trŭcīdo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [perh. for truci-cidare, i. e. truncum caedere], to cut to pieces, to slay or kill cruelly, to slaughter, butcher, massacre (class.; syn.: obtrunco, jugulo, perimo).
I Lit.: cavete neu capti sicut pecora trucidemini, Sall. C. 58, 21; cf.: pecus diripi, trucidari, Auct. B. Afr. 20, 6: cives Romanos necandos trucidandosque curavit, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 3, 7: ne hic ibidem ante oculos vestros trucidetur, id. Rosc. Am. 5, 13: trucidando occidere, Liv. 29, 18, 14: quos ferro trucidari oportebat, eos nondum voce vulnero, Cic. Cat. 1, 4, 9; id. Rosc. Am. 5, 13: ne pueros coram populo Medea trucidet, Hor. A. P. 185: trucidatae legiones, Tac. A. 2, 45: nobilissum corpus ignobili saevitiā, Val. Max. 9, 2, 2.—
II Transf., to cut up , demolish; to destroy , ruin : seu pisces seu porrum et caepe trucidas, chew up , Hor. Ep. 1, 12, 21: haec (nubes) multo si forte umore recepit Ignem, continuo magno clamore trucidat, i. e. extinguishes , Lucr. 6, 147: juventus ne effundat patrimonium, ne fenore trucidetur, Cic. Cael. 18, 42: plebem fenore, Liv. 6, 37, 2.