verbthird conjugation, deponent
ulcīscor
ulcīscor (present infinitive ulcīscī, perfect active ultus sum)
Classical[ʊɫˈkiːs.kɔr]Ecclesiastical[ul̠ʲˈt͡ʃis.kor]
Meaning
- deponenttransitiveto avenge
Qua in re Caesar non solum publicas sed etiam privatas iniurias ultus est, quod eius soceri L. Pisonis avum, L. Pisonem legatum, Tigurini eodem proelio quo Cassium interfecerant
By this action, Caesar avenged not only public but also private wrongs, because the Tigurini killed the grandfather of his father-in-law Lucius Piso, the officer of Lucius Piso, in the same battle as Cassiusc. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico 1.12.7siqua est tibi cura tuorum, vertere in Aeaciden caesosque ulciscere fratres!
If you care for your people, aim at Aeacides and avenge your slaughtered brothers8 CE, Ovidius, Metamorphoses 12.603–604 - deponenttransitiveto take vengeance on, punish
ubi ego te et suffragatores tuos ulciscar
There, I'll take revenge one you and your supportersc. 180 BCE, Plautus, Casina 295–300
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
poenās repetōulcīscor, ultus — in IVLIANVS II: Imperium, ch. 22
iniūriam pūniōulcīscor -ī — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 7
Conjugation conjugation 3 deponent
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | ulcīscor | ulcīscēbar | ulcīscar | — | — | — |
| 2nd sg. | ulcīsceris ulcīscere | ulcīscēbāris ulcīscēbāre | ulcīscēris ulcīscēre | — | — | — |
| 3rd sg. | ulcīscitur | ulcīscēbātur | ulcīscētur | — | — | — |
| 1st pl. | ulcīscimur | ulcīscēbāmur | ulcīscēmur | — | — | — |
| 2nd pl. | ulcīsciminī | ulcīscēbāminī | ulcīscēminī | — | — | — |
| 3rd pl. | ulcīscuntur | ulcīscēbantur | ulcīscentur | — | — | — |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | ulcīscar | ulcīscerer | — | — |
| 2nd sg. | ulcīscāris ulcīscāre | ulcīscerēris ulcīscerēre | — | — |
| 3rd sg. | ulcīscātur | ulcīscerētur | — | — |
| 1st pl. | ulcīscāmur | ulcīscerēmur | — | — |
| 2nd pl. | ulcīscāminī | ulcīscerēminī | — | — |
| 3rd pl. | ulcīscantur | ulcīscerentur | — | — |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | ulcīscere | — |
| pres. 2nd pl. | ulcīsciminī | — |
| fut. 2nd sg. | ulcīscitor | — |
| fut. 3rd sg. | ulcīscitor | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | ulcīscuntor | — |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | ulcīscī | — |
| perfect infinitive | ultum esse | — |
| future infinitive | ultūrum esse | — |
| present participle | ulcīscēns | — |
| perfect participle | ultus ulta, ultā, ultae, ultam, ultārum, ultās, ulte, ultī, ultīs, ultō, ultōrum, ultōs | — |
| future participle | ultūrus ultūra, ultūrā, ultūrae, ultūram, ultūrārum, ultūrās, ultūre, ultūrī, ultūrīs, ultūrō, ultūrōrum, ultūrōs, ultūrum | ulcīscendus ulcīscundus, ulcīscenda, ulcīscendā, ulcīscendae, ulcīscendam, ulcīscendārum, ulcīscendās, ulcīscende, ulcīscendīs, ulcīscendōrum, ulcīscendōs |
gerundulcīscendī, ulcīscendō, ulcīscendumsupineultum, ultū
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- ulcisci aliquem (pro aliqua re)
- to punish some one.
- ulcisci aliquem, poenas expetere ab aliquo
- to revenge oneself on some one.
- ulcisci aliquem pro aliquo or pro aliqua re
- to revenge oneself on another for a thing or on some one's behalf.
- ulcisci aliquid, poenas alicuius rei expetere
- to revenge oneself for a thing.
- iracundiam sic (ita) definiunt, ut ulciscendi libidinem esse dicant or ut u. libido sit or iracundiam sic definiunt, ulc. libidinem
- anger is defined as a passionate desire for revenge.
ulciscor, ultus, 3,
I. v. inch. dep. [etym. dub.].
I. To avenge one's self on, take vengeance on, or punish for wrong done (very freq. and class.; cf.: vindico, punio, persequor).
A. With a personal object:
ego pol illum ulciscar hodie Thessalum veneficum, Qui, etc., Plaut. Am. 4, 5, 9: ego illum fame, ego illum Siti, maledictis, malefactis, amatorem Ulciscar, id. Cas. 2, 1, 10: inimicos, id. Trin. 3, 1, 18: aliquem pro scelere, Caes. B. G. 1, 14: ulciscendi Romanos pro iis, quas acceperant, injuriis occasio, id. ib. 5, 38: odi hominem et odero: utinam ulcisci possem! sed illum ulciscentur mores sui, Cic. Att. 9, 12, 2: numquam illum res publica suo jure esset ulta, id. Mil. 33, 88: quos ego non tam ulcisci studeo, quam sanare, id. Cat. 2, 8, 17: quos intellegis non, ut per te alium, sed ut per alium aliquem te ipsum ulciscantur, laborare, id. Div. in Caecil. 6, 22: victos acerbius, Sall. J. 42, 4: Alphesiboea suos ulta est pro conjuge fratres, Prop. 1, 15, 15 (19): ulta pellicem, Hor. Epod. 3, 13; 5, 63; cf.: inimici ulciscendi causā, Cic. Inv. 2, 5, 18: ejus casūs, quem ulciscitur, Quint. 6, 1, 18.—Absol.: has tris ulciscendi rationes Taurus scriptas reliquit, Gell. 7, 14, 5.—B. To take revenge for, to avenge, punish injustice, wrongs, etc.;
with a non-personal object: quā in re Caesar non solum publicas sed etiam privatas injurias ultus est, Caes. B. G. 1, 12: statuerunt, istius injurias per vos ulcisci, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 3, § 9; id. Fam. 12, 1, 2: injurias rei publicae, id. Phil. 6, 1, 2: Etruscorum injurias bello, id. Rep. 2, 21, 38: cum alii ulcisci dolorem aliquem suum vellent, id. Sest. 20, 46: injuriam, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 28, § 72: peccata peccatis et injurias injuriis, id. Inv. 2, 27, 81 al.; cf.: ultum ire injurias festinare, to proceed to revenge, to revenge, Sall. J. 68, 1: ultum ire scelera et injurias, Quint. 11, 1, 42: istius nefarium scelus, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 27, § 68: patrui mortem, id. Rab. Perd. 5, 14: senis iracundiam, Ter. Phorm. 1, 4, 12: offensas tuas, Ov. Tr. 2, 134: barbaras Regum libidines, Hor. C. 4, 12, 8: illatum a Persis Graeciae bellum, Just. 2, 15, 13.—II. Transf., with the person to whom wrong has been done as the object, to take vengeance for, to avenge a person (much less freq. but class.):
quos nobis poëtae tradiderunt patris ulciscendi causā supplicium de matre sumpsisse, Cic. Rosc. Am. 24, 66; Auct. Her. 1, 16, 26: caesos fratres, Ov. M. 12, 603: fratrem, id. ib. 8, 442: patrem justa per arma, id. F. 3, 710: numen utrumque, id. ib. 5, 574: cadentem patriam, Verg. A. 2, 576: quibus (armis) possis te ulcisci lacessitus, Cic. de Or. 1, 8, 32: se, id. Mil. 14, 38; Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 40, § 87; Plin. Ep. 8, 7, 2; Ov. M. 7, 397; id. P. 1, 8, 20: Hannibal se a transfugis ultus est, Front. Strat. 3, 16, 4.— Transf., of things: a ferro sanguis humanus se ulciscitur: contactum namque eo celerius subinde rubiginem trahit, Plin. 34, 14, 41, § 146.—With the two constructions combined: non hercle ego is sum, qui sum, ni hanc injuriam meque ultus pulcre fuero, Plaut. Men. 3, 2, 7.!*? 1. Act. collat. form ulcisco, ĕre: nisi patrem materno sanguine exanclando ulciscerem, Enn. ap. Non. 292, 16 (Trag. v. 184 Vahl.).—
2. ulciscor, ci, in a passive signif.:
quicquid sine sanguine civium ulcisci nequitur, jure factum sit, Sall. J. 31, 8: ob iras graviter ultas, graviter ultae, Liv 2, 17, 7; so, ultus, avenged, Val. Fl. 4, 753: ulta ossa patris, Ov. H. 8, 120.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
ulcīscor ūltus, ī, dep.,
to avenge oneself on, take vengeance on, punish, recompense: ulciscendi Romanos, pro iis iniuriis, occasio, Cs.: (hominem) utinam ulcisci possem! sed illum ulciscentur mores sui: victor acerbius, S.: ulta paelicem, H.—To take revenge for, avenge, punish, requite, repay: iniurias, Cs.: istius iniurias per vos: peccata peccatis et iniurias iniuriis: senis iracundiam, T.: offensas tuas, O.: Regum libidines, H.: quicquid sine sanguine civium ulcisci nequitur, all that cannot be revenged, etc., S.: ob iras graviter ultas, L.: patris ossa ulta, avenged, O.—To take vengeance in behalf of, avenge: patris ulciscendi causā supplicium de matre sumpsisse: ut ipsi se di inmortales ulciscerentur: caesos fratres, O.: cadentem patriam, V.
Origins
Disputed. Traditionally, the word has been connected with ulcus (“sore”), with the term following a semantic development of "to grow sores (against someone)" > "to avenge one's griefs." De Vaan considers this etymology uncompelling. The LIV suggests a possible derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₂l̥ksḱéti, from *h₂elk- (“to protect, ward off”). However, De Vaan considers this etymology semantically uncompelling. Alternatively, he suggests a derivation from *h₃elh₁- (“to destroy”), which at some point would have been enlarged with a k-extension. Ancient Greek ὀλέκω (olékō, “to kill, destroy”) may showcase a similar extension of the same root. Höfler, however, considers De Vaan's proposal "hardly convincing," and Schrijver states that the connection with the aforementioned Greek word "has little to commend itself."