verbfirst conjugation
secō
secō (present infinitive secāre, perfect active secuī, supine sectum)
Classical[ˈsɛ.koː]Ecclesiastical[ˈsɛː.ko]
Mille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- to cut, cut off
Ipsum autem arietem secabis in frustra: lotaque intestina ejus ac pedes, pones super concissas carnes, et super caput illius.
And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head.c. 347 CE – 420 CE, Hieronymus, Vulgate Exodus.29.17 - to cleave, divide
- to operate, amputate, perform surgery
- to castrate
- broadlyto wound, injure
- figurativelyto hurt with one's words
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
ferrō dīvidō; duo virī lignum secant.secō -āre secuī — in Mille Verba, Nāvāle
cut
Conjugation conjugation 1
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | secō | secābam | secābō | secuī | secueram | secuerō |
| 2nd sg. | secās | secābās | secābis | secuistī | secuerās | secueris |
| 3rd sg. | secat | secābat | secābit | secuit | secuerat | secuerit |
| 1st pl. | secāmus | secābāmus | secābimus | secuimus | secuerāmus | secuerimus |
| 2nd pl. | secātis | secābātis | secābitis | secuistis | secuerātis | secueritis |
| 3rd pl. | secant | secābant | secābunt | secuērunt secuēre | secuerant | secuerint |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | secem | secārem | secuerim | secuissem |
| 2nd sg. | secēs | secārēs | secuerīs | secuissēs |
| 3rd sg. | secet | secāret | secuerit | secuisset |
| 1st pl. | secēmus | secārēmus | secuerīmus | secuissēmus |
| 2nd pl. | secētis | secārētis | secuerītis | secuissētis |
| 3rd pl. | secent | secārent | secuerint | secuissent |
passive indicative
| form | present | imperfect | future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | secor | secābar | secābor |
| 2nd sg. | secāris secāre | secābāris secābāre | secāberis secābere |
| 3rd sg. | secātur | secābātur | secābitur |
| 1st pl. | secāmur | secābāmur | secābimur |
| 2nd pl. | secāminī | secābāminī | secābiminī |
| 3rd pl. | secantur | secābantur | secābuntur |
passive subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | secer | secārer |
| 2nd sg. | secēris secēre | secārēris secārēre |
| 3rd sg. | secētur | secārētur |
| 1st pl. | secēmur | secārēmur |
| 2nd pl. | secēminī | secārēminī |
| 3rd pl. | secentur | secārentur |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | secā | secāre |
| pres. 2nd pl. | secāte | secāminī |
| fut. 2nd sg. | secātō | secātor |
| fut. 3rd sg. | secātō | secātor |
| fut. 2nd pl. | secātōte | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | secantō | secantor |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | secāre | secārī |
| perfect infinitive | secuisse | sectum esse |
| future infinitive | sectūrum esse | sectum īrī |
| present participle | secāns secante, secantem, secantēs, secantī, secantia, secantibus, secantis, secantīs, secantium | — |
| perfect participle | — | sectus secta, sectā, sectae, sectam, sectārum, sectās, secte, sectī, sectīs, sectō, sectōrum, sectōs |
| future participle | sectūrus sectūra, sectūrā, sectūrae, sectūram, sectūrārum, sectūrās, sectūre, sectūrī, sectūrīs, sectūrō, sectūrōrum, sectūrōs, sectūrum | secandus secanda, secandā, secandae, secandam, secandārum, secandās, secande, secandīs, secandōrum, secandōs |
gerundsecandī, secandō, secandumsupinesectum, sectū
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- schola, disciplina, familia; secta
- a sect, school of thought.
- sectam alicuius sequi (Brut. 31. 120)
- to be a follower, disciple of some one.
sĕco, cŭi, ctum (
I. part. fut. secaturus, Col. 5, 9, 2), 1, v. a. root sak-, to cut; whence securis, sĕcula, serra (secra), segmen, sexus, saxum, etc.; cf. sīca, and Gr. κείω, κεάζω, σχίζω, to cut, cut off, cut up (class.; syn.: caedo, scindo).
I. Lit.
A. In gen.:
leges duodecim tabularum, si plures forent, quibus rens esset judicatus, secare, si vellent, atque partiri corpus addicti sibi hominis permiserunt, Gell. 20, 1, 48 sq.; cf.: et judicatos in partes secari a creditoribus leges erant, Tert. Apol. 4: cape cultrum, seca Digitum vel aurem, Plaut. Merc. 2, 2, 38 sq.: omne animal secari ac dividi potest, nullum est eorum individuum, Cic. N. D. 3, 12, 29: pabulum secari non posse, be cut, mown, * Caes. B. G. 7, 14; so, sectae herbae, Hor. S. 2, 4, 67: gallinam, to cut to pieces, Juv. 5, 124: placenta, Mart. 3, 77, 3: alicui collum gladio suā dexterā, Q. Cic. Petit. Cons. 3, 10: palatum, to divide, Cels. 8, 1: tergora in frusta, Verg. A. 1, 212: dona auro gravia sectoque elephanto, i. e. of carved, wrought ivory (an imitation of the Homeric πριστὸς ἐλέφας, Od. 18, 196), Verg. A. 3, 464: marmora, Hor. C. 2, 18, 17: sectis nitebat marmoribus, Luc. 10, 114; so absol.: nec ideo ferrum secandi vim non perdidit, Sen. Ben. 5, 5, 1: prave sectus unguis, Hor. Ep. 1, 104: secti lapides, Vulg. Exod. 20, 25. —B. In partic.
1. Med. t. t., to cut surgically; to operate on; to cut off or out, amputate, excise, etc.:
in corpore si quid ejusmodi est, quod reliquo corpori noceat, id uri secarique patimur, Cic. Phil. 8, 5, 15; cf.: saevitia secandi, Plin. 29, 1, 6, § 13; so, membra, id. 26, 11, 69, § 112: vomicam, Plaut. Pers. 2, 5, 13: varices Mario, Cic. Tusc. 2, 15, 35 (for which, exciditur, Cels. 7, 31); cf. of the same: C. Marius cum secaretur, ut supra dixi, principio vetuit se alligari; nec quisquam ante Marium solutus dicitur esse sectus, was cut, operated upon, Cic. Tusc. 2, 22, 53: servum, Just. Inst. 4, 3, 6.—2. To cut, castrate (very rare):
puer avari sectus arte mangonis, Mart. 9, 7, 4; so, sectus Gallus (corresp. to eviratus), id. 5, 41, 3.—C. Transf. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose).
1. To scratch, tear, wound, hurt, injure (cf. caedo, II.):
ambo (postes) ab infimo tarmes secat, the worms are gnawing them, they are wormeaten, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 140: luctantis acuto ne secer ungui, lest I should be torn, Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 47; cf.: rigido sectas invenit ungue genas, Ov. F. 6, 148: teneras plantas tibi (glacies), Verg. E. 10, 49: corpora vepres, id. G. 3, 444: crura (sentes), Ov. M. 1, 509: pete ferro Corpus et intorto verbere terga seca, cut, lacerate, Tib. 1, 9, 22; so, sectus flagellis, Hor. Epod. 4, 11: loris, Mart. 10, 5, 14 al.: si quem podagra secat, gnaws, torments, Cat. 71, 2; imitated by Martial: podagra cheragraque secatur Gaius, Mart. 9, 92, 9.—2. Like the Gr. τέμνειν, and our to cut, i. e.,
a. To divide, cleave, separate (poet. and in post-Aug. prose):
quos (populos) secans interluit Allia, Verg. A. 7, 717: medios Aethiopas (Nilus), Plin. 5, 9, 10, § 53: medios agros (Tiberis), Plin. Ep. 5, 6, 12: medium agmen (Turnus), Verg. A. 10, 440: agrum (limes), Plin. 18, 34, 77, § 331: caelum (zonae), Ov. M. 1, 46: sectus orbis, Hor. C. 3, 27, 75; cf.: in longas orbem qui secuere vias, Ov. Am. 2, 16, 16.— b. With the idea of motion, to cut through, i. e. to run, sail, fly, swim, go, etc., through:
delphinum similes, qui per maria umida nando Carpathium Libycumque secant, cut through, cleave, Verg. A.5, 595: aequor, id. ib. 5, 218: pontum, id. ib. 9, 103: aequor Puppe, Ov. M. 11, 479: fretum puppe, id. ib. 7, 1; cf.: vada nota (amnis), id. ib. 1, 370: ales avis ... geminis secat aëra pennis, Cic. Arat. 48: aethera pennis (avis), Verg. G. 1, 406; 1, 409: auras (cornus), id. A. 12, 268: ventos (Cyllenia proles), ib. ib. 4, 257: sub nubibus arcum (Iris), id. ib. 9, 15 et saep.— Secare viam (vias), the Gr. τέμνειν ὁδόν, to take one's way, to travel a road: ille viam secat ad naves, Verg. A. 6, 899: hinc velut diversae secari coeperunt viae, Quint. 3, 1, 14.—II. Trop. (acc. to I. C. 1. and 2.). *
A. To cut up, lash in speaking, i.e. to censure, satirize:
secuit Lucilius Urbem, Pers. 1, 114.—B. To divide (not freq. till after the Aug. per.):
cum causas in plura genera secuerunt, Cic. de Or. 2, 27, 117: haec in plures partes, Quint. 8, 6, 13; cf.: scrupulose in partes sectā divisionis diligentiā, id. 4, 5, 6: quae natura singularia sunt secant (corresp. to divido), id. 4, 5, 25: sectae ad tenuitatem suam vires (just before: distinguendo. dividendo), id. 12, 2, 13.—Hence, in Hor., like dirimo (II.), of disputes, to cut off, i.e. to decide them: quo multae magnaeque secantur judice lites, Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 42: magnas res, to cure (as it were, by a light operation), id. S. 1, 10, 15.—And once in Verg.: secare spem (the figure borrowed from the phrases secare mare, auras, viam): quae cuique est fortuna hodie, quam quisque secat spem, whatever hope each follows, i. e. indulges in, entertains, Verg. A. 10, 107 (secat, sequitur, tenet, habet; ut: Ille viam secat ad naves, id. ib. 6, 899: unde et sectas dicimus, habitus animorum et instituta philosophiae circa disciplinam, Serv.).Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
secō cuī, ctus, āre
2 SAC-, to cut, cut off, cut up, reap, carve : omne animal secari ac dividi potest: pabulum secari non posse, Cs.: sectae herbae, H.: Quo gestu gallina secetur, is carved , Iu.: secto elephanto, i. e. carved ivory , V.: prave sectus unguis, H.—Esp., in surgery, to cut, operate on, cut off, cut out, amputate, excise : in corpore alqd: varices Mario: Marius cum secaretur, was operated on . — To scratch, tear, wound, hurt, injure : luctantis acuto ne secer ungui, lest I should be torn , H.: sectas invenit ungue genas, O.: secuerunt corpora vepres, V.— To cut apart, divide, cleave, separate : curru medium agmen, V.: caelum secant zonae, O.: sectus orbis, i. e. half the earth , H.— To cut through, run through, pass through, traverse : per maria umida nando Libycum, cleave , V.: aequor Puppe, O.: adeunt vada nota secantes, O.— To cut, make by cutting : fugā secuit sub nubibus arcum, i. e. produce by flight , V.: viam ad navīs, i. e. speeds on his way , V.—Fig., to divide : causas in plura genera.— To cut short, decide, settle : Quo multae secantur iudice lites, H.— To follow, pursue : quam quisque secat spem, V.
Origins
Inherited from Proto-Italic *sekaō, from Proto-Indo-European *sek- (“to cut”). Cognates include Old Church Slavonic сѣщи (sěšti, “to cut, hack, chop off”) and Old English saga (English saw).
Gallo-Romance
- Catalansegar
- Frenchscier
- Occitansegar
- Franco-Provençalséyer
Italo-Dalmatian
- Italiansegare
- Italiansecare
- Neapolitansecare
- Venetansegar
- Venetansiegar
Ibero-Romance
- Portuguesesegarfrom Old Galician-Portuguese segar
- Spanishsegarfrom Old Spanish segar
- Aragonesesegar
- Asturiansegar
- Leonesesegare
- Mirandesesegar
- Falasegalfrom Old Galician-Portuguese segar
- Galiciansegarfrom Old Galician-Portuguese segar
- Ladinosegarfrom Old Spanish segar
Borrowings
- Italiansecare
Rhaeto-Romance
- Friulianseâ
- Romanshsegar
- Romanshsagear
- Romanshsger
- Romanshsaer
- Romanshsgiar
Gallo-Italic
- Piedmontesesié
In English words that came into English from secō
- sicklesēcula
- sexsexus
- riskresecō
- sectionsectiō
- sectorsector
- sexualsexuālis
- sectsecta
- segmentsegmentum
- insectīnsectum
- intersectionintersectiō
- secantsecāns
- dissectdissectus
- bisectsecāre
- dissectiondissectio
- intersectintersecare
- vivisectionvīvus
- risqué*resecum
- resectresectus
- multisectsectus
- sectilesectilis
- exsectexseco
- secabilitysecabilitas
- secateurssecō
- pinnatisectpinnatisectus