play (subs.) Copy link Outline I. Recreation in general1. lūdus (the proper word to denote play as opp. to work)2. lūsus, ūs (act of playing)3. very often expr. by lūdo, si, sum, 3 (to be at p.)II. Mere p., as easy as p. lūdus (Gr. παιδιά)III. GamingIV. Free actionV. Movement, esp. of a quick or graceful kindVI. A theatrical pieceVII. In phr. fair play • play (subs.): I. Recreation in general: 1. lūdus (the proper word to denote play as opp. to work): to engage in exercise and p. in the campus, exercitatione l.que campestri uti, Cic. Coel. 5, init.: v. game. 2. lūsus, ūs (act of playing): to give children ivory letters by way of p., (infantibus) eburneas litterarum formas in lusum offerre, Quint. 1, 1, 26. (Not in Cic.) 3. very often expr. by lūdo, si, sum, 3 (to be at p.): to be with children when at p., *pueris ludentibus (dum ludunt) adesse: v. to play. II. Mere p., as easy as p. lūdus (Gr. παιδιά): Cic. de Or. 2, 17, 72. III. Gaming: ālea: v. gambling. IV. Free action: Phr.: a field in which eloquence may have full p., campus in quo possit exsultare oratio, Cic. Ac. 2, 35, init.: cf. Quint. 2, 17, 1, exspatiari et indulgere voluptati: his powers had not free p. owing to the narrowness of the subject, *in tantis rerum angustiis parum libere movebatur animus atque ingenium. V. Movement, esp. of a quick or graceful kind: argūtiae, arum: (quick) play of features, a. vultus, Plin. 35, 10, 36 § 67 (in Cic. Or. 18, 59, argutiae digitorum, denotes undignified gesticulation with the fingers): cf. Quint. 11, 3, 181, quare neque in gestu persequemur omnes argutias, i. e. every kind of p. of feature and person. Phr.: to make use of p. of hands or features, varias manus, diversos nutus adhibere, Quint. l. c.: cf. ib. § 184, actio paullo agitatior, i. e. a delivery marked by much gesticulation, or play of the features and person; p. of colours: v. iridescence. VI. A theatrical piece: fābŭla: to have a p. acted (teach the actors their parts), f. docere, Cic. Br. 18, 72: also, f. dare, id. Tusc. 1, 1, 3: to act a p., f. agere, Ter. Ad. prol. 12; to the end, f. peragere, Cic. Sen. 19, 70: a p. succeeds or is damned, f. stat, cadit, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 176. Dimin., fabella, a short p.: Cic. Also the specific terms, tragoedia, comoedia, etc., may be used when needful: v. tragedy, comedy, etc. VII. In phr. fair play: Phr.: to see fair p., *videre ne quid malitiose (dolo malo) fiat; prospicere ut omnia ex aequo et bono fiant (cf. Cic. Caec. 23, 65, ex aequo et bono non ex callido versutoque jure rem judicari oportere): fair p. is a jewel, *nihil aequo et bono antiquius!
play (v.) Copy link Outline I. To take recreationII. To frolic, gambol.1. lūdo, 32. lascīvio, 4 (of animals, gamboling about)III. To p. games of hazardIV. On a musical instrument1. căno, cĕcĭni, cantum, 32. mŏdŭlor, 1 (rhythmically, tunefully; chiefly poet.)V. In a theatrical pieceVI. To trifleVII. In phr. to p. a trick • play (v.): I. To take recreation: lūdo, si, sum, 3 with abl. of the game played: to p. at ball, pila l., Hor. S. 1, 5, 49: Cic. To p. odd and even, l. par impar, Suet. Aug. 71, fin.: Hor. Comp. colludo, 3 (to p. with): Hor. A. P. 159. II. To frolic, gambol. 1. lūdo, 3: Virg. G. 1, 363. 2. lascīvio, 4 (of animals, gamboling about): v. to frisk. III. To p. games of hazard: aleam exercēre: v. to gamble. IV. On a musical instrument: 1. căno, cĕcĭni, cantum, 3: to p. on a stringed instrument: fidibus canere, Cic. Div. 2, 59, 122; on the flute, tibiis c., id. de Or. 2, 83, 338. Also, (tibiis) cantare, Nep. pref. init. (where the ref. is to the practice of playing, not a single performance): Pl. 2. mŏdŭlor, 1 (rhythmically, tunefully; chiefly poet.): to p. tunes upon an oaten pipe. carmina avenâ m., Virg. E. 10, 51: p. part. in pass. sense, Hor. Od. 1, 32, 5. Other poet. exprr. are, (citharâ) persŏno, Virg. Aen. 1, 741; insŏno (calamis), Ov. M. 11, 161. Phr.: to teach any one to p. on a stringed instrument, fidibus docere aliquem (sc. canere), Cic. Fam. 9, 22: see also flute, lyre, etc. V. In a theatrical piece: Phr.: to p. a comedy of Menander, Menandri [comoediam] agere, Ter. Eun. prol. 19: to p. (the part of) a parasite, parasitum agere, id. Heaut. prol. 37: to p. the principal part, primas partes agere, id. Ph. prol. 27: also, esse primarum partium (= to be the leading actor, protagonist), Cic. Div. Verr. 15, 48: to p. a second part ("second fiddle"), in fig. sense, secundas (sc. partes) ferre, Hor. S. 1, 9, 46: not to p. the part of a sovereign, but of a servant, non principem sed ministrum agere, Suet. Cl. 29, init. Compare the expr. personam (partes) tueri, sustinere (to sustain a certain character): v. part (III.). See also to feign, pretend. VI. To trifle: lūdo, illūdo, 3. v. to mock, trifle with. VII. In phr. to p. a trick: lūdĭfĭcor, 1. v. to fool. Phr.: we must p. off a trick upon the old gentleman, intendenda in senem est fallacia, Ter. Heaut. 3, 2, 2: cf. emungere (lit. to wipe a man's nose for him; implying that he is a fool), Hor. A. P. 238: to p. off a nice trick on any one, egregie alicui imponere, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 6, med.: Ter.: v. trick.
PLAY Copy link • PLAY 1. s. 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). 2. v. 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).