dē-gusto — Lewis & Short
dē-gusto, āvi, ātum, 1,
I v. a., to taste, and thus diminish a thing (cf. delibo and a)pogeu/omai—rare but class., esp. in the trop. sense).
I Lit.:
vinum,Cato R. R. 148:
pabulum,Varr. R. R. 2, 5, 15:
novas fruges aut vina,Plin. 18, 2, 2, § 8:
vasa vel dolia,Dig. 18, 6, 1.—
B Poet. transf., of fire:
ignes flammā degustant tigna trabesque,lick, Lucr. 2, 192. And of a weapon that slightly touches, grazes:
(lancea) summum degustat volnere corpus,Verg. A. 12, 376; imitated by Sil. 5, 274.—
II Trop.
A To try, make trial of, make one's self acquainted with:
eandem vitam,Cic. Tusc. 5, 21:
literas primis labris,Quint. 12, 2, 4:
aliquid speculae ex ejus sermone,Cic. Clu. 26, 72:
aliquid de fabulis,Brut. in Cic. Att. 13, 40: genus hoc exercitationum, Cic. Par. prooem. fin.:
summatim ingenia maximorum virorum,Sen. Ep. 33:
imperium,Tac. A. 6, 20 fin.:
istum convivam tuum,Cic. Att. 4, 8 fin.—
B (Acc. to no. I. B.) To touch slightly upon, to treat briefly of:
plures materiae inchoatae et quasi degustatae,Quint. 10, 5, 23:
haec prooemio (opp. consumere),id. 4, 1, 14:
genera (opp. excutere bibliothecas),id. 10, 1, 104.