“play” in Latin

Sport, ludus (for recreation): lusus (as idle pastime): lusio (☞ ludus does not occur in Cic., and it is found in Horace only in one doubtful passage; Cic. always says lusio): ludicrum (anything by which one amuses others): mere play, i. e., that can be done without pains, ludus.

Gaming, or any particular kind of game, alea; lusus aleae: to be fond of play, aleae indulgere (Suet.): to be fortunate at play, prospera alea uti (Suet.): to lose at play, in alea perdere aliquid (Cic., Phil., 2, 13): to devote time to play, tempus tribuere aleae (Cic.): to cheat at play, fraude decipere collusores; fallere iu ludendo.

Free space or scope, campus (space): motus (movement): the play of one’s hands, manuum motus, gestus: actio: free play (of a body in motion), liber motus (e.g., perpendiculi).

A theatrical piece, fabula, fabella (Quint., 5, 10, 9, more fully, fabula ad actum scenarum composita). Fabulae were divided into palliatae, the subjects of which were from Grecian life, and togatae, the subjects of which were from Roman life. As subdivisions of the togatae, we find (a) the praetextatae, in which Roman generals and princes were represented, and which concerned matters of state: (b) the tabernariae, with subjects taken from the private life of the citizens, mechanics, shop-keepers, etc.: (c) the Atellanae, a kind of farces or facetious plays, with interludes (called exodia; Vid: Liv., 7, 2). (d) the planipedes, called, also, mimi, in which low comical characters and manners were represented by declamation and gestures; Vid: Heindorf, Hor., Sat., 1, 2, 2); comoedia, tragoedia (Greek plays; in comoedia the subject was from private life, in tragoedia from heroic htstory; ☞ Diom. 3, 486, sq., ed. Putsch.): to bring out a play, fabulam docere (of the poet; i. e., to give it to the actors to study; or = to cause the author to study or compose; said of the party at whose order and command it was done, Suet., Claud., 11); fabulam discere (of an actor; Vid: Ruhnken, Ter., Heaut., prol., 10): to bring a play upon the stage, fabulam dare (of the poet): fabulam edere (of him at whose order and command it was done; as, with us, by the manager of a theatre): fabulam agere (of the actors): fabulam saltare (of the ballet-dancers): *fabulam canatre (of the performers at the opera).

To sport, frolic, ludere; ludendo tempus terere: to play, i. e., to trifle, with anything, nihil facere, contemnere, susque deque habere (e.g., jusjurandum, virtutem).

To perform a game, ludere; ludum ludere; e.g., proelia latronum ludere, ducatus or imperia ludere: to play a game of chance, aleam ludere (Suet.), exercere (Tac.): to play for money, pecunia posita ludere: to play low or high, parvo, magno ludere; multam pecuniam dare in aleam (high): whose turn is it to play? quis provocat? (so likewise, in hunc colorem provoco; hunc colorem pono, Bau.)

To play a trick, fraudem, ludum ludere; fabricam fingere (Terentianus); fraudem moliri (Phaedrus); excogitare (Plin.): to play one a trick, ludum facere alicui (Terentianus); ludere, ludificari aliquem (Cic.): to play a safe game at another person’s risk, ludere de alieno corio (Apul., Met., 7, p. 193, 7).

To perform on an instrument of music, canere, cantare (☞ not ludere); e.g., on the flute, violin, tibiis, fidibus: to play well, scite canere; (tibiis, fidibus, cithara) perite uti.

To act a theatrical part, partes agere; personam sustinere or tueri (☞ not personam agere; for persona signifies, PROP., “the mask”): figuratively, to play the part of anybody (i. e., to personate his character), agere aliquem, or alicujus partes; alicujus personam tueri (☞ not alicujus personam agere); simulare aliquem, or with an accusative and infinitive (to pretend to be; ☞ in this sense ludere aliquem is not classical; exhibere aliquem is not Latin). To play the fool, simulationem stultitiae agere (Livy, ; in pretence): stulte agere (really).