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. morsus, a, um, Part., from mordeo.

2. morsus, ūs, m. [mordeo], a biting, a bite.

  1. I. Lit.: contra avium minorum morsus munitur vallo aristarum. Cic. Sen. 15, 51: serpentis, id. Fat. 16, 36: morsu apprehendere, to bite, Plin. 11, 24, 28, § 84: morsibus insequi, Ov. M. 13, 568: morsu appetere, Tac. H. 4, 42: nec tu mensarum morsus horresce futuros, the eating, Verg. A. 3, 394: mucida frusta farinae … non admittentia morsum, Juv. 5, 69: vertere morsus Exiguam in Cererem penuria adegit edendi, their bites, their teeth, id. ib. 7, 112; so, zonam morsu tenere, by the teeth, Juv. 14, 297.
    1. B. Transf.
      1. 1. A catching hold; and, concr., that which takes hold, a catch (of a buckle, etc.; poet.): quā fibulā morsus Loricae crebro laxata resolverat ictu, Sil. 7, 624: roboris, i. e. the cleft of the tree which held fast the javelin, Verg. A. 12, 782: patulis agitatos morsibus ignes spirent, Grat. Falisc. 270.
      2. 2. Sharpness of flavor, sharp taste, pungency: nec cibus ipse juvat morsu fraudatus aceti, Mart. 7, 25, 5: marinus, acrid quality, Plin. 36, 26, 65, § 191: et scabros nigrae morsu rubiginis enses, i. e. a corroding, consuming, Luc. 1, 243.
  2. II. Trop., a bite, sting, pain, vexation, etc.: (carmina) odio obscuro morsuque venenare, a malicious attack, Hor. Ep. 1, 14, 38: perpetui curarum morsus, gnawings, pains, Ov. P. 1, 1, 73: doloris, a bite, sting, Cic. Tusc. 4, 7, 15: libertatis intermissae, id. Off. 2, 7, 24: dubiā morsus famae depellere pugnā, Sil. 2, 271.