clxxv

mancus, manca, mancum

Definition: maimed, crippled; feeble

Sententia: Livy Ab Urbe Condita 7.13.6

quamquam de gloria vix dicere ausim, si nos et hostes haud secus quam feminas abditos intra vallum omnibus contumeliis eludunt, et tu imperator noster--quod aegrius patimus--exercitum tuum sine animis, sine armis, sine manibus iudicas esse et, priusquam exertus nos esses, de nobis ita desperasti ut te mancorum ac debilium ducem iudicares esse.

however do I scarcely dare to speak about the glory, if both enemies joked us hardly otherwise than feminine ones having been set aside within the valley with all abuses, and--what we view more feebly-- even you our leader judge your army to be without souls, without arms, without bands and, before you tried us, about us you despaired that you judge yourself to be leader of crippled and feeble ones.

This is an excerpt from a speech of Tulius, a centurion, who was petitioning his commander Sulpicius to let them fight in the Frontier Wars of 366-341 BC. This commander had thought badly of the army as a whole, just as their enemies had. After this rousing speech, the whole army was shouting, asking for the order to fight. The rest can be found at Perseus.

"Mancus" is more common than the last couple of words, found in both prose and poetry. It is formed from "manus," "hand," + "-cus," a suffix which forms adjectives from nouns.