Crux, huius crucis, fœm. g. Plaut.A crosse, gibbet, galowes, or other lyke. Any thing that troubleth, greeueth or torme teth.Arboreæ cruces. Propert. Duræ cruces. Ouid.Ingenua crux. Martial. Affigere cruci. Cuit. To hang vp: to crucisie.Agi in crucem.Cic.To be hanged.Cruci aliquem dare.Plaut.To hange one.Figere crucem alicui.Cic.To make a gallowes to hang him.Minari crucem.Cic. Pascere in cruce coruos. Horat. Suffigere cruci.Cic. Suffigere in cruce. Horat. In crucem tollere.Cic.To hang. Grux dicitur quicquid nos cruciat.Terent.Payne: torment: griefe.In malam crucem.With sorrow, with mischiefe.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
crux, ŭcis, f. (m., Enn. ap. Non. p. 195, 13; Gracch. ap. Fest. s. v. masculino, p. 150, 24, and 151, 12 Müll.) [perh. kindred with circus]. I.Lit.A. In gen., a tree, frame, or other wooden instruments of execution, on which criminals were impaled or hanged, Sen. Prov. 3, 10; Cic. Rab. Perd. 3, 10 sqq.—B. In partic., a cross, Ter. And. 3, 5, 15; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 3, 7; 2, 1, 4, 9; id. Pis. 18, 42; id. Fin. 5, 30, 92; Quint. 4, 2, 17; Tac. A. 15, 44; Hor. S. 1, 3, 82; 2, 7, 47; id. Ep. 1, 16, 48 et saep.: dignus fuit qui malo cruce periret, Gracch. ap. Fest. l. l.: pendula,
the pole of a carriage
, Stat. S. 4, 3, 28. —II.Transf.A. As a term of reproach, a gallows bird, a hempen rascal, Plaut. Pers. 5, 2, 17.—B.Transf., torture, trouble, misery, destruction, etc. (so most freq. in Plaut. and Ter., and in the former esp. freq. in connection with mala): aliqua mala crux, tormentor (of a prostitute), Plaut. Aul. 3, 5, 48; cf.: illae cruces, Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 92: quae te mala crux agitat?
what tormentor troubles you?
Plaut. Bacch. 4, 2, 2: abstraxit hominem in maximam malam crucem, id. Men. prol. 66: quaerere in malo crucem, Ter. Phorm. 3, 3, 11.—Prov.: summum jus antiqui summam putabant crucem, Col. 1, 7, 2.—Hence, in colloq. lang.: I (abi, etc.) in malam crucem!
go to the devil! go and be hanged!
Plaut. Cas. 3, 5, 17; id. Ps. 3, 2, 57; 4, 7, 86 al.; Ter. Phorm. 2, 3, 21; cf.: Cy. Num quid vis? Me. Ut eas maximam in malam crucem, Plaut. Men. 2, 2, 53; id. Capt. 3, 1, 9.—Without mala: I in crucem, Plaut. As. 5, 2, 91.—And ellipt.: in malam crucem!Plaut. Cas. 5, 4, 8; id. Ps. 5, 2, 5. —Hence, Ital. croce; Fr. croix.