noun · masculinethird declension
carcer
carcer m (genitive carceris)
Classical[ˈkar.kɛr]Ecclesiastical[ˈkar.t͡ʃer]
Mille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- masculineprison, jail
- masculinejailbird
- masculinetraps (barriers at start of a horse race)
- masculinecommencement, beginning
- masculinestarting gate
Ad carceres a calce revocari.
To be called back from the finish line to the starting gates.
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
locus clausus ubi malī hominēs tenentur.carcer -eris m — in Mille Verba, Urbs et Aedificia
ubi vinctī tenenturcarcer -eris (m) — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 2, 9, 12
locus ubi vīnctī tenenturcarcer -eris (m) — in Evangelium secundum Marcum, ch. 2, 10
locus inclūsōrumcarcer -eris (m) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 7, 21, 23
prison
carcer -eris — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 7, 8, 14
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Custodia · Carcer · Ergastulum
Custodia (from κεύθω) is the place where prisoners are confined, or the prison; carcer (κάρκαρον, redupl. of καρίς, circus), that part of the prison that is meant for citizens; ergastulum (from ἐργάζομαι, or εἴργω), the house of correction for slaves.
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | carcer | carcerēs |
| genitive | carceris | carcerum |
| dative | carcerī | carceribus |
| accusative | carcerem | carcerēs |
| ablative | carcere | carceribus |
| vocative | carcer | carcerēs |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- in carcerem conicere aliquem
- to throw some one into prison.
carcer, ĕris, m. Sicilian κάρκαρον; cf. O. Müll. Etrusk. 1, p. 13; etym. dub.; cf. scrinium,
I. an enclosed place; hence,
I. A prison, jail (syn.:
custodia, vincula): si tresviri me in carcerem conpegerint, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 3; id. Poen. 3, 3, 79; Lucr. 3, 1016; Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 9, § 22 sq.; Liv. 6, 36, 112 al.: carcer, quem vindicem scelerum majores nostri esse voluerunt, Cic. Cat. 2, 12, 27. A. Poet., of the custody of the winds, Verg. A. 1, 54; Ov. M. 4, 663; 14, 224; id. F. 2, 456;
and of the lower world: carcer inferorum, Sen. Herc. Fur. 1222: Ditis, Luc. 6, 797.—Trop., of the chains of the body: qui ex corporum vinculis tamquam e carcere evolaverunt, Cic. Rep. 6, 14, 14; so id. Tusc. 1, 30, 74; Luc. 6, 721.—B. Esp., the Roman State-prison, close to the Forum, at the foot of the Capitoline Hill, on the right of the Sacra Via, built by Ancus Marcius, Liv. 1, 33, 8; extended under ground by Servius Tullius; hence this part of the prison is called Tullianum. Varr. L. L. 5, § 151, p. 42 Bip.; Cic. Sull. 25, 70; Sall. C. 55, 3; Liv. 1, 33, 8; Tac. A. 3, 51 al.; cf.:
in inferiorem demissus carcerem, Liv. 34, 44, 8: in carcerem conditi, id. 29, 22, 7; cf. also Fest. p. 356 Müll., and Becker. Antiq. 1, 262 sq.; v. also Tullianum and robur, II. A.—C. Meton.
a. The imprisoned criminals: in me carcerem effudistis, Cic. Pis. 7, 16.—
b. As a term of reproach ( = carcerarius), jail-bird, scapegallows: carcer vix carcere dignus, Lucil. ap. Don. Ter. Phorm. 2, 3, 26; Ter. Phorm. l. l.—
II. The barrier or starting-place in the race-course (opp. meta or calx; v. h. vv.); usu. in plur., carceres, Varr. L. L. 5, § 153 Müll.; Lucr. 2, 264; 4, 990; Cic. Brut. 47, 173; Verg. G. 1, 512; * Hor. S. 1, 1, 114 al. —In sing. (mostly poet.), Enn. Ann. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 48, 107 (v. 88 Vahl.); Tib. 1, 4, 32 (imitated by Ov. H. 18, 166); Auct. Her. 4, 3, 4; Verg. G. 3, 104; id. A. 5, 145 Serv.; Ov. M. 10, 652; id. Tr. 5, 9, 29; 5, 12, 26; Suet. Caes. 21; Stat. Th. 6, 522.—
B. Trop., the commencement, beginning, of a course of action or of a condition:
a quibus carceribus decurrat ad metas, Varr. R. R. 1, 3; so id. ib. 2, 7, 1: ad carceres a calce revocari, i.e. to begin life anew, Cic. Sen. 23, 83; cf.: cum aequalibus, quibus cum tamquam e carceribus emissus sis, id. Lael. 27, 101.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
carcer eris, m
a prison, jail: in carcerem duci: carcerem refringere, L.: effundere: privatus, L.: vindex scelerum: vincla carceris rumpere, i. e. of the body.—Poet., of the cave of Aeolus, V., O. — Esp., the Roman state-prison: inferior carcer, L.; cf. Tullianum.—Meton., as a term of reproach, jail-bird, scape-gallows, T.—The barrier, starting-place in the race-course: effusi carcere currūs, V.: cum carcere uterque Emicat, O. — Usu. plur: cum carceribus sese effudere quadrigae, V.: carceribus missi currūs, H.—Fig.: ad carceres a calce revocari, i. e. to begin life anew.
Origins
Derived from Proto-Italic *karkros, from Proto-Indo-European *kr-kr- (“circular”), reduplication of *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”) in the sense of "enclosure", and as such a doublet of cancer. Cognate with circus, curvus, crux, crīnis, crispus, English ring. It is not known how the noun shifted to the third declension.
Borrowings
- Englishcarcerate
- Englishincarcerate
- GermanKarzer
- Romaniancarceră
- Gothic𐌺𐌰𐍂𐌺𐌰𐍂𐌰
- Old Irishcarcar
- Middle Bretoncarcharfrom Proto-Brythonic *karxar
- Cornishkargharfrom Proto-Brythonic *karxar
- Welshcarcharfrom Proto-Brythonic *karxar
- Proto-West Germanic*karkārī
Ibero-Romance
- Portuguesecárcerefrom Old Galician-Portuguese carcer
- Spanishcárcelfrom Old Spanish carcel
- Asturiancárcelefrom Old Leonese cárcere
- Asturiancárcelfrom Old Leonese cárcere
- Asturianalcárcelfrom Old Leonese cárcere
- Galiciancárcerefrom Old Galician-Portuguese carcer
- Ladinokarselfrom Old Spanish carcel
- Ladinoקארסילfrom Old Spanish carcel
Italo-Romance
- Italiancarcere
- Siciliancàrziru
Gallo-Romance
- Catalancàrcerfrom Old Catalan càrcer
- Old Frenchchartre