latrocinium

Latin

Alternative forms

• latrōnicium (Late Latin metathesized form)

Etymology

From latrōcinor (“to rob, to fight for pay”) +‎ -ium, from Latin latrō (“mercenary, brigand”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ɫa.troːˈkɪ.ni.ũː], [ɫat.roːˈkɪ.ni.ũː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [la.troˈt͡ʃiː.ni.um], [lat.roˈt͡ʃiː.ni.um]

Noun

latrōcinium n (genitive latrōciniī or latrōcinī); second declension

1. military service for pay
2. (figuratively)
   1. robbery, banditry, highway robbery, piracy, brigandage; pillage, plundering
      • 63 BCE, Cicero, Catiline Orations Oratio in Catilinam Prima in Senatu Habita.23:

        Sīn autem servīre meae laudī et glōriae māvīs, ēgredere cum importūnā scelerātōrum manū, cōnfer tē ad Mānlium, concitā perditōs cīvēs, sēcerne tē ā bonīs, īnfer patriae bellum, exsultā impiō latrōciniō, ut ā mē nōn ēiectus ad aliēnōs, sed invītātus ad tuōs īsse videāris.

        But if, however, you prefer to serve my credit and reputation, then depart with your wicked band of criminals, join yourself to Manlius, stir up the desperate citizens, separate yourself from the good [ones], wage war against the nation, and exult in [your] unholy banditry, so that you may appear not to have been thrown out by me to strangers, but to have gone to your own [people] after being invited.

   2. an act of banditry or brigandage
   3. band of robbers
   4. villany, roguery, fraud
   5. (Ecclesiastical Latin, derogatory) an illegitimate church council, especially the Second Council of Ephesus

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	latrōcinium	latrōcinia
genitive	latrōciniī latrōcinī1	latrōciniōrum
dative	latrōciniō	latrōciniīs
accusative	latrōcinium	latrōcinia
ablative	latrōciniō	latrōciniīs
vocative	latrōcinium	latrōcinia

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Derived terms

• latrōnicium

Descendants

• Old French: larrecin, larcin
  • French: larcin
  • → English: larceny
• Borrowings:
  • → English: Latrocinium, latrociny
  • → Italian: ladrocinio, latrocinio
  • → Portuguese: latrocínio
  • → Spanish: latrocinio

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “latrocĭnium”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 5: J L, page 202

Further reading

• “latrocinium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “latrocinium”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "latrocinium", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “latrocinium”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• latrocinium in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016
• “latrocinium”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin