lūdus, i, m. [ludo], a play.
I Lit.
A In gen., a play, game, diversion, pastime : ad pilam se aut ad talos, aut ad tessaras conferunt, aut etiam novum sibi aliquem excogitant in otio ludum, Cic. de Or. 3, 15, 58: datur concessu omnium huic aliqui ludus aetati, id. Cael. 12, 28: campestris, id. ib. 5, 11: nec lusisse pudet, sed non incidere ludum, Hor. Ep. 1, 14, 36.—
B In partic.
1 Ludi, public games, plays, spectacles, shows, exhibitions , which were given in honor of the gods, etc.
α In gen.: hoc praetore ludos Apollini faciente, Cic. Brut. 20, 78: ludos committere, id. Q. Fr. 3, 4, 6: ludos magnificentissimos apparare, id. ib. 3, 8, 6: ludos apparatissimos magnificentissimosque facere, id. Sest. 54, 116: ludos aspicere, Ov. F. 6, 238: ludos persolvere alicui deo, id. ib. 5, 330: ludis, during the games , Cic. Fragm. ap. Non. 63, 18; Plaut. Cas. prol. 27: circus maximus ne diebus quidem ludorum Circensium ... irrigabatur, Front. Aq. 97.— Sing. : haec ultra quid erit, nisi ludus? Juv. 8, 199.—
β In this sense, ludi is freq. in appos. with the neutr. plur. of the adj. which names the games: ludi Consualia, Liv. 1, 9, 6: ludi Cerealia, id. 30, 39, 8: ludi Taurilia, id. 39, 22, 1 (Weissenb. Taurii); 34, 54, 3; cf.: quaedam faciem soloecismi habent ... ut tragoedia Thyestes, ut ludi Floralia ac Megalensia ... numquam aliter a veteribus dicta, Quint. 1, 5, 52; cf.: ludis Megalensibus, Gell. 2, 24, 2.—
γ Also with gen. of place : eo ipso die auditam esse eam pugnam ludis Olympiae memoriae proditum est, Cic. N. D. 2, 2, 6.—
2 Stage-plays (opp. to the games of the circus): venationes autem ludosque et cum collegā et separatim edidit, Suet. Caes. 10.—
C A place of exercise or practice, a school for elementary instruction and discipline (cf. schola): in ludum ire, Plaut. Pers. 2, 1, 6: fidicinus, music-school , id. Rud. prol. 43: litterarius, id. Merc. 2, 2, 32: litterarum ludi, Liv. 3, 44; 6, 25: ludus discendi, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 4, 6: Dionysius Corinthi dicitur ludum aperuisse, id. Fam. 9, 18, 1: Isocrates, cujus e ludo, tamquam ex equo Trojano, meri principes exierunt, id. de Or. 2, 22, 94; id. Or. 42, 144: gladiatores, quos ibi Caesar in ludo habebat, Caes. B. C. 1, 14, 4: militaris, Liv. 7, 33, 1: litterarii paene ista sunt ludi et trivialis scientiae, Quint. 1, 4, 27: litterarium ludum exercere, Tac. A. 3, 66: obsides quosdam abductos e litterario ludo, Suet. Calig. 45: ibi namque (in foro) in tabernis litterarum ludi erant, Liv. 3, 44, 6: quem puerum in ludo cognōrat, Nep. Att. 10, 3: in Flavī ludum me mittere, Hor. S. 1, 6, 72; cf. Gell. 15, 11, 2; Suet. Gram. 4; id. Rhet. 1: sic veniunt ad miscellanea ludi, Juv. 11, 26.
II Transf.
A Play, sport , i. e. any thing done, as it were, in play, without trouble, mere sport, child's play : oratio ludus est homini non hebeti, Cic. de Or. 2, 17, 72: cum illa perdiscere ludus esset, id. Fin. 1, 8, 27: quibus (Graecis) jusjurandum jocus est, testimonium ludus, id. Fl. 5, 12.—
B Sport, jest, joke, fun : si vis videre ludos jucundissimos, Plaut. Poen. 1, 1, 78: ad honores per ludum et per neglegentiam pervenire, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 70, § 181: aliquem per ludum et jocum evertere, id. ib. 2, 1, 60, § 155: amoto quaeramus seria ludo, Hor. S. 1, 1, 27: vertere seria ludo, id. A. P. 226: nil per ludum simulabitur, Juv. 6, 324: ut ludos facit, Ter. Phorm. 945: ludos facere aliquem, to make sport of, make game of, to banter, jeer at, mock : ut nunc is te ludos facit, Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 47: quem, senecta aetate, ludos facias, id. Aul. 2, 2, 74.— With dat.: miris modis dī ludos faciunt hominibus, Plaut. Rud. 3, 1, 1; id. Truc. 4, 2, 46.—In pass. : ludos fieri, Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 72: hocine me aetatis ludos vis factum esse indigne? id. Bacch. 5, 1, 4: ludos aliquem dimittere, to send one away with scorn and derision , or, as in Engl., to send one off with a flea in his ear : numquam hercle quisquam me lenonem dixerit, si te non ludos pessimos dimisero, id. Rud. 3, 5, 11: ludos facis me, id. Am. 2, 1, 21: facere ludos aliquid, to make a jest or a trifle of any thing, to throw away, to lose : nunc et operam ludos facit, et retia, etc., id. Rud. 4, 1, 9: ludos dare, praebere, to make one's self ridiculous , Ter. Eun. 1010: ludos alicui reddere, to play tricks on , id. And. 479: dare ludum alicui, to give play to one , i. e. to humor, indulge , Plaut. Bacch. 4, 10, 7; id. Cas. prol. 25; id. Bacch. 4, 10, 9: amori dare ludum, Hor. C. 3, 12, 1: ludus aetatis, the pleasures of love : si frui liceret ludo aetatis, praesertim recto et legitimo amore, Liv. 26, 50.—
C Ludus, the title of a work of Naevius : ut est in Naevii Ludo, Cic. de Sen. 6, 20; Fest. s. v. redhostire, p. 270, 22 Müll.—Also, Ludus de Morte Claudii, a work of Seneca.