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.

custōdĭo, īvi, or ĭi, ītum, 4 (fut. pass. custodibitur, Plaut. Capt. 3, 5, 71), v. a. [custos], to watch, protect, keep, defend, guard (freq. and class.).

  1. I. In gen.
    1. A. With material objects: Q. Caepio Brutus pro consule provinciam Macedoniam, tueatur, defendat, custodiat incolumemque conservet, Cic. Phil. 10, 11, 26: tuum corpus domumque, id. Mil. 25, 67: quod me receperit, juverit, custodierit, id. Planc. 10, 26; cf.: in meā salute custodiendā, id. ib. 1, 1: me non solum amicorum fidelitas, sed etiam universae civitatis oculi custodiunt, id. Phil. 12, 9, 22: ut haec insula ab eā (Cerere) … incoli custodirique videatur, id. Verr. 2, 4, 49, § 107: urbes, Quint. 7, 10, 13: maritimam oram viginti navibus longis, Liv. 36, 2, 11 (cf. tueri, id. 36, 2, 7): officinam diligentiā, Plin. 12, 14, 32, § 59: castra nocte, ne quis elabi posset, Liv. 9, 42, 6: amictum, Quint. 5, 14, 31: poma in melle, to lay up, preserve, Col. 12, 45, 3: paries, qui laevum marinae Veneris latus Custodit, Hor. C. 3, 26, 6: tua, id. S. 2, 3, 151: hic stilus … me veluti custodiet ensis, id. ib. 2, 1, 40.
      Esp.: se, to be on the watch: quanto se opere custodiant bestiae, Cic. N. D. 2, 49, 126: fac ut diligentissime te ipsum custodias, id. Att. 14, 17, A, 8.
          1. (β) With ab: Gortynii templum magnā curā custodiunt non tam a ceteris quam ab Hannibale, Nep. Hann. 9, 4: poma ab insomni dracone, Ov. M. 9, 190: cutem a vitiis, Plin. 28, 8, 25, § 89.
    2. B. With immaterial objects (freq. in postAug. prose), to keep, preserve, regard, take heed, observe, maintain: id quod tradatur posse percipere animo et memoriā custodire, Cic. de Or. 1, 28, 127: dicta litteris, id. ib. 2, 2, 7; cf.: ex his (arboribus) quas memoria hominum custodit, Plin. 16, 44, 85, § 234: illa quae scriptis reposuimus, velut custodire desinimus, Quint. 11, 2, 9; opp. mutare, id. 12, 8, 6: modum ubique, id. 4, 2, 35: regulam loquendi, id. 1, 7, 1: praecepta, Col. 1, 8, 15: eam rationem, id. 4, 29, 11: ordinem, id. 12, 4, 1: quae custodienda in olearam curā … praecipiemus, Plin. 17, 18, 29, § 125: morem, id. 14, 12, 14, § 88: religiose quod juraveris, id. Pan. 65, 2 et saep.
          1. (β) With ab: teneriores annos ab injuriā sanctitas docentis custodiat, Quint. 2, 2, 3.
          2. (γ) With ut or ne: in aliis quoque propinquitatibus custodiendum est, ut inviti judicemur dixisse, Quint. 11, 1, 66: quo in genere id est praecipue custodiendum, ne, etc., id. 8, 3, 73; 8, 5, 7; Col. 4, 24, 11: ut custoditum sit ne umquam veniret, etc., Suet. Tib. 7.
  2. II. With the access. idea of hindering free motion, in a good or bad sense.
    1. A. In gen., to hold something back, to preserve, keep: multorum te oculi et aures non sentientem … speculabuntur atque custodient, Cic. Cat. 1, 2, 6: aliquem, ne quid auferat, to watch, observe, id. Div. in Caecil. 16, 51: ejus (sc. epistulae) custodiendae et proferendae arbitrium tuum, Cic. Att. 15, 13, 1: librum, id. Fam. 6, 5, 1: codicillos, Suet. Tib. 51: prodit se quamlibet custodiatur simulatio, Quint. 12, 1, 29.
    2. B. Esp., to hold in custody, hold captive: noctu nervo vinctus custodibitur, Plaut. Capt. 3, 5, 71; Cic. Fragm. ap. Quint. 9, 3, 50: ducem praedonum, id. Verr. 2, 5, 27, § 68: obsides, Caes. B. G. 6, 4: Domitium, id. B. C. 1, 20: bovem, Verg. A. 8, 218 et saep.
      Hence, * cu-stōdītē, adv. (acc. to I.), cautiously, carefully: ut parce custoditeque ludebat! Plin. Ep. 5, 16, 3.

custos, ōdis, comm. [root sku-, to cover, hide, etc.; cf. scutum, κεύθω, Germ. Haut, Haus, Corss. Ausspr. I. p. 353], a guard, watch, preserver, keeper, overseer, protector, defender, attendant, etc., protectress, etc., in a friendly or hostile sense (freq. and class.).

  1. I. In gen.
    1. A. Of living beings.
      1. 1. In gen.: antiqua erilis fida custos corporis, Enn. Med. ap. Non. p. 39, 2 (Trag. Rel. v. 289 Vahl.); cf. in masc.: corporis, a body-guard, Liv. 24, 7, 4; so plur., Nep. Dat. 9, 3; Suet. Calig. 55 al.: Commium cum equitatu custodis loco relinquit, Caes. B. G. 6, 6 fin.: cum vigillis custodibusque nostris colloqui, id. B. C. 1, 22 init.: portae, Cic. Cat. 2, 12, 27: fani, id. Verr. 2, 4, 43, § 94. custos defensorque provinciae, id. ib. 2, 5, 6, § 12: pontis, Nep. Milt. 3, 1: patrimonii, Quint. 4, 2, 73: hortorum, Suet. Calig. 59: gregis, Verg. E. 10, 36: pecuniae regiae, Curt. 5, 1, 20: ipse pecuniae quam regni melior custos, Liv 44, 26, 12: rei publicae custos senatus, Cic. Sest. 65, 137: templorum, id. Dom. 55, 141: custos ac vindex cupiditatum, id. Agr. 2, 9, 24: salutis suae, Quint. 5, 11, 8; Curt. 3, 6, 1; Tac. A. 3, 14 et saep.: his discipulis privos custodes dabo, Plaut. Ps. 3, 2, 76; so of teachers of youth, id. ib. 4, 3, 19; Ter. Phorm. 2, 1, 57; Hor. S. 1, 4, 118; id. A. P. 161; 239: virtutis (ego) verae custos rigidusque satelles, id. Ep. 1, 1, 17.
        Freq. of the gods, etc.: dei custodes et conservatores hujus urbis, Cic. Sest. 24, 53; cf.: custodi Jovi, Suet. Dom. 5: montium custos Diana, Hor. C. 3, 22, 1: rerum Caesar, id. ib. 4, 15, 17: multae tibi tum officient res, Custodes, etc., i. e. attendants of women, eunuchs, etc., id. S. 1, 2, 98 Heind.
        Of dogs, Verg. G. 3, 406; Col. 7, 12; so of Cerberus, Verg. A. 6, 424 al., and of the constellation Bootes, Ἀρκτοφύλαξ, Vitr. 9, 4, 1: armorum, the officer in charge of the arms in an army or fleet, Dig. 49, 16, 14, § 1; Inscr. Orell. 3630 al.
      2. 2. In civil affairs, t. t., a man who took charge of the vessel into which voting tablets were put (in order to prevent false suffrages), Varr. R. R. 3, 5, 18; Cic. Agr. 2, 9, 22; id. Red. Sen. 7, 17.
    2. B. Of inanimate subjects.
      1. 1. Of abstract subjects: natura Ipsaque corporis est custos et causa salutis, Lucr. 3, 324: haec custos dignitatis (fortitudo), Cic. Tusc. 2, 14, 33: sapientia custos et procuratrix totius hominis, id. Fin. 4, 7, 17; id. Off. 2, 7, 23: leges diligentissimae pudoris custodes, Quint. 8, 5, 19 al.
      2. 2. Of receptacles, safes, e. g. of a quiver: eburnea Telorum custos, Ov. M. 8, 320; of an incense-box: turis, id. ib. 13, 703; and in husbandry, the stump of an amputated vine-branch, i. q. resex, pollex, praesidiarius or subsidiarius palmes, Col. 4, 21, 3.
  2. II. In a hostile sense.
    1. A. In gen., a watch, spy: Dumnorigi custodes ponit, ut, quae agat, quibuscum loquatur, scire possit, Caes. B. G. 1, 20 fin.: custodem, inquit, Tullio me apponite. Quid, mihi quam multis custodibus opus erit, etc., Cic. Div. in Caecil. 16, 51; id. Verr. 2, 5, 25, § 63; Caes. B. G. 1, 20 fin.: num nam hic relictu’s custos, Nequis, etc., Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 55; cf. v. 59; Curt. 5, 11, 2; Suet. Tib. 12 al.
    2. B. Esp., a jailer, keeper: carceris, Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 57; Nep. Eum. 11, 1; id. Alcib. 4, 4: quem ex Mauritania rex proditionis insimulatum cum custodibus miserat, Sall. H. 2, 25 Dietsch: te sub custode tenebo, Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 77; Tac. A. 2, 68; 3, 28; 4, 60 al.