făcĭnus, ŏris, n. [facio], a deed, act, action (class., most freq. in the special signif.).
I In gen. (syn.: factum, res gestae): Atridae duo fratres cluent fecisse facinus maximum, Cum Priami patriam Pergamum ... subegerunt, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 9, 1; 4, 4, 2; id. Trin. 1, 1, 2: tuum nefarium facinus pejore facinore operire, Cato ap. Gell. 13, 24, 12: nefario facinore admisso, Caes. B. G. 7, 38, 8: magnum et memorabile, Ter. Heaut. 314: praeclarissimum, Auct. Her. 4, 55, 68: hic pulcherrimum facinus adivi, Ter. Phorm. 870: pulcherrimum, Cic. Rab. Perd. 6, 19: rectissimum, Anton. ap. Cic. Phil. 13, 17 fin. : quantum, Poët. ap. Cic. Fam. 2, 9, 2: rarum, Tac. A. 3, 21: suasit amor facinus, Ov. M. 8, 90 al.—In plur.: inaudita et singularia facinora sceleris, audaciae, perfidiae, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 72, § 189: mirabilia facinora, id. Phil. 2, 42, 109: ingenii egregia facinora, Sall. J. 2, 2. —
B Transf. in Plautus for thing : nimis mirum est facinus, quomodo haec hinc potuerit transire! Plaut. Mil. 2, 4, 24: quod facinus video? etc., id. Rud. 1, 2, 73.—
II In partic., a bad deed , misdeed , outrage , villainy , crime (syn.: culpa, peccatum, delictum, flagitium, scelus, crimen, etc.): facinus est vincire civem Romanum, scelus verberare, prope parricidium necare: quid dicam in crucem tollere? Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 66, § 170; cf.: scelus et facinus, id. Mil. 16, 43: ad vim, facinus caedemque delecti, id. Agr. 2, 28, 77: nec in facinore, nec in libidine, id. Mil. 27, 73: nihil facinoris, nihil flagitii praetermittere, Liv. 39, 13, 10: ne facinus facere, Cic. Fin. 2, 29, 95: jacere humi ad facinus obeundum, id. Cat. 1, 10, 26: committere, id. Fam. 3, 10, 2; Caes. B. C. 3, 60, 4: in se admittere, id. B. G. 3, 9, 3; cf. id. ib. 6, 13, 5: patrare, Sall. C. 18, 8: ad omne facinus impellere aliquem, Cic. Fragm. ap. Non. 424, 31 (Rep. 6, 1 ed. Mos.): crimen facinusque libidinis, Juv. 6, 294: transi gymnasia atque audi facinus majoris abollae, i. e. of a teacher , id. 3, 115 al.—Esp. in exclamations: O facinus indignum, Plaut. Men. 5, 7, 15; Ter. Ad. 173: O indignum facinus, id. Eun. 70; cf. Quint. 5, 12, 12; Cic. Att. 2, 13 init. —In plur.: furiae vindices facinorum et sceleris, Cic. N. D. 3, 18, 66: homo flagitiis atque facinoribus coopertus, Sall. C. 23, 1: talia facinora impune suscepisse, id. J. 31, 9.—
B Transf., concr. (poet.), an instrument of villainy , said of the poisoned cup: facinusque excussit ab ore, Ov. M. 7, 423.