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.

pŭĕrĭtĭa, ae (pŭĕrtĭa, Hor. C. 1, 36, 8), f. [puer].

  1. I. Lit., boyhood, childhood, youth (applied usually till the seventeenth year, but freq. later; v. puer, II.): qui enim citius adulescentiae senectus quam pueritiae adulescentia obrepit? Cic. Sen. 2, 4; Tac. H. 1, 13: a pueritiā, Ter. Heaut. 1, 2, 9: vitae cursum a pueritiā tenere, Cic. Rep. 1, 6, 10; id. Tusc. 2, 11, 27: e ludo atque pueritiae disciplinis ad patris exercitum profectus, id. Imp. Pomp. 10, 28: a pueritiā, id. Rep. 1, 4, 7; 1, 22, 36; 6, 24; id. Fam. 1, 7, 9; id. Brut. 44, 164; cf.: genus militum suetum a pueritiā latrociniis, Sall. H. 2, 67 Dietsch: omnem pueritiam Arpini altus, Sall. J. 63, 3: procera pueritia, Tac. H. 4, 14: pueritiae disciplina, Manil. 10, 28.
    Of animals, youth, Col. 7, 6, 3.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Innocence: quae pueritia est infrequens polluta, Varr. ap. Non. 156, 8 (al. puritia).
    2. B. The first beginnings, commencement, Cato Italicarum originum pueritias illustravit, Front. Princ. Hist. p. 314 Mai.