I.to cut to pieces, to slay or kill cruelly, to slaughter, butcher, massacre (class.; syn.: obtrunco, jugulo, perimo).
I. Lit.: “cavete neu capti sicut pecora trucidemini,” Sall. C. 58, 21; cf.: “pecus diripi, trucidari, Auct. B. Afr. 20, 6: cives Romanos necandos trucidandosque curavit,” Cic. Imp. Pomp. 3, 7: “ne hic ibidem ante oculos vestros trucidetur,” id. Rosc. Am. 5, 13: “trucidando occidere,” Liv. 29, 18, 14: “quos ferro trucidari oportebat, eos nondum voce vulnero,” Cic. Cat. 1, 4, 9; id. Rosc. Am. 5, 13: “ne pueros coram populo Medea trucidet,” Hor. A. P. 185: “trucidatae legiones,” Tac. A. 2, 45: “nobilissum corpus ignobili saevitiā,” Val. Max. 9, 2, 2.—
II. Transf., to cut up, demolish; to destroy, ruin: “seu pisces seu porrum et caepe trucidas,” chew up, Hor. Ep. 1, 12, 21: “haec (nubes) multo si forte umore recepit Ignem, continuo magno clamore trucidat,” i. e. extinguishes, Lucr. 6, 147: “juventus ne effundat patrimonium, ne fenore trucidetur,” Cic. Cael. 18, 42: “plebem fenore,” Liv. 6, 37, 2.