lēgo, āvi, ātum (archaic perf. legassit for legaverit, Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Cic. Inv. 2, 50, 148), 1, v. a. [lex; and therefore qs. lege creare], a publicist's and jurid. t. t.
I A publicist's t. t.
A To send with a commission or charge, to send on an embassy, send as ambassador; to depute, despatch : ne hoc quidem senatui relinquebas, ut legati ex ejus ordinis auctoritate legarentur, Cic. Vatin. 15, 35: hominem honestum ac nobilem legarunt ad Apronium, id. Verr. 2, 3, 48, § 114: eos privatae rei causa legari, id. Fam. 3, 8, 4: juste pieque legatus venio, Liv. 1, 32: tres adulescentes in Africam legantur, qui reges adeant, etc., Sall. J. 21, 4: quos Athenienses Romam ad senatum legaverant impetratum, etc., Gell. 7, 14, 8.—
2 Transf. to the commission itself (ante- and post-class.): quae verba legaverint Rhodii ad hostium ducem, what they told him through their deputies , Gell. 15, 31 in lemm. —
b Beyond the official sphere: quin potius, quod legatum est tibi negotium, Id curas? committed, intrusted , Plaut. Cas. 1, 12.—
B To appoint or choose as deputy (as the official assistant, lieutenant, of a general or governor): eum (Messium) Caesari legarat Appius, Cic. Att. 4, 15, 9: ego me a Pompeio legari ita sum passus, ut, etc., id. ib. 4, 2, 6: istum legatum iri non arbitror, id. ib. 10, 1, 4: ne legaretur Gabinius Pompeio expetenti, id. de Imp. Pomp. 19, 57: Dolabella me sibi legavit, chose me for his lieutenant , id. Att. 15, 11, 4: Calpurnius parato exercitu legat sibi homines nobiles, etc., Sall. J. 28.—
II A jurid. t. t.: aliquid, to appoint by a last will or testament, to leave or bequeath as a legacy (class.): Numitori, qui stirpis maximus erat, regnum vetustum Silviae gentis legat, Liv. 1, 3: legavit quidam uxori mundum omne penumque, Lucil. ap. Gell. 4, 1, 3: usumfructum omnium bonorum Caesenniae legat, Cic. Caecin. 4, 11: Fabiae pecunia legata est a viro, id. Top. 3, 14: cui argentum omne legatum est, Quint. 5, 10, 62: in argento legato, id. 7, 2, 11.—
B Aliquid alicui ab aliquo, to leave one a legacy to be paid by the principal heir : uxori testamento legat grandem pecuniam a filio, si qui natus esset: ab secundo herede nihil legat, Cic. Clu. 12, 33: si paterfamilias uxori ancillarum usum fructum legavit a filio, neque a secundo herede legavit, id. Top. 4, 21; Quint. 7, 9, 5.—Hence,
1 lēgātus , i, m.
A (Acc. to lego, I. A.) An ambassador, legate , Cic. Vatin. 15, 35: legatos mittere, id. de Imp. Pomp. 12, 35: ad senatum legatos de aliqua re mittere, id. de Or. 2, 37, 155; cf.: missi magnis de rebus uterque Legati, Hor. S. 1, 5, 29: legatos mittere ad indicendum bellum, Liv. 31, 8; Ov. M. 14, 527.—
B (Acc. to lego, I. B.).
a An official assistant given to a general or the governor of a province, a deputy, lieutenant, lieutenant-general : quos legatos tute tibi legasti? Cic. Pis. 14, 33: qui M. Aemilio legati fuerunt, id. Clu. 36, 99: Quintus frater meus legatus est Caesaris, id. Fam. 1, 9, 21; id. Off. 3, 20, 79; cf.: Murena summo imperatori legatus L. Lucullo fuit, qua in legatione duxit exercitum, etc., id. Mur. 9, 20; 14, 32: neque se ei legatum defuturum, id. Phil. 11, 7, 17; Val. Max. 5, 5, 1: hiberna cum legato praefectoque tradidisses, Cic. Pis. 35, 86: (Calvisius) duos legatos Uticae reliquerat, id. Phil. 3, 10 fin. : quaestorius, id. Verr. 2, 1, 21, § 56; Caes. B. G. 2, 5 fin. : L. Caesar, cujus pater Caesaris erat legatus, id. B. C. 1, 8, 2: magnitudo et splendor legati, Liv. 38, 58, 9: in magna legatum quaere popina, Juv. 8, 172.—
b Under the emperors, a governor sent to a province by the emperor , Tac. A. 12, 40; id. Agr. 33; Suet. Vesp. 4; Spart. Hadr. 3 et saep.; cf. legatio, I. B. 2., and Orell. ad Tac. Agr. 9.—
β Legati legionum, commanders , Suet. Tib. 19; id. Vesp. 4; cf.: Caesar singulis legionibus singulos legatos et quaestorem praefecit, Caes. B. G. 1, 52; Tac. A. 2, 36; id. H. 1, 7.—Also called; legatus praetorius, Tac. Agr. 7.—
2 lēgātum , i, n. (acc. to lego, II.), a bequest, legacy : legatum est delibatio hereditatis, qua testator ex eo, quod universum heredis foret, alicui quid collatum velit, Dig. 30, 116: Hortensii legata cognovi, Cic. Att. 7, 3, 9: reliqua legata varie dedit, Suet. Aug. 101; id. Tib. 48: legatum peto ex testamento, Quint. 4, 2, 6: jus capiendi legata alicui adimere, Suet. Dom. 8: cymbala pulsantis legatum amici, Juv. 9, 62: legatorum genera sunt quattuor, Gai. Inst. 2, 192; cf. sqq.