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.

lăcer (lăcĕrus quoted by Prisc. 901 P.), ĕra, ĕrum, adj. [root λακ-, to tear; Gr. λακερός, torn; λάκκος, lake; Lat. lacero, lacus, lacuna, lāma; Irish, loch; Engl. lake], mangled, lacerated, torn to pieces.

  1. I. Lit. (not in Cic. or Cæs.): homo, Lucr. 3, 403: corpus, Liv. 1, 28; Plin. 2, 63, 63, § 156: corpus verberibus, Just. 21, 4, 7: cui quod membrum lacerum laesumve est, Masur. Sab. ap. Gell. 4, 2, 15: Deiphobum lacerum crudeliter ora, mutilated, Verg. A. 6, 495; so, artus avolsaque membra et funus lacerum tellus habet, id. ib. 9, 491.
    Of the hair: nec modus aut pennis, laceris aut crinibus, ignem spargere, Stat. S. 1, 1, 133; Sil. 6, 560; Claud. Rapt. Pros. 3, 177: vestis, Tac. H. 3, 10: tectorum vestigia lacera et semusta, id. A. 15, 40: puppis, Ov. H. 2, 45: insignia, Stat. Th. 10, 8: lacerae unguibus venae, Sen. Phoen. 162.
    1. B. Trop. (postAug. and very rare): sparsas, atque, ut ita dicam, laceras gentilitates colligere atque conectere, families rent and scattered, Plin. Pan. 39, 3.
      Poet.: castra, an army that has lost its general, Sil. 15, 9: lacerae domus artus componere, Sen. Thyest. 432.
  2. * II. Transf., act., rending, lacerating (for lacerans): morsus, Ov. M. 8, 880.