crĕo (old form cerĕo, in Varr. L. L. 6, § 81 Müll.), āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [kindred with Sanscr. kar, kri, to make], to bring forth, produce, make, create, beget (very freq. in every period and species of composition).
I Lit.
A In gen.: rerum primordia pandam, Unde omnes natura creet res auctet alatque, Lucr. 1, 51: animalia, id. 2, 1152: genus humanum, id. 5, 820: mortalia saecla, id. 5, 789: fruges, id. 2, 170: ignem, id. 1, 799; cf.: ignes e lignis, id. 1, 910 et saep.: (Silvius) Aenean Silvium creat, Liv. 1, 3, 7; cf.: fortes creantur fortibus et bonis, Hor. C. 4, 4, 29.—Also of woman: pueris beata creandis Uxor, Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 44; Pall. Febr. 26, 2.—Hence, in poets freq. in part. perf. : crĕātus , a, with abl. ( masc. or fem. ), sprung from, begotten by, born of; or subst., an offspring, a child , Ov. M. 5, 145; 11, 295; 11, 303 al.—Subst.: crĕāta , ōrum, n., things made : servare, Lucr. 2, 572.—
B In partic., publicist. t. t. (cf. facio), to make or create for any jurisdiction or office , i. e. to choose, elect (freq.): qui comitiatu creare consules rite possint, Cic. Leg. 3, 3, 9; so, consules, Caes. B. C. 3, 1; Liv. 4, 7, 2; 4, 7, 7; 4, 7, 10: duo ex unā familiā magistratus, Caes. B. G. 7, 33: Patres, Liv. 1, 8, 7: dictatorem, id. 2, 18 (five times): magistrum equitum, id. 2, 18, 5; 4, 57, 6: interregem, id. 4, 7, 7; 5, 31, 8: tribunum, id. 2, 33, 3: tribuniciam potestatem, id. 5, 2, 8: censores, Suet. Aug. 37: Imperatorem (with eligere), id. Vesp. 6: ducem gerendo bello, Liv. 1, 23, 8. curatorem reipublicae, Dig. 50, 8, 3.—
2 Of the officer who appoints or superintends an election: quos (consules) cum Ti. Gracchus consul iterum crearet, Cic. N. D. 2, 4, 10.—
3 In eccl. Lat. of the exercise of divine power in creation, to create, call into being, endow with existence , etc.: caelum et terram, Vulg. Gen. 1, 1: hominem, id. ib. 5, 1: omnia, id. Eph. 3, 9.—
b Meton.: cor mundum in me, Vulg. Psa. 50, 11 al.—
II Trop., to produce, prepare, cause, occasion : voluptatem meis inimicis, Plaut. Cas. 2, 7, 3: commoditatem mihi, id. Poen. 4, 2, 94: lites, id. ib. 3, 2, 9: omnis has aerumnas, id. Mil. 1, 1, 33: capitalem fraudem tuis cruribus capitique, id. ib. 2, 3, 23: moram dictis, id. Ps. 1, 3, 174: errorem (similitudo), Cic. Div. 2, 26, 55: luxuriam, id. Rosc. Am. 27, 75: seditionem, Vell. 2, 20: taedium ac satietatem ex similitudine, Quint. 9, 4, 143: vomitum dissolutionemque stomachi, Plin. 9, 48, 72, § 155 et saep.