scurra, ae, m.
I Orig., an elegant , town-bred man; a fine gentleman , gallant , dandy : tu urbanus vero scurra, deliciae popli, Rus mihi tu objectas? Plaut. Most. 1, 1, 14; cf. (opp. militaris) id. Ep. 1, 1, 13; id. Curc. 2, 3, 17.—Also of an elegant debauchee , Cic. Sest. 17, 39; Auct. Har. Resp. 20, 42.—
II Transf.
1 A city buffoon , droll , jester (usually in the suite of wealthy persons, and accordingly a kind of parasite; syn.: sannio, parasitus): urbani assidui cives, quos scurras vocant, Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 165; id. Poen. 3, 2, 35; 5, 5, 2; id. Truc. 2, 6, 10; Cic. Quint. 3, 11; id. de Or. 2, 60, 247; id. Verr. 2, 3, 62, § 146; Auct. Her. 4, 10, 14: Hor. S. 1, 5, 52; 1, 8, 11; id. Ep. 1, 15, 28; 1, 18, 4; Vulg. 2 Reg. 6, 20.—Zeno sarcastically called Socrates scurra Atticus, Cic. N. D. 1, 34, 93: Sabinus Asilius, venustissimus inter rhetores scurra, Sen. Suas. 2, 12.—Of the clown in a pantomime , Juv. 13, 111.—Prov.: vetus est: De scurrā multo facilius divitem quam patremfamilias fieri posse, Cic. Quint. 17, 55. —
2 In the times of the later emperors, one of the guard , a soldier of the guard , a guardsman , Lampr. Alex. Sev. 61; 62 fin. ; id. Heliog. 33; Treb. Poll. Trig. Tyr. 30.