accūsātor, ōris, m. [accuso], orig. one who calls another to account; hence, transferred to public life, an accuser, a plaintiff, esp. in a state-offence (while petitor signifies a plaintiff in private causes; yet accusator is often used for every kind of accuser, and then includes the petitor, v. accuso no. II. A.).
I In gen. (very freq.): accusatorem pro omni actore et petitore appello, Cic. Part. Or. 32, 110: possumus petitoris personam capere, accusatoris deponere? id. Quint. 13 fin. ; cf. Quint. 6, 1, 36: accusatores multos esse in civitate utile est, ut metu contineatur audacia, Cic. Rosc. Am. 20: acres atque acerbi, id. Brut. 36, 136: vehemens et molestus, id. ib. 34, 130 fin. : graves, voluntarii, id. Leg. 3, 20, 47: firmus verusque, id. Div. in Caecil. 9, 29 al.: eundem accusatorem capitis sui ac judicem esse, Liv. 8, 32, 9: ita ille imprudens ipse suus fuit accusator, Nep. Lys. 4, 3: graviter eos accusat quod, etc., Caes. B. G. 1, 16, 5: accusatores tui, Vulg. Act. 23, 35; 25, 18 al.—
II Esp., in silv. age, an informer , a denouncer (= delator): accusatorum denuntiationes, Suet. Aug. 66; so Juv. 1, 161.