desino

Latin > English (Lewis & Short)

dē-sĭno: sĭi (rarely īvi, Sol. 35, 4, v. Neue, Form. II. 404; also,
I sync. perf.: desit, Mart. 6, 26, 3: desisse, Cic. Fam. 9, 24, 2; Suet. Ner. 33; 46; Gell. 15, 16, 2: desissem, Catull. 36, 5 al.: DESI, dissyl., Inscr. Orell. 71), sĭtum, 3, v. a. and n.—Prop., to put or set down; hence, to leave off, give over, cease, desist (opp. coepi, the construction of which it for the most part follows; cf. for syn.: cesso, cunctor, tergiversor, defugio, haesito, moror, tardor; desisto, omitto, intermitto, praetermitto, praetereo, etc.).
I Act.
   (a)    With inf. act.: illud jam mirari desino, Cic. de Or. 2, 14, 59: te uti teste, id. Rep. 1, 39: commemorare eos, id. ib. 1, 1: amare, Plaut. Bac. 1, 1, 67: lacessere, Ter. Eun. prol. 16: maledicere, id. And. prol. 22: de compositione loqui, *Caes. B. C. 3, 19 fin. et saep.—Less freq.,
   (b)    with inf. pass.: ubi ipsi Desierunt vorti, Lucr. 4, 403: moveri, Cic. Rep. 6, 25: fieri, id. Att. 1, 19, 9: cerni, Quint. 8, 5, 29: quaeri ab eo, id. 11, 3, 6: inquiri, Ov. M. 6, 616 al.—
   (g)    With acc. (mostly poet.): artem, Cic. Fam. 7, 1, 4; Suet. Tib. 36; Gell. 15, 16, 2: seditionem, id. 2, 12, 3: versus, Verg. E. 8, 61; cf. plura, id. ib. 5, 19; 9, 66: Titania bella, Sil. 12, 725: lugubres voces, Ap. Mag. 5, p.170 al.—
   B Pass. (usually in the tempp. perff.): veteres orationes a plerisque legi sunt desitae, Cic. Brut. 32, 123; cf. id. Off. 2, 8, 27; and: Persei numquam desitum celebrari nomen, Liv. 42, 49: censores creari desitos, Suet. Aug. 37: sermone abhinc multis annis jam desito, Gell. 1, 10, 2: nectier postea desitum, Cic. Rep. 2, 34; cf. id. Fin. 2, 13, 43: coeptum per eos qui volebant, desitum est per hunc, qui decessit, id. Cornel. Fragm. ap. Prisc. p. 809 P.— In the pres.: tunc bene desinitur, Ov. A. A. 1, 411.—
II Neutr., to cease, stop, end, close (not freq. till after the Aug. period).
   A In gen.:' omne bellum sumi facile, ceterum aegerrume desinere, Sall. J. 83, 2: ferrea primum desinet gens, Verg. E. 4, 9: desierant imbres, Ov. M. 5, 285: desinat ira, id. H. 3, 89: cetera, fragilia et caduca occidunt desinuntque, perish, Plin. Ep. 2, 10, 4 et saep.: cauda desinit in piscem, Ov. M. 4, 727; cf. Hor. A. P. 4; Verg. A. 10, 211; Sen. Ep. 92, 10; 24, 26: Plin. 8, 33, 51, § 121: (gemma) ad vini colorem accedens, prius quam eum degustet, in viola desinit fulgor, Plin. 37, 9, 40, § 121: Pyrenaeus desinens, i. e. their extreme end, Flor. 4, 12, 46.—
   A With abl. and in: in quo desinimus, Ov. M. 8, 597; or abl. alone: desine quaeso communibus locis, Cic. Ac. 2, 25, 80.—With gen., poet. (like the Gr. παύειν and λήγειν): querelarum, Hor. Od. 2, 9, 17: irae, Sil. 10, 84.—Absol.: Mi. Ah! pergisne? De. Jam jam desino, Ter. Ad. 5, 3, 67: ut incipiendi (sc. sermonem) ratio fuerit, ita sit desinendi modus, Cic. Off. 1, 37 fin.; so opp. incipere, Quint. 9, 2, 19; 11, 3, 35: quo ex genere coeperis translationes, hoc desinas, id. 8, 6, 50: cantasse eum publice Oedipodem exsulem atque in hoc desisse versu: Θανεῖν μ ἀνῷγε, etc., Suet. Ner. 46 fin.: a praeceptis incipio, desino in exemplis, Sen. Cons. ad Marc. 2, 1.—In colloq. lang. desine sometimes like the Gr. παῦε (cf. Lidd. and Scott, under παύω>, no. II.), leave off! give over! stop! be still! etc.: Ba. Heu, heu, heu! Ps. Desine, Plaut. Ps. 5, 2, 51; so Ter. And. 5, 6, 8; id. Eun. 2, 3, 56 al. —
   B Esp., in rhetor., of the close of a period, to end, close: illa, quae similiter desinunt, etc., Cic. de Or. 3, 54; cf. Quint. 9, 3, 79; 9, 4, 42 et saep.; cf. cado, no. II.