castro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [Sanscr. çastra, knife, sword].
I To deprive of generative power (both of male and female), to emasculate , castrate , geld : hircum, Plaut. Merc. 2, 2, 1 and 4: agnum, Varr. R. R. 2, 2, 18: gallos, id. ib. 3, 9, 3; Curt. 6, 3, 12; Val. Max. 6, 1, 13; Suet. Dom. 7: sues, Plin. 8, 51, 77, § 208; 10, 21, 25, § 50; 11, 51, 112, § 261 al.—
2 Transf. to plants, to prune , lop , trim , Cato R. R. 33, 2; Plin. 17, 20, 33, § 144; 24, 8, 33, § 49.—
B Trop.: vina saccis, to pass through a sack or bag , to filter , Plin. 19, 4, 19, § 53; cf. id. 14, 22, 28, § 138 sq.: siligo castrata, i. e. cleaned , id. 18, 9, 20, § 86: semen, id. 15, 14, 15, § 51.—
II In gen., to shorten , cut off , curtail : caudas catulorum, Col. 7, 12, 14; cf. Plin. 8, 41, 63, § 153: alvos apum, to take up , to take out the honey , Col. 9, 15, 4; 9, 15, 11; cf.: castrare alvearia, Pall. 7, 7.—
B Trop., to enervate , debilitate : castrata res publica morte Africani, weakened (a vulgar figure, acc. to Cic. de Or. 3, 41, 164; Quint. 8, 6, 15): nisi illum (Maecenatem) enervasset felicitas, immo castrasset, Sen. Ep. 19, 9: libellos, to remove obscenity , to expurgate , Mart. 1, 35, 14: vires, to diminish , Plin. 11, 18, 19, § 60: avaritiam, to check , restrain , Claud. Eutr. 1, 192.