LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbfirst conjugation

lacerō

lacerō (present infinitive lacerāre, perfect active lacerāvī, supine lacerātum)
Classical[ˈɫa.kɛ.roː]Ecclesiastical[ˈlaː.t͡ʃe.ro]

Meaning

  1. to rend, tear to pieces
  2. to mutilate, lacerate
  3. to mangle
  4. to wreck, shatter, destroy

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

membra scindō, carpō
lacerō -āre — in Aeneis, ch. 7

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Lacerare · Laniare

Lacerare (from λακίς) denotes to tear by mere force, which may be done by the hands, claws, teeth; whereas laniare denotes the effect of a cutting instrument, under which teeth and claws may be included. Appul. Met. iv. p. 84. Morsibus laceratus, ferroque laniatus. Liv. xxii. 51. (v. 176.)

Conjugation conjugation 1

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.lacerōlacerābamlacerābōlacerāvīlacerāveramlacerāverō
lacerārō
2nd sg.lacerāslacerābāslacerābislacerāvistī
lacerāstī		lacerāverās
lacerārās		lacerāveris
3rd sg.laceratlacerābatlacerābitlacerāvitlacerāverat
lacerārat		lacerāverit
lacerārit
1st pl.lacerāmuslacerābāmuslacerābimuslacerāvimuslacerāverāmuslacerāverimus
lacerārimus
2nd pl.lacerātislacerābātislacerābitislacerāvistis
lacerāstis		lacerāverātis
lacerārātis		lacerāveritis
lacerāritis
3rd pl.lacerantlacerābantlacerābuntlacerāvērunt
lacerāvēre, lacerārunt		lacerāverant
lacerārant		lacerāverint
lacerārint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.laceremlacerāremlacerāverim
lacerārim		lacerāvissem
lacerāssem
2nd sg.lacerēslacerārēslacerāverīslacerāvissēs
lacerāssēs
3rd sg.laceretlacerāretlacerāverit
lacerārit		lacerāvisset
lacerāsset
1st pl.lacerēmuslacerārēmuslacerāverīmus
lacerārīmus		lacerāvissēmus
lacerāssēmus
2nd pl.lacerētislacerārētislacerāverītis
lacerārītis		lacerāvissētis
lacerāssētis
3rd pl.lacerentlacerārentlacerāverint
lacerārint		lacerāvissent
lacerāssent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.lacerorlacerābarlacerābor
2nd sg.lacerāris
lacerāre		lacerābāris
lacerābāre		lacerāberis
lacerābere
3rd sg.lacerāturlacerābāturlacerābitur
1st pl.lacerāmurlacerābāmurlacerābimur
2nd pl.lacerāminīlacerābāminīlacerābiminī
3rd pl.laceranturlacerābanturlacerābuntur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.lacererlacerārer
2nd sg.lacerēris
lacerēre		lacerārēris
lacerārēre
3rd sg.lacerēturlacerārētur
1st pl.lacerēmurlacerārēmur
2nd pl.lacerēminīlacerārēminī
3rd pl.lacerenturlacerārentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.lacerālacerāre
pres. 2nd pl.lacerātelacerāminī
fut. 2nd sg.lacerātōlacerātor
fut. 3rd sg.lacerātōlacerātor
fut. 2nd pl.lacerātōte—
fut. 3rd pl.lacerantōlacerantor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivelacerārelacerārī
perfect infinitivelacerāvisse
lacerāsse		lacerātum esse
future infinitivelacerātūrum esselacerātum īrī
present participlelacerāns
lacerante, lacerantem, lacerantēs, lacerantī, lacerantia, lacerantibus, lacerantis, lacerantīs, lacerantium		—
perfect participle—lacerātus
lacerāta, lacerātā, lacerātae, lacerātam, lacerātārum, lacerātās, lacerātī, lacerātōrum, lacerātōs
future participlelacerātūrus
lacerātūra, lacerātūrā, lacerātūrae, lacerātūram, lacerātūrārum, lacerātūrās, lacerātūre, lacerātūrī, lacerātūrīs, lacerātūrō, lacerātūrōrum, lacerātūrōs, lacerātūrum		lacerandus
laceranda, lacerandā, lacerandae, lacerandam, lacerandārum, lacerandās, lacerande, lacerandīs, lacerandōrum, lacerandōs
gerundlacerandī, lacerandō, lacerandumsupinelacerātum, lacerātū

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

lacerare bona sua (Verr. 3. 70. 164)
to squander all one's property.
maledictis aliquem onerare, lacerare
to heap abuse on some one.

lăcĕro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. lacer,
I. to tear to pieces, to mangle, rend, mutilate, lacerate (class., esp. in the trop. sense; syn.: lanio, discerpo).
I. Lit.: quin spolies, mutiles, laceres quemquam nacta sis, Ter. Hec. 1, 1, 8: lacerat lacertum Largi mordax Memmius, Crass. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 59, 240: corpus uti volucres lacerent in morte feraeque, Lucr. 3, 880: membra aliena, Juv. 15, 102; cf.: lacerato corpore, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 2 (Trag. v. 95 Vahl.): morsu viscera, Cic. poët. Tusc. 2, 8: ora, comas, vestem lacerat, Ov. M. 11, 726: amictus, Sil. 13, 389: genas, Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 51: verbere terga, id. F. 2, 695: Tum autem Syrum impulsorem, vah, quibus illum lacerarem modis, Ter. Ad. 3, 2, 17: tergum virgis, Liv. 3, 58; 26, 13: unguibus cavos recessus luminum, Sen. Oedip. 968: quid miserum laceras? Verg. A. 3, 41: ferro, Hor. C. 3, 27, 46: loricam, Verg. A. 12, 98: lacerari morsibus saevis canum, Phaedr. 1, 12, 11: ferae corpus lacerabant, Petr. 115 sq.: carnes dentibus, Vulg. Job, 13, 4; id. Gen. 40, 19.—
B. Esp.
1. To break up, to wreck, shatter: navem Ulixis, Ov. P. 3, 6, 19: majorem partem classis, Vell. 2, 79, 3: naves, Liv. 29, 8: navigia, Curt. 4, 3, 18: lecticam, Suet. Aug. 91.—
2. To cut up, carve: obsonium, Petr. 36: anserem, id. 137; 74.—
3. To waste, plunder: cum Hannibal terram Italiam laceraret atque vexaret, Cato ap. Serv. Verg. E. 6, 7, 6: orbem, Juv. 4, 37.—
II. Trop.
A. To tear to pieces with words, to censure, asperse, abuse, rail at: obtrectatio invidiaque, quae solet lacerare plerosque, Cic. Brut. 42, 156: optimum virum verborum contumeliis, id. Phil. 11, 2: aliquem probris, Liv. 31, 6: Pompeium dempto metu lacerant, Sall. H. 3, 61, 21 Dietsch: meque vosque male dictis, id. J. 85, 26: famam alicujus, to slander, calumniate, id. 38, 54: alicujus carmina, Ov. P. 4, 16, 1: lacerari crebro vulgi rumore, Tac. A. 15, 73.—
B. To distress, torture, pain, afflict: intolerabili dolore lacerari, Cic. Ac. 2, 8, 23: quam omni crudelitate lacerastis, id. Dom. 23, 59: quid laceras pectora nostra morā? Ov. H. 15, 212: meus me maeror cottidianus lacerat et conficit, Cic. Att. 3, 8, 2; cf.: aegritudo lacerat, exest animum planeque conficit, id. Tusc. 3, 13, 27.—
C. To ruin, destroy, dissipate, squander, waste: male suadendo et lustris lacerant homines, Plaut. Curc. 4, 2, 22: patriam omni scelere, Cic. Off. 1, 17, 57: bonorum emptores, ut carnifices, ad reliquias vitae lacerandas et distrahendas, to scatter, disperse, Cic. Quint. 15, 50: pecuniam, to squander, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 70, § 164: lacerari valde suam rem, Plaut. Merc. 1, 1, 48; cf.: bona patria manu, ventre, to lavish, squander, Sall. C. 14, 2: diem, to waste, Plaut. As. 2, 2, 25; id. Stich. 3, 1, 45.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*leh₂k-
  2. Proto-Italic*lakeros
  3. Latinlacerō

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin lacero From lacer (“lacerated”) + -ō.

Descendants
  • Catalanlacerar
  • Englishlacerate
  • Frenchlacérer
  • Italianlacerare
  • Portugueselacerar
  • Spanishlacerar
  • Spanishlazrar
  • Asturianllaceriafrom Asturian llaceriáu
  • Galicianlacerar
  • Galicianlaceira

In English words that came into English from lacerō

  • laceratelacerātus
  • lacerationlacerātiō

Quick answers

What does lacerō mean in Latin?
lacerō, a verb, means “to rend, tear to pieces; to mutilate, lacerate; to mangle”.
What are the principal parts of lacerō?
lacerō, lacerāre, lacerāvī, lacerātum (first conjugation).
How do you pronounce lacerō?
In classical Latin, [ˈɫa.kɛ.roː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈlaː.t͡ʃe.ro].
Where does lacerō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *leh₂k- → Proto-Italic *lakeros → Latin lacerō.