dē-cerpo — Lewis & Short
dē-cerpo, psi, ptum, 3, v. a.carpo,
I to pluck off, to tear, pull, or break off, to crop, gather (class.; most freq. in the poets.—Constr., usually aliquid ex aliqua re; less freq. aliquid de aliqua re).
I Lit.:
acina de uvis decerpito,Cato R. R. 112, 3:
novos flores,Lucr. 1, 927; 4, 3; cf.:
undique decerptam fronti praeponere olivam,Hor. Od. 1, 7, 7:
arbore pomum,Ov. M. 5, 536; cf. id. Pont. 3, 5, 19;
and auricomos fetus arbore,Verg. A. 6, 141:
praetenuia fila ex abietibus,Plin. 16, 31, 56, § 128;
lilia tenero ungui,Prop. 1, 20, 39; cf.:
pollice florem,Ov. F. 5, 255;
and aurea poma manu mea,id. M. 10, 649; Val. Max. 2, 8, 5:
herbas,Ov. M. 1, 645:
ficum,Juv. 14, 253 et saep.—Absol.:
floret (thymum) circa solstitia, cum et apes decerpunt,Plin. 21, 10, 31, § 56; Catull. 64, 316.—
II Trop.:
quae (omnia) nisi cotidie decerpantur arescunt,Quint. 12, 10, 79:
humanus animus decerptus ex mente divina,Cic. Tusc. 5, 13, 38; cf. Quint. 4, 1, 23:
ne quid jocus de gravitate decerperet,Cic. de Or. 2, 56, 229:
quarum (materiarum) nunc facillima decerpunt,Quint. 10, 5, 21.—Poet.: oscula mordenti semper decerpere rostro, Catull. 68, 127 (cf.: carpo, no. II. 1);
for which, ora puellae,Verg. Cop. 33 Sillig.—Hence,
B Transf.
1 (Acc. to carpo, no. II. 1.) To enjoy:
ex re fructus,Hor. S. 1, 2, 79:
primas noctes tecum epulis,Pers. 5, 43:
murmura vocis,Stat. Th. 6, 165:
decus primae pugnae,Sil. 4, 138; cf.:
nihil sibi ex ista laude centurio decerpit,Cic. Marc. 2, 7:
mulieres,Vulg. Baruch, 6, 27.—
2 (Acc. to carpo, no. II. 1.) To destroy:
quae (invidia) spes tantas decerpat,Quint. 6 prooem. § 6; cf.:
illibatam virginitatem,Sen. Contr. 1, 2 med.