pŭer, ĕri (old voc. puere, Plaut. As. 2, 3, 2; 5, 2, 42; id. Most. 4, 2, 32 et saep.; Caecil. and Afran. ap. Prisc. p. 697 P.; gen. plur. puerūm, Plaut. Truc. 4, 2, 50), m. (v. infra) [root pu-, to beget; v. pudes; and cf. pupa, putus],
I orig. a child , whether boy or girl: pueri appellatione etiam puella significatur, Dig. 50, 16, 163.—Thus, as fem. : sancta puer Saturni filia, regina, Liv. And. ap. Prisc. p. 697 P.: prima incedit Cereris Proserpina puer, i.e. daughter of Ceres , Naev. ib. p. 697 P.: mea puer, mea puer, Poët. ap. Charis. p. 64 P.; Ael. Stil. and As. ib. p. 64 P.—Hence, freq. in the plur. pueri, children , in gen., Plaut. Poen. prol. 28; 30: infantium puerorum incunabula, Cic. Rosc. Am. 53, 153: cinis eorum pueros tarde dentientes adjuvat cum melle, Plin. 30, 3, 8, § 22; Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 7; id. C. 4, 9, 24.—
II In partic.
1 A male child , a boy , lad , young man (strictly till the seventeenth year, but freq. applied to those who are much older): puero isti date mammam, Plaut. Truc. 2, 5, 1: aliquam puero nutricem para, Ter. Hec. 726; 770: homini ilico lacrimae cadunt Quasi puero, id. Ad. 537: quo portas puerum? id. And. 722: nescire quid antea quam natus sis, acciderit, id est semper esse puerum, Cic. Or. 34, 120; Ov. P. 4, 12, 20: laudator temporis acti Se puero, when he was a boy , Hor. A. P. 173; cf.: foeminae praetextatique pueri et puellae, Suet. Claud. 35.—A puero, and with plur. verb , a pueris (cf. Gr. ἐκ παιδός, ἐκ παίδων), from a boy , boyhood , or childhood (cf. ab): doctum hominem cognovi, idque a puero, Cic. Fam. 13, 16, 4; id. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 3, 8: diligentiā matris a puero doctus, id. Brut. 27, 104; Hor. S. 1, 4, 97: ad eas artes, quibus a pueris dediti fuimus, Cic. de Or. 1, 1, 2.—In like manner: ut primum ex pueris excessit Archias, as soon as he ceased to be a child , Cic. Arch. 3, 4.—
2 A grown-up youth , young man , Cic. Fam. 2, 1, 2: puer egregius praesidium sibi primum et nobis, deinde summae rei publicae comparavit, of Octavian at the age of nineteen, id. ib. 12, 25, 4 (cf. Vell. 2, 61, 1; Tac. A. 13, 6); cf. of the same: nomen clarissimi adulescentis vel pueri potius, Cic. Phil. 4, 1, 3; of Scipio Africanus, at the age of twenty, Sil. 15, 33; 44 (coupled with juvenis, id. 15, 10 and 18); of Pallas, in military command, Verg. A. 11, 42.—
3 An unmarried man , a bachelor , Ov. F. 4, 226.—
4 As a pet name , or in familiar address, boy , fellow , Cat. 12, 9; Ter. Ad. 940.—
B Transf.
1 A little son , a son (poet.), Plaut. Am. 5, 1, 72: Ascanius puer, Verg. A. 2, 598: tuque (Venus) puerque tuus (Cupido), id. ib. 4, 94; cf. Hor. C. 1, 32, 10: Latonae puer, id. ib. 4, 6, 37: Semeles puer, id. ib. 1, 19, 2: deorum pueri, id. A. P. 83; 185.—
2 A boy for attendance, a servant , slave : cedo aquam manibus, puer, Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 150; Cic. Rosc. Am. 28, 77: Persicos odi, puer, apparatus, Hor. C. 1, 38, 1; 2, 11, 18; 4, 11, 10: hic vivum mihi cespitem ponite, pueri, id. ib. 1, 19, 14: cena ministratur pueris tribus, id. S. 1, 6, 116: tum pueri nautis, pueris convicia nautae Ingerere, id. ib. 1, 5, 11: regii, royal pages , Liv. 45, 6; Curt. 5, 2, 13: litteratissimi, Nep. Att. 13, 3; Juv. 11, 59; Dig. 50, 16, 204.—*
3 As adj., youthful : puera facies, Paul. Nol. Carm. 25, 217.