Lewis & Short

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* lēgātor, ōris, m. [1. lego], one who leaves something by will, a testator: voluntas legatoris, Suet. Tib. 31.

lēgātum, i, n., v. 1. lego fin. 2.

lēgātus, i, v. 1. lego fin. 1.

1. lēgo, āvi, ātum (archaic perf. legassit for legaverit, Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Cic. Inv. 2, 50, 148), 1, v. a. [lex; and therefore qs. lege creare], a publicist’s and jurid. t. t.

  1. I. A publicist’s t. t.
    1. A. To send with a commission or charge, to send on an embassy, send as ambassador; to depute, despatch: ne hoc quidem senatui relinquebas, ut legati ex ejus ordinis auctoritate legarentur, Cic. Vatin. 15, 35: hominem honestum ac nobilem legarunt ad Apronium, id. Verr. 2, 3, 48, § 114: eos privatae rei causa legari, id. Fam. 3, 8, 4: juste pieque legatus venio, Liv. 1, 32: tres adulescentes in Africam legantur, qui reges adeant, etc., Sall. J. 21, 4: quos Athenienses Romam ad senatum legaverant impetratum, etc., Gell. 7, 14, 8.
      1. 2. Transf. to the commission itself (ante- and post-class.): quae verba legaverint Rhodii ad hostium ducem, what they told him through their deputies, Gell. 15, 31 in lemm.
        1. b. Beyond the official sphere: quin potius, quod legatum est tibi negotium, Id curas? committed, intrusted, Plaut. Cas. 1, 12.
    2. B. To appoint or choose as deputy (as the official assistant, lieutenant, of a general or governor): eum (Messium) Caesari legarat Appius, Cic. Att. 4, 15, 9: ego me a Pompeio legari ita sum passus, ut, etc., id. ib. 4, 2, 6: istum legatum iri non arbitror, id. ib. 10, 1, 4: ne legaretur Gabinius Pompeio expetenti, id. de Imp. Pomp. 19, 57: Dolabella me sibi legavit, chose me for his lieutenant, id. Att. 15, 11, 4: Calpurnius parato exercitu legat sibi homines nobiles, etc., Sall. J. 28.
  2. II. A jurid. t. t.: aliquid, to appoint by a last will or testament, to leave or bequeath as a legacy (class.): Numitori, qui stirpis maximus erat, regnum vetustum Silviae gentis legat, Liv. 1, 3: legavit quidam uxori mundum omne penumque, Lucil. ap. Gell. 4, 1, 3: usumfructum omnium bonorum Caesenniae legat, Cic. Caecin. 4, 11: Fabiae pecunia legata est a viro, id. Top. 3, 14: cui argentum omne legatum est, Quint. 5, 10, 62: in argento legato, id. 7, 2, 11.
    1. B. Aliquid alicui ab aliquo, to leave one a legacy to be paid by the principal heir: uxori testamento legat grandem pecuniam a filio, si qui natus esset: ab secundo herede nihil legat, Cic. Clu. 12, 33: si paterfamilias uxori ancillarum usum fructum legavit a filio, neque a secundo herede legavit, id. Top. 4, 21; Quint. 7, 9, 5.
      Hence,
      1. 1. lēgātus, i, m.
    1. A. (Acc. to lego, I. A.) An ambassador, legate, Cic. Vatin. 15, 35: legatos mittere, id. de Imp. Pomp. 12, 35: ad senatum legatos de aliqua re mittere, id. de Or. 2, 37, 155; cf.: missi magnis de rebus uterque Legati, Hor. S. 1, 5, 29: legatos mittere ad indicendum bellum, Liv. 31, 8; Ov. M. 14, 527.
    2. B. (Acc. to lego, I. B.).
        1. a. An official assistant given to a general or the governor of a province, a deputy, lieutenant, lieutenant-general: quos legatos tute tibi legasti? Cic. Pis. 14, 33: qui M. Aemilio legati fuerunt, id. Clu. 36, 99: Quintus frater meus legatus est Caesaris, id. Fam. 1, 9, 21; id. Off. 3, 20, 79; cf.: Murena summo imperatori legatus L. Lucullo fuit, qua in legatione duxit exercitum, etc., id. Mur. 9, 20; 14, 32: neque se ei legatum defuturum, id. Phil. 11, 7, 17; Val. Max. 5, 5, 1: hiberna cum legato praefectoque tradidisses, Cic. Pis. 35, 86: (Calvisius) duos legatos Uticae reliquerat, id. Phil. 3, 10 fin.: quaestorius, id. Verr. 2, 1, 21, § 56; Caes. B. G. 2, 5 fin.: L. Caesar, cujus pater Caesaris erat legatus, id. B. C. 1, 8, 2: magnitudo et splendor legati, Liv. 38, 58, 9: in magna legatum quaere popina, Juv. 8, 172.
        2. b. Under the emperors, a governor sent to a province by the emperor, Tac. A. 12, 40; id. Agr. 33; Suet. Vesp. 4; Spart. Hadr. 3 et saep.; cf. legatio, I. B. 2., and Orell. ad Tac. Agr. 9.
          1. (β) Legati legionum, commanders, Suet. Tib. 19; id. Vesp. 4; cf.: Caesar singulis legionibus singulos legatos et quaestorem praefecit, Caes. B. G. 1, 52; Tac. A. 2, 36; id. H. 1, 7.
            Also called; legatus praetorius, Tac. Agr. 7.
      1. 2. lēgātum, i, n. (acc. to lego, II.), a bequest, legacy: legatum est delibatio hereditatis, qua testator ex eo, quod universum heredis foret, alicui quid collatum velit, Dig. 30, 116: Hortensii legata cognovi, Cic. Att. 7, 3, 9: reliqua legata varie dedit, Suet. Aug. 101; id. Tib. 48: legatum peto ex testamento, Quint. 4, 2, 6: jus capiendi legata alicui adimere, Suet. Dom. 8: cymbala pulsantis legatum amici, Juv. 9, 62: legatorum genera sunt quattuor, Gai. Inst. 2, 192; cf. sqq.