Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.
obses (old orthogr. opses, in the first Epit. of the Scipios; v. infra; Inscr. Spec. Epigr. p. 5, 11 Jahn), ĭdis (gen. plur. obsidium, Caes. B. G. 5, 27; 6, 9; Liv. 2, 13, 97), m. and f. [ob-sedeo].
- I. Lit., a hostage: OPSIDES ABDOVCIT, first Epit. of the Scipios: ut obsides accipere, non dare consueverint, Caes. B. G. 1, 14; Liv. 34, 35: obsides alicui imperare, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 12, 35: dedere, Sall. J. 54, 6: retinere aliquem obsidem, as a hostage, Nep. Them. 7, 2.
Fem.: me tamen acceptā poterat deponere bellum Obside, Ov. M. 8, 48: obsides, qui Porsenae mittebantur, Plin. 34, 6, 13, § 29: inter se dare, to exchange, Caes. B. G. 1, 9.
- II. Transf., in gen., a surety, security, bail, pledge (syn.: sponsor, vindex, vas, praes): Phocion se ejus rei obsidem fore, pollicitus est, to be surety, to answer for it, Nep. Phoc. 2, 4: accipere aliquem obsidem nuptiarum, Cic. Clu. 66, 188: conjugii, Ov. H. 2, 34: rei, Nep. Phoc. 2, 4: dare obsides, with a foll. acc. and inf., to give a surety or guarantee: tantum modo oratoribus Metellus obsides non dedit, se nullā in re Verri similem futurum, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 53, § 124.
Also of inanim. subjects: habemus a C. Caesare sententiam tamquam obsidem perpetuae in rem publicam voluntatis, Cic. Cat. 4, 5, 9; id. Cael. 32, 78; id. Clu. 30, 83; Quint. 12, 7, 3: obsidem enim se animum ejus habere, Liv. 39, 47.