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.

1. merces, ēdis (irreg. acc. mercem, Claud. 6; Cons. Hon. 578), f. [mereo, what is deserved or earned; hence], hire, pay, wages, salary, fee, reward, etc. (syn.: pretium, stipendium; class.).

  1. I. Lit.: manuum mercede inopiam tolerare, the wages of manual labor, Sall. C. 37, 7: ne ars tanta abduceretur ad mercedem atque quaestum, Cic. Div. 1, 41, 92: operae, id. Verr. 2, 1, 56, § 147: veterum officiorum, Juv. 5, 13: uti ab Arvernis Sequanisque Germani mercede arcesserentur, Caes. B. G. 1, 31: haec merces erat dialecticorum, fee, Cic. Ac. 2, 30, 98: Apollonius cum mercede doceret, id. de Or. 1, 28, 126: mercedibus scenicorum recisis, the players’ salaries, Suet. Tib. 34: poscere mercedes, to work for hire, Juv. 8, 246: sarcienda vestimenta mercede certa accipere, Gai. Inst. 3, 205.
    Prov.: dignus est operarius mercede suo, Vulg. Luc. 10, 7.
    1. B. In partic., in a bad sense, an unrighteous reward, a bribe: pretio atque mercede minuere majestatem rei publicae, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 20, § 50: magnā mercede pacisci cum aliquo, ut, Liv. 25, 33: mercedem accipere ab aliquo, Cic. Rosc. Am. 29, 80: lingua adstricta mercede, tied with a bribe, id. Pis. 13, 30: iniquitatis, Vulg. 2 Pet. 2, 13.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. A price for any thing, reward, wages; recompense, punishment; cost, injury, detriment; a stipulation, condition, etc.: mercedem alicujus rei constituere, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 51, § 134: alicui proponere, id. Q. Fr. 3, 3, 4: alicui rei imponere, Juv. 7, 149: exigere ab aliquo, Cic. Lael. 21, 80: merces sanguinis atque laboris, Juv. 14, 164; 1, 42: mercedem solvere, to make payment, id. 7, 157: appellare, to demand payment, id. 7, 157, v. 158.
      Prov.: unā mercede duas res adsequi, to kill two birds with one stone, Cic. Rosc. Am. 29, 80: non aliā bibam Mercede, condition, Hor. C. 1, 27, 13: temeritatis merces, punishment, Liv. 39, 55: qui metit mercedem accipit, reward, Vulg. Johan. 4, 36: in molestiā gaudeo, te eam fidem cognoscere hominum non ita magnā mercede, quam ego maximo dolore cognōram, price, cost, Cic. Fam. 1, 9, 3: non sine magnā mercede, not except at great cost, id. Tusc. 3, 6, 12: victum illa mercede parare, Juv. 14, 273: magnā quidem res tuas mercede colui, to my great disadvantage, Sen. Tranq. 11, 2.
    2. B. Rent, revenue, income, interest: mercedes Argileti et Aventini, Cic. Att. 12, 32, 2: dotalium praediorum, id. ib. 15, 20, 4: ex fundo, id. Verr. 2, 3, 50, § 119: mercedes habitationum annuae, house-rents, Caes. B. C. 3, 21: publicanos tertiā mercedum parte relevavit, farm-rent, Suet. Caes. 20: quinas hic capiti mercedes exsecat, interest or discount on capital, Hor. S. 1, 2, 14.