Lewis Short
(v. a.P. a.) : ex-ercĕo, ŭi, itum, 2, v. a.arceo
* To drive on, keep busy, keep at work; to oversee, superintend; with an inanimate object, to work, work at, employ one's self about a thing.
* Lit. (mostly poet. and in postAug. prose): quod in opere faciundo operae consumis tuae, Si sumas in illis (servis) exercendis, plus agas,Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 22; cf.: homines qui agrum colunt, et qui eos exercent praepositive sunt his, quorum in numero sunt vilici et monitores,who oversee them,Dig. 33, 7, 8: exercete, viri, tauros,Verg. G. 1, 210: i sane, ego te exercebo hodie, ut dignus es,keep agoing, exercise,Ter. Ad. 4, 2, 48: corpora assiduo varioque exercita motu, etc.,driven, impelled,Lucr. 2, 97; cf. id. 4, 862; 2, 120; and: exercita cursu Flumina (with fontes liquidi),Verg. G. 3, 529 Wagn.: (Maeandros) Incertas exercet aquas,Ov. M. 8, 165: exercere feras,to drive, hunt,Dig. 7, 1, 62: Mi. Gestiunt pugni mihi. So. Si in me exercituru's, quaeso in parietem ut primum domes, to let loose, set them at me, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 168: litus arant Rutulosque exercent vomere colles,work, till,Verg. A. 7, 798: solum presso sub vomere,id. G. 2, 356: rura bubus,Hor. Epod. 2, 3: humum in messem,Verg. G. 1, 219: vineas, arbusta, campos (with curare),Plin. Ep. 1, 20, 16: agrum multis arationibus,Pall. Jan. 13, 2: pinguia culta,Verg. A. 10, 142: ferrum vasto in antro (Cyclopes),id. ib. 8, 424: telas (aranea),Ov. M. 6, 145 al.; cf.: neque arva nobis aut metalla aut portus sunt, quibus exercendis reservemur, Tac. Agr. 31.—Poet.: ut possint (aratores), sole reducto, Exercere diem,i. e. employ the day in labor, perform their day's work,Verg. A. 10, 808.
* Trop. (freq. and class.).
* To engage busily, to occupy, employ, exercise a person or thing in some action.
* Aliquem or aliquid (in aliqua re, ad aliquid, aliqua re, etc.): me adolescentem multos annos in studio ejusdem laudis (Hortensius) exercuit,Cic. Brut. 64, 230: quod genus belli esse potest, in quo illum non exercuerit fortuna rei publicae,id. de Imp. Pomp. 10, 28: a Diodoto studiosissime in dialectica exercebar,id. Brut. 90, 309; cf. id. de Or. 1, 57, 244: hanc (animi vim) tu exerce in optimis rebus,id. Rep. 6, 26: haec aetas (juvenum) exercenda in labore patientiaque et animi et corporis,id. Off. 1, 34, 122: animos in armis,Ov. Am. 1, 8, 41: in gramineis exercent membra palaestris,Verg. A. 6, 642: vocem et vires in hoc,Cic. de Or. 1, 33, 149 et saep.: Aristoteles adolescentes ... ad copiam rhetorum in utramque partem exercuit,id. Or. 14, 46: ad hanc te amentiam natura peperit, voluntas exercuit,id. Cat. 1, 10, 25: facultatem dicendi his exercuerunt,Quint. 2, 4, 41: ingenium multiplici variaque materia,id. 2, 4, 20: linguas litibus,Ov. M. 6, 375 et saep.—With simple acc.: quid te exercuit Pammenes?Cic. Brut. 97, 332: Induciomarus copias cogere, exercere coepit,to exercise, drill,Caes. B. G. 5, 55, 3: juventutis exercendae causa,id. ib. 6, 23, 6: ingenium nostrum,Auct. Her. 3, 21, 34: corpus,Cic. de Off. 1, 23, 79: exercendae memoriae gratia,id. de Sen. 11, 38: exercendi stili,Quint. 10, 5, 15: exercendus est spiritus,id. 11, 3, 54 et saep.
* To practise, follow, exercise any employment; to employ one's self about, to make use of any thing: medicinae exercendae causa,Cic. Clu. 63, 178: hoc civile quod vocant eatenus exercuerunt, quoad populum praestare voluerunt,id. Leg. 1, 4, 14: rhetoricen,Quint. 2, 1, 3; 2, 15, 27: eloquentiam,id. 1, 4, 6: artem,id. 3, 6, 18; cf. Hor. Ep. 1, 14, 44: exercere atque exigere vectigalia,Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 6, 16: cauponam vel stabulum,Dig. 4, 9, 1, § 5: navem,ib. 14, 1, 1: auri, argenti, sulphuris, etc. ... fodinas,ib. 7, 1, 13, § 5: negotiationem per libertos,ib. 26, 7, 58: commercium turis,Plin. 12, 14, 30, § 54: arma,Verg. A. 4, 87: arma contra patriam,Tac. A. 11, 16: gymnasia et otia et turpes amores,id. ib. 6, 1: acies pueriles,batiles in sport,Juv. 15, 60: pharetram et arcum,Val. Fl. 3, 161: vocem (with clamare),Plaut. Poen. prol. 13.
* To follow up, follow out, prosecute, carry into effect, practise, administer: judicium,Cic. Arch. 12, 32: latam legem,Liv. 4, 51, 4: Tiberius exercendas leges esse respondit,Tac. A. 1, 72: legem praecipue sumptuariam, Suet. Caes. 43; id. Tib. 58: quaestionem inter sicarios,Cic. Fin. 2, 16, 54: regnum,Plin. 10, 21, 24, § 47; cf. imperia,Verg. G. 2, 370: crudelitatem non solum in vivo sed etiam in mortuo,Cic. Phil. 11, 3, 8: inimicitias,id. Div. in Caecil. 4, 13; cf.: graves inimicitias cum aliquo,Sall. C. 49, 2: gratiam aut inimicitias in tanta re,id. ib. 51, 16: jurgia, discordia, simultates cum hostibus,id. ib. 9, 2: cui exercita cum Pisone amicitia,Tac. A. 1, 14: licentiam,id. ib. 13, 47: amicitiam,id. ib. 15, 60: odium,id. ib. 13, 37: odium in aliquo,Ov. M. 9, 275 et saep.: facilitatem et lenitudinem animi,Cic. Off. 1, 25, 88: juris aequabilitatem,id. ib.; cf. justitiam,Plin. Ep. 1, 10, 10: scelus, libidinem, avaritiam in socios,Liv. 29, 17, 13; cf.: avaritiam (juvenes) exercere jubentur,Juv. 14, 108: foede victoriam in captis,Liv. 6, 22, 4: acerrume victoriam nobilitatis in plebem,Sall. J. 16, 2: foede et crudeliter victoriam,id. C. 38: amores ad aliquem,Cat. 68, 69: pacem et hymenaeos,to celebrate, solemnize,Verg. A. 4, 99: nomen patris,to bear his name,Plin. Pan. 21, 4 et saep.
* Pregn., to disturb, disquiet, vex, plague (the figure being taken from the baiting of wild beasts): meos casus, in quibus me fortuna vehementer exercuit,Cic. Tusc. 5, 1, 3: nunc me reliquiae vestrae exercent,id. Fam. 12, 4, 1: non te nullius exercent numinis irae,Verg. G. 4, 453: aliquem odiis,id. A. 4, 622 et saep.: te de praedio Oviae exerceri, moleste fero,Cic. Att. 13, 22, 4: ergo exercentur poenis,Verg. A, 6, 739: hominum vitam curis,Lucr. 5, 1424: ambitio animos hominum exercet,Sall. C. 11, 1: simultates nimio plures et exercuerunt eum et ipse exercuit eas,Liv. 39, 40, 9.—In the part. perf.: nate, Iliacis exercite fatis,Verg. A. 3, 182: Venus exercita curis,id. ib. 5, 779; cf.: curis exercita corpora,Ov. M. 7, 634: adversis probitas exercita rebus,id. Tr. 5, 5, 49: habere aliquem exercitum, Plaut. Fragm. ap. Non. 6, 4.—Hence, exercĭ-tus, a, um, P. a. (acc. to II. C.).
* Vexed, harassed: scito nihil tam exercitum esse nunc Romae quam candidatos omnibus iniquitatibus,Cic. Att. 1, 11, 2: Tiberius tantis rebus,Tac. A. 4, 11.— Hence
* Vexatious, severe: quid magis sollicitum, magis exercitum dici potest?Cic. Mil. 2, 5: finem tam exercitae militiae orabant,Tac. A. 1, 35: dura hiems, exercita aestas,id. ib. 1, 17: aestas (with inquieta),Plin. Ep. 7, 2, 2: infantiam pueritiamque habuit laboriosam et exercitam,Suet. Tib. 6 init.
* Disciplined: (miles) exercitatus et vetus ob eam rem fortior (opp. rudis et inexercitatus),Cic. Tusc. 2, 16, 38: mirum in modum juventus,Flor. 1, 3, 2: proprio in metu, qui exercitam quoque eloquentiam debilitat,Tac. A. 3, 67: militia,id. ib. 3, 20: ad omne flagitium,id. ib. 14, 2: ingenium adulatione,id. H. 4, 4: Graeca doctrina ore tenus,id. A. 15, 45.—Comp. and sup.: exercitiorem, exercitissimum (dicebant antiqui), Paul. ex Fest. p. 81, 8 Müll. —Adv.: exercĭtē, in a practised manner; in comp.: cogitare,App. M. 11, p. 272, 6.
Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary