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.

lăcus, ūs (gen. laci, Vulg. Dan. 6, 17; 24; id. Jer. 37, 15; Cassiod. Var. 11, 14; dat. and abl. plur. lacis, Anthol. Lat. 5, 71, 10: lacibus, Plin. 23, 1, 20, § 33; usually lacubus, Ov. M. 12, 278 al.), m. [root lak, to tear; Gr. λάκος, λακερός, λάκκος; Lat. lacer, lacinia, lacuna, lāma; cf. lacerna; originally any thing hollow, hence].

  1. I. A large vessel for liquids, a basin, tank, tub; esp. a vat into which the wine flowed from the press, Cato, R. R. 25; 67, 2; Col. 12, 18, 3: tu quoque devotos, Bacche, relinque lacus, Tib. 2, 3, 64: de lacubus proxima musta tuis, Ov. F. 4, 888; a tank of water, in which heated metal was cooled: alii stridentia tingunt Aera lacu, Verg. G. 4, 173: gelido ceu quondam lamina candens tincta lacu, stridit, Ov. M. 9, 170: ferrum, igne rubens … lacubus demittit, id. ib. 12, 278.
    Hence,
    1. B. Transf.: oratio quasi de musto ac lacu fervida, i. e. still new, that has not done fermenting, Cic. Brut. 83, 288.
  2. II. A large body of water which rises and falls (opp. stagnum, a standing pool), a lake, pond: agri, aedificia, lacus, stagna, Cic. Agr. 3, 2, 7: exhalant lacus nebulam, Lucr. 5, 463: deae, quae illos Hennenses lacus lucosque incolitis, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 72, § 188; cf. 2, 4, 48, § 107: Averni, Lucr. 6, 746; Cic. Tusc. 1, 16, 37: Albanus, id. Div. 1, 44, 100: Fucinus, Plin. 36, 15, 24, § 124: dicebar sicco vilior esse lacu, Prop. 2, 14 (3, 6), 12: ad spurcos lacus, Juv. 6, 603.
    Poet., of a river: deinde lacu fluvius se condidit alto Ima petens, Verg. A. 8, 66; cf. v. 74; of the Styx, id. ib. 6, 134; 238; 393.
  3. III. A large reservoir for water, a basin, tank, cistern (of which there were a great number in Rome), Front. 3; 78; Liv. 39, 44; Plin. 36, 15, 24, § 121: a furno redeuntes lacuque, Hor. S. 1, 4, 37.
    A place called Lacus: garruli et malevoli supra Lacum, at the pond (perh. Lacus Curtius or Lacus Juturnae), Plaut. Curc. 4, 1, 16.
    Prov.: siccus lacus, for something useless, Prop. 2, 11, 11 (3, 6, 12).
  4. IV.
        1. a. A hole in which lime is slacked, a lime-hole, Vitr. 7, 2, 2.
        2. b. One of the bins or receptacles for pulse in a granary: sed et lacubus distinguuntur granaria, ut separatim quaeque legumina ponantur, Col. 1, 6, 14.
        3. c. A den or cave for lions: labitur in lacum leonum, Prud. Cath. 4, 65; Vulg. Dan. 6, 7.
        4. d. The pit, the place of the dead (cf. II. fin. supra): salvasti me a descendentibus in lacum, Vulg. Psa. 29, 4.
  5. V. For lacunar, a panel in a ceiling (ante-class.): resultant aedesque lacusque, Lucil. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 1, 726.

Prelĭus or Prilĭus (Cod. Erf., Perelius) lăcus, a small lake in Etruria, now Lago di Castiglione, Cic. Mil. 27, 74.