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. priscus, a, um, adj. [for prius-cus, like pris-tinus for prius-tinus, and magis for magius, a comparative form], of or belonging to former times, of many years ago, old, olden, ancient, primitive, antique. Like the Greek ἀρχαῖος, it denotes that which existed before our time, while pristinus is applied also to those things which have existed in our day (class.; cf.: vetus, antiquus).

  1. I. Lit.: credendum est veteribus et priscis viris, Cic. Univ. 11: prisca illa et antiqua rei publicae forma, Vell. 2, 89, 3: illud erat insitum priscis illis, quos cascos appellat Ennius, Cic. Tusc. 1, 12, 27: nam Joves pluris in priscis Graecorum litteris invenimus, id. N. D. 3, 16, 42: severitas, id. Har. Resp. 13, 27: et illud quod loquitur priscum visum iri putat, id. de Or. 3, 11, 42: priscae sanctimoniae virgo, Tac. A. 3, 69: prisci Latini proprie appellati sunt ii, qui prius quam conderetur Roma, fuerunt, Paul. ex Fest. p. 226 Müll.: priscae Latinae coloniae appellatae sunt, ut distinguerent a novis, quae postea a populo dabantur, Fest. p. 241 Müll.: tempus, Ov. F. 1, 197.
    Priscus has the accessory idea of venerable, and from the Augustan period is frequently applied to whatever dates from the earliest times, the golden age of Rome: prisca gens mortalium, Hor. Epod. 2, 2: priscus Inachus, id. C. 2, 3, 21: Pudor, id. C. S. 57: prisco more, Ov. F. 2, 282: prisco ritu, Plin. 12, 1, 2, § 3: priscum illud acumen, Brute, tuum, Juv. 4, 102: fides, Verg. A. 9, 79; Mart. 1, 40, 2.
    Subst.: prisci, ōrum, m., the ancients: cum colerent prisci studiosius agros, Ov. F. 3, 779.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Former, previous (poet.): quid si prisca redit Venus? Hor. C. 3, 9, 17: nomen, Ov. M. 14, 850; Spart. Hadr. 5.
    2. B. Old-fashioned, i. e. strict, severe (poet.): prisci praecepta parentis, Cat. 64, 159: Cato, Hor. C. 3, 21, 11: prisca supercilia, Verg. Cop. 34.
      Hence, adv.: priscē, in the old-fashioned manner, strictly, severely (class. but rare): utrum me secum severe, et graviter, et prisce agere malit, an remisse, ac leniter, et urbane, Cic. Cael. 14, 33.

2. Priscus, i, m., a Roman surname, the elder.

  1. I. Of the first Tarquin: Priscus Tarquinius est dictus, quia prius fuit quam Superbus Tarquinius, Paul. ex Fest. p. 226 Müll.; Liv. 1, 34.
  2. II. Tarquinius Numicius Priscus, Liv. 2, 63.
  3. III. Helvidius Priscus, Suet. Vesp. 15.
  4. IV. Two Latin poets: Priscus uterque, Ov. P. 4, 16, 10 Burm. ad loc.