Lewis & Short

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Parca, ae, f. [root πλεκ-; cf. πλέκω, πλοκή; Lat. plecto, plico], one of the goddesses of Fate, whose Latin names are Nona, Decuma, and Morta, Caesell. Vindex ap. Gell. 3, 16, 11 (their Greek names are Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, Hyg. Fab. 171).
In sing.: Parca non mendax, Hor. C. 2, 16, 39: tenax veri, Pers. 5, 48: dura, Ov. P. 4, 15, 36.
Plur., the Fates: Parcae, Hesperides, etc.: quos omnes Erebo et Nocte natos ferunt, Cic. N. D. 3, 17, 44: Parcae fatalia nentes Stamina non ulli dissoluenda deo, Tib. 1, 7, 1: immites, Prop. 4 (5), 11, 13: iniquae, Hor. C. 2, 6, 9: veraces, id. C. S. 25: sic placitum Parcis, id. C. 2, 17, 16; Lact. 2, 10, 20; Verg. E. 4, 47; Juv. 12, 64.

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.

parcus, a, um, adj., = παῦρος [v. parco], sparing in any thing, esp. in expenditure; in a good and bad sense, frugal, thrifty, economical; niggardly, penurious, parsimonious (syn.: tenax, restrictus).

  1. I. Lit.
          1. (α) Absol.: detrusisti me ad senem parcissimum, Plaut. Aul. 2, 5, 9: patre parco ac tenaci, Cic. Cael. 15, 36: optimus colonus, parcissimus, modestissimus, frugalissimus, id. de Or. 2, 71, 287: parcumque genus patiensque laborum, Ov. M. 7, 656: parcā manu offerre aliquid, Hor. C. 3, 16, 43.
          2. (β) With gen.: veteris non parcus aceti, Hor. S. 2, 2, 62: donandi parca juventus, id. ib. 2, 5, 79: pecuniae, Tac. H. 1, 49: pecuniae parcus ac tenax, Suet. Tib. 46.
    1. B. In gen., sparing, chary, moderate in any thing: operā haud fui parcus meā, Plaut. Rud. 4, 2, 14: nimium parcus in largiendā civitate, Cic. Balb. 22, 50: non tam vereor, ne me in laudibus suis parcum, quam ne nimium putet, Plin. Pan. 3, 3: quam modica cultu, quam parca comitatu, id. ib. 83, 7: civium sanguinis parcus, Tac. H. 3, 75: parcissimus somni, Luc. 9, 590: parcissimus vini, Suet. Aug. 77: acies non parca fugae, Sil. 10, 30: beneficiorum parcissimus aestimator, Plin. Pan. 21, 2: parcus Deorum cultor, Hor. C. 1, 34, 1: in libidinem projecti, in cibum parci, Just. 41, 3, 13.
      With inf.: parcusque lacessere Martem, Sil. 1, 680: haud parci Martem coluisse, id. 8, 464.
      In gen., moderate, not rash nor self-indulgent: somnus sanitatis in homine parco, Vulg. Ecclus. 31, 24.
      Comp.: parcior somni, Just. 11, 13, 2.
      Sup.: parcissimus somni, Luc. 9, 590.
  2. II. Transf., spare, scanty, little, small, slight (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): parco sale contingere, Verg. G. 3, 403: tellus, Stat. S. 4, 5, 13: lucerna, Prop. 4 (5), 3, 60: vulnus, Sil. 16, 111: merito parcior ira meo, Ov. P. 1, 2, 98: questaque sum vento lintea parca dari, id. H. 21, 79: optima mors parca quae venit apta die, after a short time, Prop. 3, 3, 40 (Parcae quae venit acta die, id. 3, 4, 18 Müll.): et brevis somnus, Plin. Pan. 49.
    Adv., in two forms, parce (class.) and parciter (ante- and post-class.).
    1. A. Form parcē.
      1. 1. Sparingly, frugally, thriftily; penuriously, parsimoniously: parce parcus, Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 35: vivere parce, continenter, severe, sobrie, Cic. Off. 1, 30, 106; cf.: parce ac duriter se habere, Ter. Ad. 1, 1, 20: parce et duriter vitam agere, id. And. 1, 1, 47: nimium parce facere sumptum, id. ib. 2, 6, 19: frumentum parce et paulatim metiri, Caes. B. G. 7, 71: cur id tam parce tamque restricte faciant, Cic. Fin. 2, 13, 42: parce seminat, Vulg. 2 Cor. 9, 6.
        Comp.: implet manum parcius, Juv. 6, 546.
      2. 2. In gen., sparingly, moderately, cautiously: scripsi de te parce et timide, Cic. Fam. 6, 7, 3: parce et molliter aliquem laedere, id. ib. 1, 9, 23: gaudere, Phaedr. 4, 16: mirari, Sil. 10, 474; 15, 756; Plin. Ep. 5, 16, 3; 5, 7, 4.
        Comp.: parcius dicere de laude alicujus, Cic. Mur. 13, 29: parcius ista viris tamen obicienda memento, Verg. E. 3, 7: parcius Andromachen vexavit Achaia victrix, Ov. H. 8, 13: parcius quatiunt fenestras, rarely, seldom, Hor. C. 1, 25, 1; Quint. 9, 2, 69.
        Sup.: civitatem Romanam parcissime dedit, Suet. Aug. 40: ut parcissime dicam, nemo historicorum commendavit magis, Quint. 10, 1, 101.
    2. B. Form parcĭter, sparingly, Pompon. ap. Non. 515, 6: praelibare, Claud. Mam. praef.