scīlĭcet, adv. [contr. from sci- (root of scire) licet; cf. vide-licet, i-licet], or scīre lĭcet, as it is freq. written in Lucr. and in archaic lang. in Liv., and sometimes in Cels.; prop., you may understand or know, = Gr. δηλονότι, and serving to imply that a statement is in itself obviously true, and is not overlooked by the speaker (cf. Madv. ad Cic. Fin. 5, 1, 3).
I Lit., it is evident , clear , plain , or manifest; of course , naturally , evidently , certainly , undoubtedly , etc. (freq. and class.; cf.: nimirum, nempe).
α With obj.-clause on account of scire (ante-class., and several times in Sall.; cf. videlicet): Pa. Neque illa ulli homini nutet, nictet, annuat, etc. Di. Optumumst: Ita scilicet facturam, very good; of course she will do so , Plaut. As. 4, 1, 42; id. Curc. 2, 2, 13; id. Rud. 2, 3, 64; id. Ps. 4, 7, 83; Ter. Heaut. 358; 856; Lucr. 2, 469; Sall. J. 4, 6; 102, 9; 113, 3; id. Fragm. 1, Orat. Phil. § 5.—
β As a simple particle: Le. Tam ego homo sum quam tu. Me. Scilicet ita res est, that is clear enough , no one disputes that , Plaut. As. 2, 4, 83: Co. Utrum amicis hodie an inimicis tuis Daturu's cenam? Ba. Pol ego amicis scilicet, id. Ps. 3, 2, 89; id. Men. 2, 3, 41: nunc vivat necne, id Orcum scire oportet scilicet, id. Capt. 2, 2, 33: pol me haud paenitet Scilicet boni dimidium mihi dividere cum Jove, id. Am. 5, 1, 73: video jam illum virum cui praeficias officio et muneri. Huic scilicet, Africanus (inquit), uni paene: nam in hoc fere uno sunt cetera, Cic. Rep. 2, 42, 69; cf. id. ib. 1, 38, 60: quā mente esset Antonius, demonstravit: pessima scilicet et infidelissima, Nam, etc., Brut. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 1, 1: a te litteras exspectabam: nondum scilicet; nam has mane rescribebam, not yet to be sure , Cic. Att. 13, 3, 1: me in dolore ... maxime scilicet consolatur spes, etc., id. Fam. 1, 6, 1; id. Q. Fr. 2, 6, 2: quid ad haec Naevius? ridet scilicet nostram amentiam, qui, etc., id. Quint. 17, 55: ego valde suspenso animo exspecto, primum te scilicet, deinde Marionem, id. Fam. 16, 3, 2; id. Att. 2, 19, 4: videtis ut senectus sit operosa et semper agens aliquid et moliens: tale scilicet, quale cujusque studium in superiore vita fuit, such , naturally , id. Sen. 8, 26: Brutus terram osculo contigit: scilicet, quod ea communis mater omnium mortalium esset, evidently because , Liv. 1, 56 fin. —Often followed by sed , tamen , etc.: cognoscat (orator) rerum gestarum et memoriae veteris ordinem, maxime scilicet nostrae civitatis, sed etiam imperiosorum populorum et regum illustrium, Cic. Or. 34, 120: scilicet nimis hic quidem est progressus, sed ex eo ipso est conjectura facilis, id. de Or. 3, 23, 128; id. Q. Fr. 2, 12, 2: maxime scilicet in homine, sed in omni animali, id. Fin. 5, 20, 55: me species quaedam commovit, inanis scilicet, sed commovit tamen, id. ib. 5, 1, 3: nihil scilicet novi, ea tamen quae te ipsum probaturum esse confidam, id. ib. 1, 8, 28: tuli scilicet moleste, ut debui, sed tamen constitui ad te venire, id. Fam. 9, 23: tu interea Romae scilicet amicis praesto fuisti; sed tamen illud cogita, etc., id. Mur. 20, 42; id. Tusc. 5, 39, 114: Meneclides quidam, satis exercitatus in dicendo, ut Thebanus scilicet, Nep. Epam. 5, 2: nota scilicet illa res, cum Decimus quidam Verginius, etc., that event is surely well known , etc., Cic. Rep. 2, 37, 63.—In an assertion put in the form of a question: Ch. Huc cum advenio, nulla erat. Pa. Comites secuti scilicet sunt virginem? followed her of course , Ter. Eun. 345.—
γ Elliptically (only ante-class.): manifesta palam res indicat, inquis, in auras Aëris e terrā res omnes crescere alique, etc. ... Scilicet: et nisi nos, etc., to be sure , by all means , quite right , certainly , Lucr. 1, 809. —Esp. as an answer: Le. Abi ad meam sororem. St. Ibitur. Le. Et gratulator meae sorori. St. Scilicet, of course , certainly , Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 178; id. Ps. 4, 7, 82; id. Poen. 3, 2, 23; 3, 4, 25; id. Rud. 4, 3, 12; Ter. Eun. 401; 1040; id. Ad. 729; 751; id. Hec. 467; id. Phorm. 792. —
B In partic., of course , to be sure , doubtless , certainly , forsooth , when an assertion that is obviously false is ironically made or accepted (class.): Si. Meum gnatum rumor est amare. Da. Id populus curat scilicet! of course people trouble themselves a great deal about that! Ter. And. 185 (also cited Cic. Att. 13, 34); cf.: scilicet is superis labor est, ea cura quietos Sollicitat, Verg. A. 4, 379; Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 1: et ego id scilicet nesciebam! id. Fin. 2, 31, 102: et tu scilicet mavis numine deorum id factum quam casu arbitrari? id. Div. 2, 21, 47; id. Verr. 2, 1, 54, § 142: scilicet tibi graviorem dolorem patrui tui mors attulit quam C. Graccho fratris, et tibi acerbior ejus patrui mors est, quem numquam vidisti quam illi ejus fratris, quicum concordissime vixerat, etc., id. Rab. Perd. 5, 14: scilicet is sum, qui existimem, Cn. Pisonem et Catilinam nihil scelerate ipsos per sese sine P. Sullā facere potuisse, id. Sull. 24, 67; id. Pis. 9, 19; Quint. 8, prooem. § 25; cf.: unde illa scilicet egregia laudatio: Tanto melior, ne ego quidem intellexi, id. 8, 2, 18: scilicet medio triennio defuerat tempus, etc., Tac. A. 6, 23; 1, 8 fin. ; 3, 59; 11, 24; id. Agr. 2 al.—
II Transf., in the postAug. per. sometimes, like δηλονότι in later Greek, merely as an expletory or explanatory particle, namely , to wit , that is to say : quaedam etiam opera sub nomine alieno, nepotum scilicet et uxoris sororisque, fecit, Suet. Aug. 29; id. Tib. 14: manente villā, qualis fuerit olim, ne quid scilicet oculorum consuetudini deperiret, id. Vesp. 2; so, ne scilicet, id. Gram. 4; Vulg. Gen. 2, 25 et saep.