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.

parco, pĕperci, less freq. parsi (the former constantly in Cic. and Cæs., the latter ante-class. and post-Aug.: parcui, Naev. ap. Non. 153, 21, or Com. 69 Rib.; part. fut. parsurus, Liv. 26, 13, 16; Suet. Tib. 62: parciturus, Hier. Ep. 14, 2), parsum, and less correctly parcĭtum, 3, v. n. and a. [for sparco; Gr. σπαρνός, rare; cf. Engl. spare; but v. also paucus, parvus], to act sparingly, be sparing with respect to a thing, to spare; constr. usually with dat. or absol.; ante-class. also with acc.

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. Of things (rare but class.).
          1. (α) With dat.: nihil pretio parsit, filio dum parceret, Plaut. Capt. prol. 32: operae meae, id. Mil. 4, 9, 3: te rogo sumptu ne parcas, Cic. Fam. 16, 4, 2: non parcam operae, id. ib. 13, 27, 1: nec impensae, nec labori, nec periculo parsurum, Liv. 35, 44: petit, ne cui rei parcat ad ea perficienda, Nep. Paus. 2, 5.
          2. (β) Absol.: frumentum se exigue dierum XXX. habere, sed paulo etiam longius tolerare posse parcendo, Caes. B. G. 7, 71, 4.
            Poet.: parcens = parcus: parcentes ego dexteras Odi (= parcius administrantes vinum, flores, etc.), Hor. C. 3, 19, 21.
          3. (γ) With acc. (ante-class. and poet.): oleas, Cato, R. R. 58: pecuniam, Plaut. Curc. 3, 11: argenti atque auri memoras quae multa talenta, Gnatis parce tuis, spare, reserve for your children, Verg. A. 10, 532 Serv.
            Prov.: qui parcit virgae odit filium, Vulg. Prov. 13, 24.
    2. B. Of persons, to spare, have mercy upon, forbear to injure or punish (eccl. and late Lat.), usually with dat.: non pepercisti filio tuo, Vulg. Gen. 22, 16; id. 2 Pet. 2, 4 et saep.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. To spare, i. e. to preserve by sparing, to use carefully, not to injure.
          1. (α) With dat.: tibi parce, Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 112: justitia autem praecipit, parcere omnibus, consulere generi hominum, Cic. Rep. 3, 12: aedificiis omnibus publicis et privatis, id. Verr. 2, 4, 54, § 120: amicitiis et dignitatibus, id. Or. 26, 89; id. Phil. 2, 24, 59: non aetate confectis, non mulieribus, non infantibus pepercerunt, Caes. B. G. 7, 28: subjectis, sed debellare superbos, Verg. A. 6, 853: ne reliquis quidem nepotibus parsurus creditur, Suet. Tib. 62: alicujus auribus, i. e. to refrain from speaking on disagreeable topics, Cic. Quint. 12, 40; so, auribus et consuetudini, id. de Or. 3, 43, 170: valetudini, id. Fam. 11, 27, 1: famae, Prop. 1, 16, 11: oculis, i. e. to turn away one’s eyes from an unpleasant sight, id. 4, 9, 35: luminibus, Tib. 1, 2, 33; Suet. Dom. 11: parcit Cognatis maculis similis fera, Juv. 15, 159.
          2. (β) With in and acc. (ante-and post-class.): neque parcit in hostes, Lucr. 6, 399: parce in feminam, App. M. 1, p. 105, 39.
          3. (γ) Absol. (poet.): thyrso parcente ferit, i. e. lightly, Stat. Ach. 1, 572.
    2. B. To abstain or refrain from doing a thing; to forbear, leave off, desist, stop, cease, let alone, omit (cf.: desino, mitto): meo labori non parsi, Cato ap. Fest. p. 242 Müll.; cf. Plaut. Ps. 1, 1, 3; id. Pers. 2, 5, 11; so, neque parcetur labori, Cic. Att. 2, 14, 2: auxilio, to make no use of proffered assistance, id. Planc. 35, 86: lamentis, Liv. 6, 3: bello, abstain from, Verg. A. 9, 656: hibernis parcebant flatibus Euri, id. G. 2, 339: parce metu, cease from, id. A. 1, 257.
          1. (β) With inf., to refrain, forbear (not in class. prose): visere opera tua, Cato, R. R. 1, 1: hancine ego vitam parsi perdere, Ter. Hec. 3, 1, 2: proinde parce, sis, fidem ac jura societatis jactare, Liv. 34, 32: parcite, oves, nimium procedere, Verg. E. 3, 94: pias scelerare manus, id. A. 3, 42: defundere vinum, Hor. S. 2, 2, 58: ne parce dare, id. C. 1, 28, 23: parce postea paupertatem cuiquam objectare, App. Mag. 23, p. 289, 3; Aug. Ep. 43, 24: ori, to refrain from speaking, Vulg. Job, 7, 11.
          2. * (γ) With acc.: parcito linguam in sacrificiis dicebatur, i. e. coërceto, contineto, taceto, Fest. p. 222 Müll.
          3. * (δ) With ab, to desist from: precantes, ut a caedibus et ab incendiis parceretur, Liv. 25, 25, 6; so with abl. alone: caede, Aus. Epigr. 130, 4.