Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

mendico, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. and a., and mendīcor, ātus sum (archaio inf. mendicarier, Plaut. Capt. prol. 13), 1, v. dep. [mendicus], to beg, ask for alms, go a-begging; to beg for something, solicit, obtain by begging; constr. absol. and with acc. (poet. and post-class.): mendicantem vivere, to live by begging. Plaut. Capt 2, 2, 73: quando histrionem cogis mendicarier, id. ib. prol. 13; mendicum malim mendicando vincere, id. ib. 3, 4, 16.
Act.: a me mendicas malum, Plaut. Am. 4, 2, 12: aliquid mendicare, App. Mag. p. 287, 1.
Poet.: ejectis mendicat silva Camenis, i.e. is full of beggars, Juv. 3, 16.
Part. in pass. sense: mendicatus victa Karthagine panis, Juv. 10, 277.

mendīcus, a, um, adj., beggarly, needy, in want, indigent (class.).

  1. I. Lit.: paupertas si malum est, mendicus esse beatus nemo potest, Cic. Fin. 5, 28, 84; cf.: solos sapientes esse, si mendicissimi (sint), divites, id. Mur. 29, 61: mendicior, Tert. de Anim. 33: prandia, Mart. 14, 81.
    As subst.: mendīcus, i, m., a beggar, mendicant: mendicum malim mendicando vincere, Quam, etc., Plaut. Bacch. 3, 4, 16: mendici, i. e. the priests of Cybele, Hor. S. 1, 2, 2.
    As a term of abuse, a beggar, ragamuffin, Ter. And. 4, 5, 20.
  2. II. Transf., in gen., poor, paltry, mean, sorry, pitiful: instrumentum mendicum, Cic. de Or. 3, 24, 92.
    Hence, adv.: mendīcē, in a beggarly manner, meanly (post-Aug. and post-class.): non tam mendice tecum agam, sed plenā manu, Sen. Ep. 33, 6.
    Comp.: ne mendicius patre coenaret, Tert. Pall. 5.