ūnĭcus, a, um, adj. [unus], one and no more, only, sole, single (class.).
I Lit., of number: tuus unicus gnatus, Plaut. As. 1, 1, 1: gnatus, id. Poen. prol. 68; Ter. Heaut. 131; 540: gnata, id. And. 540; 101: filius, Plaut. Poen. prol. 65; id. Cas. 2, 3, 45; Ter. Heaut. 93; Cic. Rosc. Am. 14, 41: quid me patrem par facere'st, quoi ille'st unicus? Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 38 (44): filia, Ter. Phorm. 646; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 41, § 104; Verg. Cir. 334; Just. 1, 4, 2: consul, Liv. 7, 25, 11: maritus, Hor. C. 3, 14, 5: vestis, Plaut. Stich. 2, 2, 26: anser erat, Ov. M. 8, 684: orbis, id. ib. 13, 853: ancillula, Ap. Met. 1, 21, 19.—Strengthened by unus : qui me unum atque unicum amicum habuit, Cat. 73, 6: idque unum et prae omnibus unicum effice, Ap. Met. 4, 31, 7.—By solus : quamlubet esto Unica res quaedam nativo corpore sola, Lucr. 2, 542: unica solaque res, id. 2, 1078.—
B In partic., of abstract subjects: spes unica imperii populi Romani, L. Quinctius, Liv. 3, 26, 8: unicum doloris levamentum studia, Plin. Ep. 8, 19, 1: satis tutum praesidium, quod unicum est, Cels. 7, 33: unicum afflictae mihi solamen hoc est, Sen. Troad. 703; id. Phoen. 89.—
II Trop., of nature, character, or quality, alone of its kind , singular , uncommon , unparalleled , unique (cf.: egregius, eminens): homo unica est natura ac singularia, Turp. ap. Non. 491, 3: quis tam ... ingenio unico? Afran. ap. Fest. s. v. sagaces, p. 321 Müll.: eximius imperator, unicus dux, Liv. 7, 12, 13; so, imperator, id. 6, 6, 17: vir unicus in omni fortunā, id. 7, 1, 9: juvenis, id. 8, 32, 13: dictator, id. 22, 14, 9: spectator caeli siderumque (Archimedes), id. 24, 34, 2: ultor Romanae ignominiae, id. 9, 15, 10: puer, Ov. M. 3, 454: volucris, id. ib. 8, 239; cf. id. ib. 12, 531: liberalitas, Cic. Quint. 12, 41: fides, Liv. 33, 21, 4: spes, Quint. 6, praef. § 2: mors, Luc. 4, 509: concordia, Liv. 3, 33, 8: exemplum, id. 1, 21, 21: nam tu poëta es prorsus ad eam rem unicus, singularly fit , Plaut. As. 4, 1, 3: tibi ille unicu'st, mihi etiam unico magis unicus, more than an only one , more than a darling , Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 47; id. Bacch. 3, 3, 3.—
B Esp., in a bad sense, singularly bad , detestable (rare): unica malitia atque nequitia, Auct. Her. 3, 6, 11: scelus, Vell. 2, 7, 2: luxuria, Fest. s. v. Sardanapalus, p. 322 Müll.—Hence, adv.: ūnĭcē , alone , solely , singularly , especially , in an extraordinary degree : aliquem unice diligere, Cic. Or. 1, 1: eximie et unice delectare, Gell. 11, 13, 4: eo ornamento P.Vergilius unice est usus, Quint. 8, 3, 24: cujus amator unice Vergilius fuit, id. 9, 3, 14: quid Tiridaten terreat, unice Securus, i. e. utterly regardless , Hor. C. 1, 26, 5: mammarum vitiis aizoum unice medetur, Plin. 26, 15, 92, § 163.—In Plaut. with unus : me unice unum ex omnibus te atque illam amare aiebas mihi, Plaut. As. 1, 3, 56: immo unice unum plurimi pendit, id. Bacch. 2, 2, 29; id. Stich. 1, 1, 12; id. Truc. 1, 2, 91.