dīctērium

1. Verbum (ἄραβος) is a word, as a part of speech; whereas vocabulum, as a part of language. The verba are verbs, the vocabula words in general. 2. Verba denote words in general, with reference to their meaning; voces, with reference to their form and their sound. 3. As a grammatical term, vox comprehends all the eight parts of speech; vocabulum, all legitimate words, consequently with the exclusion of interjections or natural sounds; nomen, only the nouns, adjectives, substantives, and pronouns; and verbum, only the verbs. 4. Verbum, in a collective sense, denotes a general notion, that which is said; whereas vox, dictum, and dicterium, are particular expressions; vox (ἠχή), an expression of feeling or passion, like an exclamation; dictum, an expression of wit or intellect, like a bon mot. Tac. Hist. iii. 39. Audita est sævissima Vitellii vox, qua se pavisse oculos spectata inimici morte jactavit; comp. with Ann. vi. 20. Scitum Passieni dictum percrebuit, neque meliorem unquam servum neque deteriorem dominum fuisse. 5. Dictum is the general and popular expression for any pointed saying; dicterium, a select term of later times for a particularly smart dictum, which is not merely the product of natural wit, but also of cultivation refined by literature and intercourse with polished society. (iv. 29.)