exerceo

Latin

Etymology

From ex- (“out of, from”) +‎ arceō (“enclose; ward off”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ekˈser.ke.oː/, [ɛkˈs̠ɛrkeoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ekˈser.t͡ʃe.o/, [eɡˈzɛrt͡ʃeo]

Verb

exerceō (present infinitive exercēre, perfect active exercuī, supine exercitum); second conjugation

1. to keep busy, keep at work, drive on; occupy, practise, employ, exercise (something in a form of action)
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 1.430–431:

     Quālis apēs aestāte novā per flōrea rūra
     exercet sub sōle labor [...].

     Just like [a colony of] honeybees [which], in early summer, through flowery meadows, keeps busy under the sun, [such was the] toil [of the Carthaginian builders] [...].

   Synonyms: operor, labōrō, vertō, versō, iactō

2. to harass, worry
3. to oversee, superintend, operate
4. to work (at)
   • 4th-century CE, Jerome of Stridon (St. Jerome), Vulgate, Proverbs 24:27:

     praeparā foris opus tuum et dīligenter exercē agrum tuum ut posteā aedificēs domum tuam

     Prepare thy work without, and diligently till thy ground: that afterward thou mayst build thy house.

     (trans. Douay-Rheims Bible)

5. (reflexive or passive voice) to train, to exercise (e.g., for a race or sport)

Conjugation

Conjugation of exerceō (second conjugation)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	exerceō	exercēs	exercet	exercēmus	exercētis	exercent
	imperfect	exercēbam	exercēbās	exercēbat	exercēbāmus	exercēbātis	exercēbant
	future	exercēbō	exercēbis	exercēbit	exercēbimus	exercēbitis	exercēbunt
	perfect	exercuī	exercuistī	exercuit	exercuimus	exercuistis	exercuērunt, exercuēre
	pluperfect	exercueram	exercuerās	exercuerat	exercuerāmus	exercuerātis	exercuerant
	future perfect	exercuerō	exercueris	exercuerit	exercuerimus	exercueritis	exercuerint
passive	present	exerceor	exercēris, exercēre	exercētur	exercēmur	exercēminī	exercentur
	imperfect	exercēbar	exercēbāris, exercēbāre	exercēbātur	exercēbāmur	exercēbāminī	exercēbantur
	future	exercēbor	exercēberis, exercēbere	exercēbitur	exercēbimur	exercēbiminī	exercēbuntur
	perfect	exercitus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	exercitus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	exercitus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	exerceam	exerceās	exerceat	exerceāmus	exerceātis	exerceant
	imperfect	exercērem	exercērēs	exercēret	exercērēmus	exercērētis	exercērent
	perfect	exercuerim	exercuerīs	exercuerit	exercuerīmus	exercuerītis	exercuerint
	pluperfect	exercuissem	exercuissēs	exercuisset	exercuissēmus	exercuissētis	exercuissent
passive	present	exercear	exerceāris, exerceāre	exerceātur	exerceāmur	exerceāminī	exerceantur
	imperfect	exercērer	exercērēris, exercērēre	exercērētur	exercērēmur	exercērēminī	exercērentur
	perfect	exercitus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	exercitus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	exercē	—	—	exercēte	—
	future	—	exercētō	exercētō	—	exercētōte	exercentō
passive	present	—	exercēre	—	—	exercēminī	—
	future	—	exercētor	exercētor	—	—	exercentor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		exercēre	exercuisse	exercitūrum esse	exercērī	exercitum esse	exercitum īrī
participles		exercēns	—	exercitūrus	—	exercitus	exercendus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		exercendī	exercendō	exercendum	exercendō	exercitum	exercitū

Derived terms

• exercibilis
• exercitē
• exercitiō
• exercitium
• exercitō
• exercitor
• exercitus

Related terms

Related terms

• abarceō / aberceō
• arceō
• coerceō
• exercitāmentum
• exercitātē
• exercitātiō
• exercitātor
• exercitātōrius
• exercitātrīx
• exercitōrius
• exercituālis

Descendants

• English: exercise
• French: exercer
• Italian: esercire
• Portuguese: exercer
• Spanish: ejercer

References

• “exerceo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “exerceo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Félix Gaffiot (1934) “exerceo”, in Dictionnaire illustré latin-français [Illustrated Latin-French Dictionary] (in French), Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to be severely tried by misfortune: multis iniquitatibus exerceri
    
  • to be at enmity with a man: inimicitias gerere, habere, exercere cum aliquo
    
  • to follow an artistic profession, practise an art: artem exercere
    
  • to exercise one's cruelty on some one: crudelitatem exercere in aliquo
    
  • to be a strict disciplinarian in one's household: severum imperium in suis exercere, tenere (De Sen. 11. 37)
    
  • to rear stock: rem pecuariam facere, exercere (cf. Varr R. R. 2. 1)
    
  • to collect the taxes: vectigalia exercere (vid. sect. V. 7, note The first...)
    
  • to administer justice; to judge (used of criminal cases before the praetor): iudicium exercere (vid. sect. V. 7, note The first...)