(verb) : lăcĕro, āvi, ātum, 1, lacer
* To tear to pieces, to mangle, rend, mutilate, lacerate (class., esp. in the trop. sense; syn.: lanio, discerpo).
* Lit.: quin spolies, mutiles, laceres quemquam nacta sis,Ter. Hec. 1, 1, 8: lacerat lacertum Largi mordax Memmius, Crass. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 59, 240: corpus uti volucres lacerent in morte feraeque,Lucr. 3, 880: membra aliena,Juv. 15, 102; cf.: lacerato corpore, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 2 (Trag. v. 95 Vahl.): morsu viscera, Cic. poët. Tusc. 2, 8: ora, comas, vestem lacerat,Ov. M. 11, 726: amictus,Sil. 13, 389: genas,Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 51: verbere terga,id. F. 2, 695: Tum autem Syrum impulsorem, vah, quibus illum lacerarem modis,Ter. Ad. 3, 2, 17: tergum virgis,Liv. 3, 58; 26, 13: unguibus cavos recessus luminum,Sen. Oedip. 968: quid miserum laceras?Verg. A. 3, 41: ferro,Hor. C. 3, 27, 46: loricam,Verg. A. 12, 98: lacerari morsibus saevis canum, Phaedr. 1, 12, 11: ferae corpus lacerabant,Petr. 115 sq.: carnes dentibus,Vulg. Job, 13, 4; id. Gen. 40, 19.
* Esp.
* Trop.
* To cut up, carve: obsonium,Petr. 36: anserem,id. 137; 74.
* To waste, plunder: cum Hannibal terram Italiam laceraret atque vexaret, Cato ap. Serv. Verg. E. 6, 7, 6: orbem,Juv. 4, 37.
* To tear to pieces with words, to censure, asperse, abuse, rail at: obtrectatio invidiaque, quae solet lacerare plerosque,Cic. Brut. 42, 156: optimum virum verborum contumeliis,id. Phil. 11, 2: aliquem probris,Liv. 31, 6: Pompeium dempto metu lacerant,Sall. H. 3, 61, 21 Dietsch: meque vosque male dictis,id. J. 85, 26: famam alicujus,to slander, calumniate,id. 38, 54: alicujus carmina,Ov. P. 4, 16, 1: lacerari crebro vulgi rumore,Tac. A. 15, 73.
* To distress, torture, pain, afflict: intolerabili dolore lacerari,Cic. Ac. 2, 8, 23: quam omni crudelitate lacerastis,id. Dom. 23, 59: quid laceras pectora nostra morā?Ov. H. 15, 212: meus me maeror cottidianus lacerat et conficit,Cic. Att. 3, 8, 2; cf.: aegritudo lacerat, exest animum planeque conficit,id. Tusc. 3, 13, 27.
* To ruin, destroy, dissipate, squander, waste: male suadendo et lustris lacerant homines,Plaut. Curc. 4, 2, 22: patriam omni scelere,Cic. Off. 1, 17, 57: bonorum emptores, ut carnifices, ad reliquias vitae lacerandas et distrahendas,to scatter, disperse,Cic. Quint. 15, 50: pecuniam,to squander,Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 70, § 164: lacerari valde suam rem,Plaut. Merc. 1, 1, 48; cf.: bona patria manu, ventre,to lavish, squander,Sall. C. 14, 2: diem,to waste,Plaut. As. 2, 2, 25; id. Stich. 3, 1, 45.

s. TLL