I.gen. plur. puerūm, Plaut. Truc. 4, 2, 50), m. (v. infra) [root pu-, to beget; v. pudes; and cf. pupa, putus], orig. a child, whether boy or girl: “pueri appellatione etiam puella significatur,” Dig. 50, 16, 163.—Thus, as fem.: sancta puer Saturni filia, regina, Liv. And. ap. Prisc. p. 697 P.: “prima incedit Cereris Proserpina puer,” i.e. daughter of Ceres, Naev. ib. p. 697 P.: mea puer, mea puer, Poët. ap. Charis. p. 64 P.; Ael. Stil. and As. ib. p. 64 P.—Hence, freq. in the plur. pueri, children, in gen., Plaut. Poen. prol. 28; 30: “infantium puerorum incunabula,” Cic. Rosc. Am. 53, 153: “cinis eorum pueros tarde dentientes adjuvat cum melle,” Plin. 30, 3, 8, § 22; Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 7; id. C. 4, 9, 24.—
II. In partic.
1. A male child, a boy, lad, young man (strictly till the seventeenth year, but freq. applied to those who are much older): “puero isti date mammam,” Plaut. Truc. 2, 5, 1: “aliquam puero nutricem para,” Ter. Hec. 4, 4, 104; 5, 2, 4: “homini ilico lacrimae cadunt Quasi puero,” id. Ad. 4, 1, 21: “quo portas puerum?” id. And. 4, 3, 7: “nescire quid antea quam natus sis, acciderit, id est semper esse puerum,” Cic. Or. 34, 120; Ov. P. 4, 12, 20: “laudator temporis acti Se puero,” when he was a boy, Hor. A. P. 173; cf.: “foeminae praetextatique pueri et puellae,” Suet. Claud. 35.—A puero, and with plur. verb, a pueris (cf. Gr. ἐκ παιδός, ἐκ παίδων), from a boy, boyhood, or childhood (cf. ab): “doctum hominem cognovi, idque a puero,” Cic. Fam. 13, 16, 4; id. Ac. 2, 3, 8: “diligentiā matris a puero doctus,” id. Brut. 27, 104; “Hor S. 1, 4, 97: ad eas artes, quibus a pueris dediti fuimus,” Cic. de Or. 1, 1, 2.—In like manner: ut primum ex pueris excessit Archias, as soon as he ceased to be a child, Cic. Arch. 3, 4.—
2. A grown-up youth, young man, Cic. Fam. 2, 1, 2: “puer egregius praesidium sibi primum et nobis, deinde summae rei publicae comparavit, of Octavian at the age of nineteen,” id. ib. 12, 25, 4 (cf. Vell. 2, 61, 1; Tac. A. 13, 6); cf. “of the same: nomen clarissimi adulescentis vel pueri potius,” Cic. Phil. 4, 1, 3; “of Scipio Africanus, at the age of twenty,” Sil. 15, 33; 44 (coupled with juvenis, id. 15, 10 and 18); “of Pallas, in military command,” Verg. A. 11, 42.—
3. An unmarried man, a bachelor, Ov. F. 4, 226.—
4. As a pet name, or in familiar address, boy, fellow, Cat. 12, 9; Ter. Ad. 5, 8, 17.—
B. Transf.
1. A little son, a son (poet.), Plaut. Am. 5, 1, 72: “Ascanius puer,” Verg. A. 2, 598: “tuque (Venus) puerque tuus (Cupido),” id. ib. 4, 94; cf. Hor. C. 1, 32, 10: “Latonae puer,” id. ib. 4, 6, 37: “Semeles puer,” id. ib. 1, 19, 2: “deorum pueri,” id. A. P. 83; 185.—
2. A boy for attendance, a servant, slave: “cedo aquam manibus, puer,” Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 150; Cic. Rosc. Am. 28, 77: “Persicos odi, puer, apparatus,” Hor. C. 1, 38, 1; 2, 11, 18; 4, 11, 10: “hic vivum mihi cespitem ponite, pueri,” id. ib. 1, 19, 14: “cena ministratur pueris tribus,” id. S. 1, 6, 116: “tum pueri nautis, pueris convicia nautae Ingerere,” id. ib. 1, 5, 11: “regii,” royal pages, Liv. 45, 6; Curt. 5, 2, 13: “litteratissimi,” Nep. Att. 13, 3; Juv. 11, 59; Dig. 50, 16, 204.—*
