ex-ercĕo, ŭi, itum, 2, v. a. [arceo], to drive on, keep busy, keep at work; to oversee, superintend; with an inanimate object, to work, work at, employ one's self about a thing.
I Lit. (mostly poet. and in postAug. prose): quod in opere faciundo operae consumis tuae, Si sumas in illis (servis) exercendis, plus agas, Ter. Heaut. 74; cf.: homines qui agrum colunt, et qui eos exercent praepositive sunt his, quorum in numero sunt vilici et monitores, who oversee them , Dig. 33, 7, 8: exercete, viri, tauros, Verg. G. 1, 210: i sane, ego te exercebo hodie, ut dignus es, keep agoing , exercise , Ter. Ad. 587: corpora assiduo varioque exercita motu, etc., driven , impelled , Lucr. 2, 97; cf. id. 4, 862; 2, 120; and: exercita cursu Flumina (with fontes liquidi), Verg. G. 3, 529 Wagn.: (Maeandros) Incertas exercet aquas, Ov. M. 8, 165: exercere feras, to drive , hunt , Dig. 7, 1, 62: Mi. Gestiunt pugni mihi. So. Si in me exercituru's, quaeso in parietem ut primum domes, to let loose , set them at me , Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 168: litus arant Rutulosque exercent vomere colles, work , till , Verg. A. 7, 798: solum presso sub vomere, id. G. 2, 356: rura bubus, Hor. Epod. 2, 3: humum in messem, Verg. G. 1, 219: vineas, arbusta, campos (with curare), Plin. Ep. 1, 20, 16: agrum multis arationibus, Pall. Jan. 13, 2: pinguia culta, Verg. A. 10, 142: ferrum vasto in antro (Cyclopes), id. ib. 8, 424: telas (aranea), Ov. M. 6, 145 al.; cf.: neque arva nobis aut metalla aut portus sunt, quibus exercendis reservemur, Tac. Agr. 31.—Poet.: ut possint (aratores), sole reducto, Exercere diem, i. e. employ the day in labor , perform their day's work , Verg. A. 10, 808.
II Trop. (freq. and class.).
A To engage busily , to occupy , employ , exercise a person or thing in some action.
α Aliquem or aliquid ( in aliqua re , ad aliquid , aliqua re , etc.): me adolescentem multos annos in studio ejusdem laudis (Hortensius) exercuit, Cic. Brut. 64, 230: quod genus belli esse potest, in quo illum non exercuerit fortuna rei publicae, id. de Imp. Pomp. 10, 28: a Diodoto studiosissime in dialectica exercebar, id. Brut. 90, 309; cf. id. de Or. 1, 57, 244: hanc (animi vim) tu exerce in optimis rebus, id. Rep. 6, 26: haec aetas (juvenum) exercenda in labore patientiaque et animi et corporis, id. Off. 1, 34, 122: animos in armis, Ov. Am. 1, 8, 41: in gramineis exercent membra palaestris, Verg. A. 6, 642: vocem et vires in hoc, Cic. de Or. 1, 33, 149 et saep.: Aristoteles adolescentes ... ad copiam rhetorum in utramque partem exercuit, id. Or. 14, 46: ad hanc te amentiam natura peperit, voluntas exercuit, id. Cat. 1, 10, 25: facultatem dicendi his exercuerunt, Quint. 2, 4, 41: ingenium multiplici variaque materia, id. 2, 4, 20: linguas litibus, Ov. M. 6, 375 et saep.—With simple acc.: quid te exercuit Pammenes? Cic. Brut. 97, 332: Induciomarus copias cogere, exercere coepit, to exercise , drill , Caes. B. G. 5, 55, 3: juventutis exercendae causa, id. ib. 6, 23, 6: ingenium nostrum, Auct. Her. 3, 21, 34: corpus, Cic. de Off. 1, 23, 79: exercendae memoriae gratia, id. de Sen. 11, 38: exercendi stili, Quint. 10, 5, 15: exercendus est spiritus, id. 11, 3, 54 et saep.—
β With se , or pass. in mid. force; and in part. praes. and gerund. , to exercise or train one's self , to practise : si ad hoc unum est natus aut in hoc solo se exercuit, etc., Cic. Or. 28, 99: se vehementissime in his subitis dictionibus, id. de Or. 1, 33, 152: se in consultationibus, id. Att. 9, 4, 3: sese ad cursuram, Plaut. Most. 4, 1, 5: se ad velitationem, id. Rud. 2, 6, 41: sese quotidianis commentationibus, Cic. Brut. 71, 249: se genere pugnae, Caes. B. G. 1, 48, 4: se genere venationis, id. ib. 6, 28, 3: se saliendo, Plaut. Bacch. 3, 3, 25: cur non in utrumque protinus locum se exerceant? Quint. 4, 2, 29 Zumpt N. cr. : Jovem Olympium, eum ipsum, cui se exercebit, implorabit, Cic. Tusc. 2, 17, 40: cum athletas se exercentes in curriculo videret, id. de Sen. 9, 27; so, ad virtutem, Vulg. 1 Tim. 4, 7.— Mid.: ut exerceamur in venando, Cic. N. D. 2, 64, 161: ut in utrumque locum simul exerceamur, Quint. 5, 13, 50: faciunt idem, cum exercentur, athletae, Cic. Tusc. 2, 23, 56: Ciceronis pueri amant inter se, discunt, exercentur, id. Att. 6, 1, 12: ne aliter exerceri velint, Quint. 3, 8, 70: in mandatis tuis exercebor, Vulg. Psa. 118, 15.— Act. part. in mid. force: cum, ceteris in campo exercentibus, in herba ipse recubuisset, Cic. de Or. 2, 71, 287; so, ipsique dictata exercentibus darent, Suet. Caes. 26: spectavit assidue et exercentes ephebos, id. Aug. 98; cf.: si ludicra exercendi aut venandi consuetudine adamare solemus, of exercising ourselves , Cic. Fin. 1, 20, 69, v. Madv. ad h. l.—
B To practise , follow , exercise any employment; to employ one's self about , to make use of any thing: medicinae exercendae causa, Cic. Clu. 63, 178: hoc civile quod vocant eatenus exercuerunt, quoad populum praestare voluerunt, id. Leg. 1, 4, 14: rhetoricen, Quint. 2, 1, 3; 2, 15, 27: eloquentiam, id. 1, 4, 6: artem, id. 3, 6, 18; cf. Hor. Ep. 1, 14, 44: exercere atque exigere vectigalia, Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 6, 16: cauponam vel stabulum, Dig. 4, 9, 1, § 5: navem, ib. 14, 1, 1: auri, argenti, sulphuris, etc. ... fodinas, ib. 7, 1, 13, § 5: negotiationem per libertos, ib. 26, 7, 58: commercium turis, Plin. 12, 14, 30, § 54: arma, Verg. A. 4, 87: arma contra patriam, Tac. A. 11, 16: gymnasia et otia et turpes amores, id. ib. 6, 1: acies pueriles, batiles in sport , Juv. 15, 60: pharetram et arcum, Val. Fl. 3, 161: vocem (with clamare), Plaut. Poen. prol. 13.—
2 To follow up , follow out , prosecute , carry into effect , practise , administer : judicium, Cic. Arch. 12, 32: latam legem, Liv. 4, 51, 4: Tiberius exercendas leges esse respondit, Tac. A. 1, 72: legem praecipue sumptuariam, Suet. Caes. 43; id. Tib. 58: quaestionem inter sicarios, Cic. Fin. 2, 16, 54: regnum, Plin. 10, 21, 24, § 47; cf. imperia, Verg. G. 2, 370: crudelitatem non solum in vivo sed etiam in mortuo, Cic. Phil. 11, 3, 8: inimicitias, id. Div. in Caecil. 4, 13; cf.: graves inimicitias cum aliquo, Sall. C. 49, 2: gratiam aut inimicitias in tanta re, id. ib. 51, 16: jurgia, discordia, simultates cum hostibus, id. ib. 9, 2: cui exercita cum Pisone amicitia, Tac. A. 1, 14: licentiam, id. ib. 13, 47: amicitiam, id. ib. 15, 60: odium, id. ib. 13, 37: odium in aliquo, Ov. M. 9, 275 et saep.: facilitatem et lenitudinem animi, Cic. Off. 1, 25, 88: juris aequabilitatem, id. ib.; cf. justitiam, Plin. Ep. 1, 10, 10: scelus, libidinem, avaritiam in socios, Liv. 29, 17, 13; cf.: avaritiam (juvenes) exercere jubentur, Juv. 14, 108: foede victoriam in captis, Liv. 6, 22, 4: acerrume victoriam nobilitatis in plebem, Sall. J. 16, 2: foede et crudeliter victoriam, id. C. 38: amores ad aliquem, Cat. 68, 69: pacem et hymenaeos, to celebrate , solemnize , Verg. A. 4, 99: nomen patris, to bear his name , Plin. Pan. 21, 4 et saep.—
C Pregn., to disturb , disquiet , vex , plague (the figure being taken from the baiting of wild beasts): meos casus, in quibus me fortuna vehementer exercuit, Cic. Tusc. 5, 1, 3: nunc me reliquiae vestrae exercent, id. Fam. 12, 4, 1: non te nullius exercent numinis irae, Verg. G. 4, 453: aliquem odiis, id. A. 4, 622 et saep.: te de praedio Oviae exerceri, moleste fero, Cic. Att. 13, 22, 4: ergo exercentur poenis, Verg. A. 6, 739: hominum vitam curis, Lucr. 5, 1424: ambitio animos hominum exercet, Sall. C. 11, 1: simultates nimio plures et exercuerunt eum et ipse exercuit eas, Liv. 39, 40, 9.—In the part. perf. : nate, Iliacis exercite fatis, Verg. A. 3, 182: Venus exercita curis, id. ib. 5, 779; cf.: curis exercita corpora, Ov. M. 7, 634: adversis probitas exercita rebus, id. Tr. 5, 5, 49: habere aliquem exercitum, Plaut. Fragm. ap. Non. 6, 4.
IX —Hence, exercĭ-tus , a, um, P. a. (acc. to II. C.).
A Vexed , harassed : scito nihil tam exercitum esse nunc Romae quam candidatos omnibus iniquitatibus, Cic. Att. 1, 11, 2: Tiberius tantis rebus, Tac. A. 4, 11.— Hence,
B Vexatious , severe : quid magis sollicitum, magis exercitum dici potest? Cic. Mil. 2, 5: finem tam exercitae militiae orabant, Tac. A. 1, 35: dura hiems, exercita aestas, id. ib. 1, 17: aestas (with inquieta), Plin. Ep. 7, 2, 2: infantiam pueritiamque habuit laboriosam et exercitam, Suet. Tib. 6 init. —
C Disciplined : (miles) exercitatus et vetus ob eam rem fortior (opp. rudis et inexercitatus), Cic. Tusc. 2, 16, 38: mirum in modum juventus, Flor. 1, 3, 2: proprio in metu, qui exercitam quoque eloquentiam debilitat, Tac. A. 3, 67: militia, id. ib. 3, 20: ad omne flagitium, id. ib. 14, 2: ingenium adulatione, id. H. 4, 4: Graeca doctrina ore tenus, id. A. 15, 45.— Comp. and sup. : exercitiorem, exercitissimum (dicebant antiqui), Paul. ex Fest. p. 81, 8 Müll. —Adv.: exercĭtē , in a practised manner; in comp. : cogitare, Ap. Met. 11, 29, 5.