caedo

Caedo is a Latin verb meaning to cut, strike, or kill. In classical Latin the word encompasses physical cutting with a blade, slaying in battle, and more broadly destroying or overpowering. It can also be used figuratively to denote defeating an opponent or bringing about destruction, and in agricultural or timber-cutting contexts it may mean to fell or trim. The noun caedes, meaning slaughter or murder, and the perfect passive participle caesus, meaning slain, are derived from the verb.

Grammar and principal parts: caedō, caedere, cecīdī, caesus. It is a third-conjugation verb. Present active indicative forms include caedō, caedis, caedit, caedimus, caeditis, caedunt. The imperfect is caedēbam; the future caedam; the perfect active cecīdī; the supine caesum. The perfect passive is formed with the participle caesus and a form of sum (e.g., hostēs caesi sunt, “the enemies were slain”). The participle caesus is used to form adjectives and certain passive constructions.

Usage and examples: caedō hostem, “I cut down the enemy”; silvam caedunt, “they cut down the forest.” In poetry and prose, caedo often marks violent action, while caedes as a noun communicates the act of killing or slaughter and can bear solemn or brutal connotations depending on context.

See also: caedes (slaughter), caedēs (slaughter, murder), caesus (slain). The verb also yields related forms and phrases in literary and historical Latin.