Lewis & Short

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lăcĕro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [lacer], to tear to pieces, to mangle, rend, mutilate, lacerate (class., esp. in the trop. sense; syn.: lanio, discerpo).

  1. I. Lit.: quin spolies, mutiles, laceres quemquam nacta sis, Ter. Hec. 1, 1, 8: lacerat lacertum Largi mordax Memmius, Crass. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 59, 240: corpus uti volucres lacerent in morte feraeque, Lucr. 3, 880: membra aliena, Juv. 15, 102; cf.: lacerato corpore, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 2 (Trag. v. 95 Vahl.): morsu viscera, Cic. poët. Tusc. 2, 8: ora, comas, vestem lacerat, Ov. M. 11, 726: amictus, Sil. 13, 389: genas, Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 51: verbere terga, id. F. 2, 695: Tum autem Syrum impulsorem, vah, quibus illum lacerarem modis, Ter. Ad. 3, 2, 17: tergum virgis, Liv. 3, 58; 26, 13: unguibus cavos recessus luminum, Sen. Oedip. 968: quid miserum laceras? Verg. A. 3, 41: ferro, Hor. C. 3, 27, 46: loricam, Verg. A. 12, 98: lacerari morsibus saevis canum, Phaedr. 1, 12, 11: ferae corpus lacerabant, Petr. 115 sq.: carnes dentibus, Vulg. Job, 13, 4; id. Gen. 40, 19.
    1. B. Esp.
      1. 1. To break up, to wreck, shatter: navem Ulixis, Ov. P. 3, 6, 19: majorem partem classis, Vell. 2, 79, 3: naves, Liv. 29, 8: navigia, Curt. 4, 3, 18: lecticam, Suet. Aug. 91.
      2. 2. To cut up, carve: obsonium, Petr. 36: anserem, id. 137; 74.
      3. 3. To waste, plunder: cum Hannibal terram Italiam laceraret atque vexaret, Cato ap. Serv. Verg. E. 6, 7, 6: orbem, Juv. 4, 37.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. To tear to pieces with words, to censure, asperse, abuse, rail at: obtrectatio invidiaque, quae solet lacerare plerosque, Cic. Brut. 42, 156: optimum virum verborum contumeliis, id. Phil. 11, 2: aliquem probris, Liv. 31, 6: Pompeium dempto metu lacerant, Sall. H. 3, 61, 21 Dietsch: meque vosque male dictis, id. J. 85, 26: famam alicujus, to slander, calumniate, id. 38, 54: alicujus carmina, Ov. P. 4, 16, 1: lacerari crebro vulgi rumore, Tac. A. 15, 73.
    2. B. To distress, torture, pain, afflict: intolerabili dolore lacerari, Cic. Ac. 2, 8, 23: quam omni crudelitate lacerastis, id. Dom. 23, 59: quid laceras pectora nostra morā? Ov. H. 15, 212: meus me maeror cottidianus lacerat et conficit, Cic. Att. 3, 8, 2; cf.: aegritudo lacerat, exest animum planeque conficit, id. Tusc. 3, 13, 27.
    3. C. To ruin, destroy, dissipate, squander, waste: male suadendo et lustris lacerant homines, Plaut. Curc. 4, 2, 22: patriam omni scelere, Cic. Off. 1, 17, 57: bonorum emptores, ut carnifices, ad reliquias vitae lacerandas et distrahendas, to scatter, disperse, Cic. Quint. 15, 50: pecuniam, to squander, id. Verr. 2, 3, 70, § 164: lacerari valde suam rem, Plaut. Merc. 1, 1, 48; cf.: bona patria manu, ventre, to lavish, squander, Sall. C. 14, 2: diem, to waste, Plaut. As. 2, 2, 25; id. Stich. 3, 1, 45.