I am free to swear

* * *

dĭco, āvi, ātum, 1 (dixe for dixisse, Val. Ant. ap. Arn. 5, 1; DICASSIT dixerit, Paul. ex Fest. p. 75, 15; rather = dicaverit), v. a. [orig. the same word with 2. dīco; cf. the meaning of abdĭco and abdīco, of indĭco and indīco, dedĭco, no. II. A. al., Corss. Ausspr. 1, 380].

To proclaim, make known. So perh. only in the foll. passage: pugnam, Lucil. ap. Non. 287, 30.—Far more freq.,

Relig. t. t., to dedicate, consecrate, devote any thing to a deity or to a deified person (for syn. cf.: dedico, consecro, inauguro).

Prop.: et me dicabo atque animam devotabo hostibus, Att. ap. Non. 98, 12:

donum tibi (sc. Jovi) dicatum atque promissum,

Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 72; cf.:

ara condita atque dicata,

Liv. 1, 7 (for which aram condidit dedicavitque, id. 28, 46 fin.); so,

aram,

id. 1, 7; 1, 20:

capitolium, templum Jovis O. M.,

id. 22, 38 fin.:

templa,

Ov. F. 1, 610:

delubrum ex manubiis,

Plin. 7, 26, 27, § 97:

lychnuchum Apollini,

id. 34, 3, 8, § 14:

statuas Olympiae,

id. 34, 4, 9, § 16:

vehiculum,

Tac. G. 40:

carmen Veneri,

Plin. 37, 10, 66, § 178; cf. Suet. Ner. 10 fin. et saep.:

cygni Apollini dicati,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 30, 73.—

With a personal object, to consecrate, to deify (cf. dedico, no. II. A. b.):

Janus geminus a Numa dicatus,

Plin. 34, 7, 16, § 34:

inter numina dicatus Augustus,

Tac. A. 1, 59.—

Transf., beyond the relig. sphere.

To give up, set apart, appropriate a thing to any one: recita;

aurium operam tibi dico,

Plaut. Bacch. 4, 9, 72; so,

operam,

id. Ps. 1, 5, 147; Ter. Ph. 1, 2, 12:

hunc totum diem tibi,

Cic. Leg. 2, 3, 7:

tuum studium meae laudi,

id. Fam. 2, 6, 4:

genus (orationis) epidicticum gymnasiis et palaestrae,

id. Or. 13, 42:

librum Maecenati,

Plin. 19, 10, 57, § 177; cf.:

librum laudibus ptisanae,

id. 18, 7, 15, § 75 al.:

(Deïopeam) conubio jungam stabili propriamque dicabo,

Verg. A. 1, 73; cf. the same verse, ib. 4, 126:

se Crasso,

Cic. de Or. 3, 3, 11; cf.: se Remis in clientelam, * Caes. B. G. 6, 12, 7:

se alii civitati,

to become a free denizen of it, Cic. Balb. 11, 28;

for which: se in aliam civitatem,

id. ib. 12 fin. —

(I. q. dedico, no. II. A.) To consecrate a thing by using it for the first time:

nova signa novamque aquilam,

Tac. H. 5, 16.— Hence, dĭcātus, a, um, P. a. (acc. to no. II.), devoted, consecrated, dedicated:

loca Christo dedicatissima, August. Civ. Dei, 3, 31: CONSTANTINO AETERNO AVGVSTO ARRIVS DIOTIMVS... N. M. Q. (i. e. numini majestatique) EIVS DICATISSIMVS,

Inscr. Orell. 1083.

dīco, xi, ctum, 3 ( praes. DEICO, Inscr. Orell. 4848; imp. usu. dic; cf. duc, fac, fer, from duco, etc., DEICVNTO, and perf. DEIXSERINT, P. C. de Therm. ib. 3673; imp. dice, Naev. ap. Fest. p. 298, 29 Müll.; Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 109; id. Bac. 4, 4, 65; id. Merc. 1, 2, 47 al.; cf. Quint. 1, 6, 21; fut. dicem = dicam, Cato ap. Quint. 1, 7, 23; cf. Paul. ex Fest. p. 72, 6 Müll.—Another form of the future is dicebo, Novius ap. Non. 507 (Com. v. 8 Rib.). — Perf. sync.:

dixti,

Plaut. As. 4, 2, 14; id. Trin. 2, 4, 155; id. Mil. 2, 4, 12 et saep.; Ter. And. 3, 1, 1; 3, 2, 38; id. Heaut. 2, 3, 100 et saep.; Cic. Fin. 2, 3, 10; id. N. D. 3, 9, 23; id. Caecin. 29, 82; acc. to Quint. 9, 3, 22.— Perf. subj.:

dixis,

Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 46; Caecil. ap. Gell. 7, 17 fin.:

dixem = dixissem,

Plaut. Pseud. 1, 5, 84; inf. dixe = dix isse, Plaut. Fragm. ap. Non. 105, 23; Varr. ib. 451, 16; Arn. init.; Aus. Sept. Sap. de Cleob. 8; inf. praes. pass. dicier, Ter. Eun. 4, 4, 32; Vatin. in Cic. Fam. 5, 9 al.), v. a. [root DIC = DEIK in deiknumi; lit., to show; cf. dikê, and Lat. dicis, ju-dex, dicio], to say, tell, mention, relate, affirm, declare, state; to mean, intend (for syn. cf.: for, loquor, verba facio, dicto, dictito, oro, inquam, aio, fabulor, concionor, pronuntio, praedico, recito, declamo, affirmo, assevero, contendo; also, nomino, voco, alloquor, designo, nuncupo; also, decerno, jubeo, statuo, etc.; cf. also, nego.—The person addressed is usually put in dat., v. the foll.: dicere ad aliquem, in eccl. Lat., stands for the Gr. eipein pros tina, Vulg. Luc. 2, 34 al.; cf. infra I. B. 2. g).

Lit.

In gen.:

Amphitruonis socium nae me esse volui dicere,

Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 228:

advenisse familiarem dicito,

id. ib. 1, 1, 197:

haec uti sunt facta ero dicam,

id. ib. 1, 1, 304; cf. ib. 2, 1, 23:

signi dic quid est?

id. ib. 1, 1, 265:

si dixero mendacium,

id. ib. 1, 1, 43; cf.

opp. vera dico,

id. ib. 1, 1, 238 al.:

quo facto aut dicto adest opus,

id. ib. 1, 1, 15; cf.:

dictu opus est,

Ter. Heaut. 5, 1, 68:

nihil est dictu facilius,

id. Phorm. 2, 1, 70:

turpe dictu,

id. Ad. 2, 4, 11:

indignis si male dicitur, bene dictum id esse dico,

Plaut. Curc. 4, 2, 27:

ille, quem dixi,

whom I have mentioned, named, Cic. de Or. 3, 12, 45 et saep.: vel dicam = vel potius, or rather:

stuporem hominis vel dicam pecudis attendite,

Cic. Phil. 2, 12, 30; cf.:

mihi placebat Pomponius maxime vel dicam minime displicebat,

id. Brut. 57, 207; so id. ib. 70, 246; id. Fam. 4, 7, 3 al.—

Dicitur, dicebatur, dictum est, impers. with acc. and inf., it is said, related, maintained, etc.; or, they say, affirm, etc.: de hoc (sc. Diodoro) Verri dicitur, habere eum, etc., it is reported to Verres that, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 18:

non sine causa dicitur, ad ea referri omnes nostras cogitationes,

id. Fin. 3, 18, 60; so,

dicitur,

Nep. Paus. 5, 3; Quint. 5, 7, 33; 7, 2, 44; Ov. F. 4, 508:

Titum multo apud patrem sermone orasse dicebatur, ne, etc.,

Tac. H. 4, 52; so,

dicebatur,

id. A. 1, 10:

in hac habitasse platea dictum'st Chrysidem,

Ter. And. 4, 5, 1:

dictum est,

Caes. B. G. 1, 1, 5; Liv. 38, 56; Quint. 6, 1, 27:

ut pulsis hostibus dici posset, eos, etc.,

Caes. B. G. 1, 46, 3. Cf. also: hoc, illud dicitur, with acc. and inf., Cic. Fin. 5, 24, 72; id. de Or. 1, 33, 150; Quint. 4, 2, 91; 11, 3, 177 al. —Esp. in histt. in reference to what has been previously related:

ut supra dictum est,

Sall. J. 96, 1:

sicut ante dictum est,

Nep. Dion. 9, 5; cf. Curt. 3, 7, 7; 5, 1, 11; 8, 6, 2 et saep.—

(See Zumpt, Gram. § 607.) Dicor, diceris, dicitur, with nom. and inf., it is said that I, thou, he, etc.; or, they say that I, thou, etc.:

ut nos dicamur duo omnium dignissimi esse,

Plaut. As. 2, 2, 47: cf. Quint. 4, 4, 6:

dicar Princeps Aeolium carmen ad Italos Deduxisse modos,

Hor. Od. 3, 30, 10 al.:

illi socius esse diceris,

Plaut. Rud. 1, 2, 72: aedes Demaenetus ubi [p. 571] dicitur habitare, id. As. 2, 3, 2:

qui (Pisistratus) primus Homeri libros confusos antea sic disposuisse dicitur, ut nunc habemus,

Cic. de Or. 3, 34, 137 et saep.:

quot annos nata dicitur?

Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 89:

is nunc dicitur venturus peregre,

id. Truc. 1, 1, 66 et saep. In a double construction, with nom. and inf., and acc. and inf. (acc. to no. b. and c.): petisse dicitur major Titius... idque ab eis facile (sc. eum) impetrasse, Auct. B. Afr. 28 fin.; so Suet. Oth. 7.—

Dictum ac factum or dictum factum (Gr. hama epos hama ergon), in colloq. lang., no sooner said than done, without delay, Ter. And. 2, 3, 7:

dictum ac factum reddidi,

it was "said and done" with me, id. Heaut. 4, 5, 12; 5, 1, 31; cf.:

dicto citius,

Verg. A. 1, 142; Hor. S. 2, 2, 80; and:

dicto prope citius,

Liv. 23, 47, 6.—

In partic.

Pregn.

To assert, affirm a thing as certain (opp. nego):

quem esse negas, eundem esse dicis,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 6, 12; cf.:

dicebant, ego negabam,

id. Fam. 3, 8, 5; and:

quibus creditum non sit negantibus, iisdem credatur dicentibus?

id. Rab. Post. 12, 35.—

For dico with a negative, nego is used, q. v.; cf. Zumpt, Gram. § 799;

but: dicere nihil esse pulchrius, etc.,

Liv. 30, 12, 6; 21, 9, 3 Fabri; so,

freq. in Liv. when the negation precedes,

id. 30, 22, 5; 23, 10, 13 al.; cf. Krebs, Antibar. p. 355.—

dico is often inserted parenthetically, to give emphasis to an apposition:

utinam C. Caesari, patri, dico adulescenti contigisset, etc.,

Cic. Phil. 5, 18, 49; id. Tusc. 5, 36, 105; id. Planc. 12, 30; Quint. 9, 2, 83; cf. Cic. Or. 58, 197; id. Tusc. 4, 16, 36; Sen. Ep. 14, 6; id. Vit. Beat. 15, 6; Quint. 1, 6, 24:

ille mihi praesidium dederat, cum dico mihi, senatui dico populoque Romano,

Cic. Phil. 11, 8, 20; Sen. Ep. 83, 12; Plin. Ep. 2, 20, 2; 3, 2, 2.—

In rhetor. and jurid. lang., to pronounce, deliver, rehearse, speak any thing.

With acc.:

oratio dicta de scripto,

Cic. Planc. 30 fin.; cf.:

sententiam de scripto,

id. Att. 4, 3, 3:

controversias,

Quint. 3, 8, 51; 9, 2, 77:

prooemium ac narrationem et argumenta,

id. 2, 20, 10:

exordia,

id. 11, 3, 161:

theses et communes locos,

id. 2, 1, 9:

materias,

id. 2, 4, 41:

versus,

Cic. Or. 56, 189; Quint. 6, 3, 86:

causam, of the defendant or his attorney,

to make a defensive speech, to plead in defence, Cic. Rosc. Am. 5; id. Quint. 8; id. Sest. 8; Quint. 5, 11, 39; 7, 4, 3; 8, 2, 24 al.; cf.

causas (said of the attorney),

Cic. de Or. 1, 2, 5; 2, 8, 32 al.:

jus,

to pronounce judgment, id. Fl. 3; id. Fam. 13, 14; hence the praetor's formula: DO, DICO, ADDICO; v. do, etc.—

With ad and acc. pers., to plead before a person or tribunal:

ad unum judicem,

Cic. Opt. Gen. 4, 10:

ad quos? ad me, si idoneus videor qui judicem, etc.,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 29, § 72; Liv. 3, 41.—

With ad and acc. of thing, to speak in reference to, in reply to:

non audeo ad ista dicere,

Cic. Tusc. 3, 32, 78; id. Rep. 1, 18, 30.—

Absol.:

nec idem loqui, quod dicere,

Cic. Or. 32:

est oratoris proprium, apte, distincte, ornate dicere,

id. Off. 1, 1, 2; so,

de aliqua re pro aliquo, contra aliquem, etc., innumerable times in Cic. and Quint.: dixi, the t. t. at the end of a speech,

I have done, Cic. Verr. 1 fin. Ascon. and Zumpt, a. h. 1.;

thus, dixerunt, the t. t. by which the praeco pronounced the speeches of the parties to be finished,

Quint. 1, 5, 43; cf. Spald. ad Quint. 6, 4, 7.— Transf. beyond the judicial sphere:

causam nullam or causam haud dico,

I have no objection, Plaut. Mil. 5, 34; id. Capt. 3, 4, 92; Ter. Ph. 2, 1, 42.—

To describe, relate, sing, celebrate in writing (mostly poet.):

tibi dicere laudes,

Tib. 1, 3, 31; so,

laudes Phoebi et Dianae,

Hor. C. S. 76:

Dianam, Cynthium, Latonam,

id. C. 1, 21, 1:

Alciden puerosque Ledae,

id. ib. 1, 12, 25:

caelestes, pugilemve equumve,

id. ib. 4, 2, 19:

Pelidae stomachum,

id. ib. 1, 6, 5:

bella,

id. Ep. 1, 16, 26; Liv. 7, 29:

carmen,

Hor. C. 1, 32, 3; id. C. S. 8; Tib. 2, 1, 54:

modos,

Hor. C. 3, 11, 7:

silvestrium naturas,

Plin. 15, 30, 40, § 138 et saep.:

temporibus Augusti dicendis non defuere decora ingenia,

Tac. A. 1, 1; id. H. 1, 1:

vir neque silendus neque dicendus sine cura,

Vell. 2, 13.—

Of prophecies, to predict, foretell:

bellicosis fata Quiritibus Hac lege dico, ne, etc.,

Hor. C. 3, 3, 58:

sortes per carmina,

id. A. P. 403:

quicquid,

id. S. 2, 5, 59:

hoc (Delphi),

Ov. Tr. 4, 8, 43 et saep.—

To pronounce, articulate a letter, syllable, word: Demosthenem scribit Phalereus, cum Rho dicere nequiret, etc., Cic. Div. 2, 46, 96; id. de Or. 1, 61, 260; Quint. 1, 4, 8; 1, 7, 21 al.—

To call, to name: habitum quendam vitalem corporis esse, harmoniam Graii quam dicunt, Lucr. 3, 106; cf.: Latine dicimus elocutionem, quam Graeci phrasin vocant, Quint. 8, 1, 1:

Chaoniamque omnem Trojano a Chaone dixit,

Verg. A. 3, 335:

hic ames dici pater atque princeps,

Hor. Od. 1, 2, 50:

uxor quondam tua dicta,

Verg. A. 2, 678 et saep. —Prov.:

dici beatus ante obitum nemo debet,

Ov. M. 3, 135.—

To name, appoint one to an office:

ut consules roget praetor vel dictatorem dicat,

Cic. Att. 9, 15, 2: so,

dictatorem,

Liv. 5, 9; 7, 26; 8, 29:

consulem,

id. 10, 15; 24, 9; 26, 22 (thrice):

magistrum equitum,

id. 6, 39:

aedilem,

id. 9, 46:

arbitrum bibendi,

Hor. Od. 2, 7, 26 et saep.—

To appoint, set apart. fix upon, settle:

nam mea bona meis cognatis dicam, inter eos partiam,

Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 113; cf. Pompon. ap. Non. 280, 19:

dotis paululum vicino suo,

Afran. ib. 26:

pecuniam omnem suam doti,

Cic. Fl. 35: quoniam inter nos nuptiae sunt dictae, Afran. ap. Non. 280, 24; cf.:

diem nuptiis,

Ter. And. 1, 1, 75:

diem operi,

Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 57:

diem juris,

Plaut. Men. 4, 2, 16:

diem exercitui ad conveniendum Pharas,

Liv. 36, 8; cf. id. 42, 28, and v. dies:

locum consiliis,

id. 25, 16:

leges pacis,

id. 33, 12; cf.:

leges victis,

id. 34, 57:

legem tibi,

Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 18; Ov. M. 6, 137; cf.:

legem sibi,

to give sentence upon one's self, id. ib. 13, 72:

pretium muneri,

Hor. C. 4, 8, 12 et saep.—With inf.: prius data est, quam tibi dari dicta, Pac. ap. Non. 280, 28. — Pass. impers.:

eodem Numida inermis, ut dictum erat, accedit,

Sall. J. 113, 6.—

To utter, express, esp. in phrases:

non dici potest, dici vix potest, etc.: non dici potest quam flagrem desiderio urbis,

Cic. Att. 5, 11, 1; 5, 17, 5:

dici vix potest quanta sit vis, etc.,

id. Leg. 2, 15, 38; id. Verr. 2, 4, 57, § 127; id. Or. 17, 55; id. Red. ad Quir. 1, 4; cf. Quint. 2, 2, 8; 11, 3, 85.—

(Mostly in colloq. lang.) Alicui, like our vulg. to tell one so and so, for to admonish, warn, threaten him:

dicebam, pater, tibi, ne matri consuleres male,

Plaut. As. 5, 2, 88; cf. Nep. Datam. 5; Ov. Am. 1, 14, 1.—Esp. freq.:

tibi (ego) dico,

I tell you, Plaut. Curc. 4, 2, 30; id. Bacch. 4, 9, 76; id. Men. 2, 3, 27; id. Mil. 2, 2, 62 et saep.; Ter. And. 1, 2, 33 Ruhnk.; id. ib. 4, 4, 23; id. Eun. 2, 3, 46; 87; Phaedr. 4, 19, 18; cf.:

tibi dicimus,

Ov. H. 20, 153; id. M. 9, 122; so, dixi, I have said it, i. e. you may depend upon it, it shall be done, Ter. Phorm. 2, 3, 90; 92.—

Dicere sacramentum or sacramento, to take an oath, to swear; v. sacramentum.

Transf., i. q. intellego, Gr. phêmi, to mean so and so; it may sometimes be rendered in English by namely, to wit:

nec quemquam vidi, qui magis ea, quae timenda esse negaret, timeret, mortem dico et deos,

Cic. N. D. 1, 31, 86; id. de Or. 3, 44, 174: M. Sequar ut institui divinum illum virum, quem saepius fortasse laudo quam necesse est. At. Platonem videlicet dicis, id. Leg. 3, 1:

uxoris dico, non tuam,

Plaut. As. 1, 1, 30 et saep.—Hence, dictum, i, n., something said, i. e. a saying, a word.

In gen.: haut doctis dictis certantes sed male dictis, Enn. ap. Gell. 20, 10 (Ann. v. 274 Vahl.; acc. to Hertz.: nec maledictis); so,

istaec dicta dicere,

Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 40:

docta,

id. ib. 2, 2, 99; id. Men. 2, 1, 24; Lucr. 5, 113; cf.

condocta,

Plaut. Poen. 3, 2, 3:

meum,

id. As. 2, 4, 1:

ridiculum,

id. Capt. 3, 1, 22:

minimum,

Cic. Fam. 1, 9:

ferocibus dictis rem nobilitare,

Liv. 23, 47, 4 al.:

ob admissum foede dictumve superbe,

Lucr. 5, 1224; cf.

facete,

Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 73; id. Poen. 3, 3, 24; Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 57; Cic. Off. 1, 29, 104 al.:

lepide,

Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 103:

absurde,

id. Capt. 1, 1, 3:

vere,

Nep. Alc. 8, 4:

ambigue,

Hor. A. P. 449 et saep.—Pleon.:

feci ego istaec dicta quae vos dicitis (sc. me fecisse),

Plaut. Casin. 5, 4, 17.—

In partic.

A saying, maxim, proverb:

aurea dicta,

Lucr. 3, 12; cf.

veridica,

id. 6, 24: Catonis est dictum. Pedibus compensari pecuniam, Cic. Fl. 29 fin. Hence, the title of a work by Caesar: Dicta collectanea (his Apophthegmata, mentioned in Cic. Fam. 9, 16), Suet. Caes. 56.—Esp. freq.,

For facete dictum, a witty saying, bon-mot, Enn. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 54 fin. (cf. Cic. ap. Macr. S. 2, 1 fin.); Cic. Phil. 2, 17; Quint. 6, 3, 2; 16; 36; Liv. 7, 33, 3; Hor. A. P. 273 et saep.; cf. also, dicterium.—

Poetry, verse (abstr. and concr.): dicti studiosus, Enn. ap. Cic. Brut. 18, 71:

rerum naturam expandere dictis,

Lucr. 1, 126; 5, 56:

Ennius hirsuta cingat sua dicta corona,

Prop. 4 (5), 1, 61.—

A prediction, prophecy, Lucr. 1, 103; Verg. A. 2, 115; Val. Fl. 2, 326 al.; cf. dictio.—

An order, command:

dicto paruit consul,

Liv. 9, 41; cf. Verg. A. 3, 189; Ov. M. 8, 815:

haec dicta dedit,

Liv. 3, 61; cf. id. 7, 33; 8, 34; 22, 25 al.: dicto audientem esse and dicto audire alicui, v. audio.—

A promise, assurance:

illi dixerant sese dedituros... Cares, tamen, non dicto capti, etc.,

Nep. Milt. 2, 5; Fur. ap. Macr. S. 6, 1, 34.