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. posca (pusca, Veg. Vet. 2, 48), ae, f. [perh. πόω, poto], an acidulous drink of vinegar and water, Plaut. Mil. 3, 2, 23; id. Truc. 2, 7, 48; Cels. 4, 5 fin.; Plin. 27, 4, 12, § 29; 28, 5, 14, § 56; Scrib. Comp. 46; Suet. Vit. 12; Spart. Hadr. 10; cf.: posca, ὀξύκρατον, πόσις, Gloss. Philox.

posco, pŏposci, 3 (old perf. peposci, Val. Antias ap. Gell. 7, 9, 9), v. inch. a. [for porc-scere; Sanscr. root parkh- prakh-, to ask; cf.: precor, procus, procax], to ask for urgently; to beg, demand, request, desire (syn.: flagito, postulo, peto).

  1. I. In gen., constr. usually with aliquid, aliquem (sibi): aliquid ab aliquo; also with a double acc., with ut, with inf., or with acc. and inf., or wholly absol.: poscere est secundum Varronem, quotiens aliquid pro merito nostro deposcimus: petere vero est cum aliquid humiliter et cum precibus postulamus, Serv. Verg. A. 9, 194.
          1. (α) With acc.: posco atque adeo flagito crimen, Cic. Planc. 19, 48; cf. id. Verr. 2, 5, 28, § 71: argentum, id. ib. 2, 4, 20, § 44; 2, 3, 34, § 78: pugnam, Liv. 2, 45, 6: nec mi aurum posco, Enn. ap. Cic. Off. 1, 12, 38 (Ann. v. 200 Vahl.): si quid poscam, Plaut. Aul. 2, 5, 10: pulvinos, Cic. de Or. 1, 7, 29; id. Planc. 19, 48: vades poposcit, id. Rep. 2, 36, 61; cf.: audaciae partes Roscii sibi poposcerunt, Cic. Rosc. Am. 13, 35: peccatis veniam poscentem (preceded by postulare), Hor. S. 1, 3, 75.
          2. (β) With ab: fac, ut audeat Tibi credere omnia, abs te petere et poscere, Ter. Heaut. 5, 1, 53: diem a praetore peposcit, Val. Antias ap. Gell. 7, 9, 9: abs te litteras, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 16, § 36; 2, 2, 47, § 117: tutorem ab aliquo, Suet. Aug. 94: bibere a me poscis, Vulg. Joann. 4, 9.
          3. (γ) With a double acc.: parentes pretium pro sepulturā liberum poscere, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 3, § 7: magistratum nummos, id. ib. 2, 1, 17, § 44: aliquem causam disserendi, id. Tusc. 3, 3, 7: claves portarum magistratus, Liv. 27, 24, 8: non ita creditum Poscis Quintilium deos, Hor. C. 1, 24, 12: cur me in decursu lampada poscis? Pers. 6, 61: poscenti vos rationem, Vulg. 1 Pet. 3, 15.
            Hence, pass.: poscor aliquid, I am asked for something, something is asked or demanded of me (poet. and in post-class. prose): gravidae posceris exta bovis, they ask you for the entrails, Ov. F. 4, 670; cf.: poscor meum Laelapa, they demand of me my Lœlaps, id. M. 7, 771: nec tantum segetes alimentaque debita dives Poscebatur humus, id. ib. 1, 138: quod rationem pecuniae posceretur, Gell. 4, 18, 12; to be called upon or invoked to inspire a poet or to sing: aversus Apollo Poscitur invitā verba pigenda lyrā, Prop. 4 (5), 1, 76 (better reading poscis ab); cf. absol. Palilia poscor: Non poscor frustra; si favet alma Pales, Ov. F. 4, 721; so, poscimur Aonides, Ov. M. 5, 333: poscimur, Hor. C. 1, 32, 1.
          4. (δ) With ut: poscimus, ut cenes civiliter, Juv. 5, 112: poscimus ut sit, etc., id. 7, 71; Tac. H. 2, 39: poposcit, ut haec ipsa quaestio diligentius tractaretur, Aug. Civ. Dei, 2, 21.
            (ε) With inf. or acc. and inf. (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): poscat sibi fabula credit, Hor. A. P. 339; cf.: immolare Fauno, Seu poscat agnā sive malit haedo, id. C. 1, 4, 12: esse sacerdotes delubraque vestra tueri Poscimus, Ov. M. 8, 708: contraque occurrere poscunt, Val. Fl. 4, 194; Pers. 1, 128; Claud. in Eutr. 1, 151.
            In prose: ego vero te etiam morari posco inter voluptates, Sen. Contr. 1, 8; Arn. 7, p. 254. So, too, perh. (acc. to Stephanus’s conjecture): vos fallere poscunt, Rutil. Lup. Fig. 2, 19, p. 181 Frotsch.
            (ζ) Ellipt.: poscunt majoribus poculis, sc. bibere, they challenge to drink from larger goblets, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 26, § 66.
            (η) Absol., to beg, be a beggar: improbus es, cum poscis, ait. Sed pensio clamat, posce, Juv. 9, 63 sq.
    1. B. Of inanimate and abstract subjects, to demand, require, need: quod res poscere videbatur, Caes. B. G. 7, 1: cum usus poscit, id. ib. 4, 2: quod negotium poscebat, Sail J. 56, 1; 70, 3; Quint. 11, 3, 162 et saep.
  2. II. In partic.
    1. A. To demand for punishment, to ask the surrender of: accusant ii, quos populus poscit, Cic. Rosc. Am. 5, 13; cf.: hujus tantae cladis auctor Annibal poscitur, Flor. 2, 6, 7: nec poscitur auctor, Sil. 2, 44: poscendum poenae juvenem jubebat, id. 1, 677; so Liv. 9, 26.
    2. B. In gen., to call one (ante-class. and poet.): clamore hominem posco, Plaut. Curc. 5, 3, 5: gemitu Alciden, Sen. Herc. Oet. 1887.
      Pass.: ego poscor Olympo (dat. of agent), Olympus calls me, summons me to the combat, Verg. A. 8, 533: poscimur, Ov. M. 2, 144.
      1. 2. In partic., to call upon, invoke: supplex tua numina posco, Verg. A. 1, 666.
    3. C. In selling.
      1. 1. To ask, demand for a thing, to offer at a price: tanti quanti poscit, vin’ tanti illam emi? Plaut. Merc. 2, 4, 22: pro reliquis (libris) idem pretium poposcit, Varr. ap. Lact. 1, 6, 10.
      2. 2. To ask, bid, offer a price for a thing: agite licemini. Qui cenā poscit? ecqui poscit prandio? Plaut. Stich. 1, 3, 68; id. Merc. 2, 3, 101; Plin. 35, 10, 36, § 88.
    4. D. To demand one’s hand, ask in marriage: eam si jubes, frater, tibi me poscere, poscam, Plaut. Aul. 2, 1, 38: filiam tuam mihi uxorem posco, id. ib. 2, 2, 42: tibi permittam, posce, duce, id. Trin. 2, 2, 103: sine dote posco tuam sororem filio, id. ib. 2, 4, 98: tuam sororem uxorem alicui, id. ib. 2, 4, 49.