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.

2. dēlectus or dīlectus (so often in best MSS., and adopted by Halm in Quint. and Cic., Weissenb. in Liv., Dietsch in Sall., and by Brambach, etc.; but Bait. and Kay. in Cic., Dinter and Nipperdey in Caes., delectus), ūs, m. [1. deligo], a choosing or picking out, a selecting; a selection, choice, distinction (freq. and class.).

  1. I. In gen.: utrimque tibi nunc dilectum para, Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 157: mihi quidem etiam lautius videtur, quod eligitur, et ad quod delectus adhibetur, Cic. Fin. 5, 30, 90: earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut, etc. (shortly before: cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio), id. ib. 1, 10, 33: in hoc verborum genere propriorum delectus est quidam habendus, id. de Or. 3, 37, 150; so, verborum, Caes. ap. Cic. Brut. 72, 253; Quint. 12, 9, 6; cf.: rerum verborumque agendus, id. 10, 3, 5: verbis delectum adhibere, Tac. Or. 22: cujus (εὐφωνίας) in eo dilectus est, ut, etc., Quint. 1, 5, 4: judicum, Cic. Phil. 5, 5, 13: omnium rerum delectum atque discrimen pecunia sustulisset, id. Verr. 2, 2, 50; so with discrimen, id. Fin. 4, 25, 69: magnus hominum et dignitatum, id. Rep. 1, 34: dignitatis, id. Clu. 46; id. Off. 1, 14, 45: acceptorum beneficiorum sunt delectus habendi, id. ib. 1, 15, 49: non delectu aliquo aut sapientia ducitur ad judicandum, id. Planc. 4: sine ullo delectu, sine populi Rom. notione, sine judicio senatus, id. Agr. 2, 21 fin.; cf. Ov. M. 10, 325; and on the contrary, cum delectu, making a selection, Plin. 7, 53, 54, § 180; Plin. Ep. 2, 13, 18.
  2. II. Milit. t. t., a levy, a recruiting: per legatos delectum habere, Caes. B. G. 6, 1; so, delectum habere, a standing phrase for recruiting, id. ib. 7, 1; id. B. C. 1, 2; 1, 6; Cic. Phil. 5, 12; Sall. C. 36, 3; Liv. 2, 28; Tac. A. 13, 35 al.; cf. the postAug. agere, Quint. 12, 3, 5; Plin. 7, 29, 30, § 107; Tac. H. 2, 16; Suet. Calig. 43 al.: conficere, Liv. 25, 5: quas (legiones) ex novo delectu confecerat, Caes. B. C. 1, 25: exercitus superbissimo delectu collectus, Cic. Prov. Cons. 2 fin.: provincialis, made in the province, provincial, id. Fam. 15, 1 fin.: in bella, Plin. 6, 19, 22, § 66.
    1. B. Meton. (abstr. pro concreto), the men levied, a levy: e Britannico delectu octo milia sibi adjunxit, Tac. H. 2, 57.