor, Hor. C. 1, 34, 1: in libidinem projecti, in cibum parci, Just. 41, 3, 13.
      With inf.: parcusque lacessere Martem, Sil. 1, 680: haud parci Martem coluisse, id. 8, 464.
      In gen., moderate, not rash nor self-indulgent: somnus sanitatis in homine parco, Vulg. Ecclus. 31, 24.
      Comp.: parcior somni, Just. 11, 13, 2.
      Sup.: parcissimus somni, Luc. 9, 590.
  2. II. Transf., spare, scanty, little, small, slight (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): parco sale contingere, Verg. G. 3, 403: tellus, Stat. S. 4, 5, 13: lucerna, Prop. 4 (5), 3, 60: vulnus, Sil. 16, 111: merito parcior ira meo, Ov. P. 1, 2, 98: questaque sum vento lintea parca dari, id. H. 21, 79: optima mors parca quae venit apta die, after a short time, Prop. 3, 3, 40 (Parcae quae venit acta die, id. 3, 4, 18 Müll.): et brevis somnus, Plin. Pan. 49.
    Adv., in two forms, parce (class.) and parciter (ante- and post-class.).
    1. A. Form parcē.
      1. 1. Sparingly, frugally, thriftily; penuriously, parsimoniously: parce parcus, Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 35: vivere parce, continenter, severe, sobrie, Cic. Off. 1, 30, 106; cf.: parce ac duriter se habere, Ter. Ad. 1, 1, 20: parce et duriter vitam agere, id. And. 1, 1, 47: nimium parce facere sumptum, id. ib. 2, 6, 19: frumentum parce et paulatim metiri, Caes. B. G. 7, 71: cur id tam parce tamque restricte faciant, Cic. Fin. 2, 13, 42: parce seminat, Vulg. 2 Cor. 9, 6.
        Comp.: implet manum parcius, Juv. 6, 546.
      2. 2. In gen., sparingly, moderately, cautiously: scripsi de te parce et timide, Cic. Fam. 6, 7, 3: parce et molliter aliquem laedere, id. ib. 1, 9, 23: gaudere, Phaedr. 4, 16: mirari, Sil. 10, 474; 15, 756; Plin. Ep. 5, 16, 3; 5, 7, 4.
        Comp.: parcius dicere de laude alicujus, Cic. Mur. 13, 29: parcius ista viris tamen obicienda memento, Verg. E. 3, 7: parcius Andromachen vexavit Achaia victrix, Ov. H. 8, 13: parcius quatiunt fenestras, rarely, seldom, Hor. C. 1, 25, 1; Quint. 9, 2, 69.
        Sup.: civitatem Romanam parcissime dedit, Suet. Aug. 40: ut parcissime dicam, nemo historicorum commendavit magis, Quint. 10, 1, 101.
    2. B. Form parcĭter, sparingly, Pompon. ap. Non. 515, 6: praelibare, Claud. Mam. praef.