I.tempp. press. only a few times in the ante-class. period, and coepturus, Liv. 30, 5, 6; 42, 47, 3; Quint. 10, 1, 46; Plin. 16, 25, 41, § 98; Suet. Calig. 46; the tempp. perff., both in act. and pass. form, very freq.; “a trisyl. coëpit,” Lucr. 4, 619 Lachm. N. cr.), v. a. and n. contr. from co-ăpio = apo; hence coapias for coepias in Cod. Ambros.; Plaut. Trin. 4, 3, 46; v. in the foll., and cf. Lachm. ad Lucr. 2, p. 248, lit. to lay hold of something on different sides, to lay hold of; hence of an action, to begin, commence, undertake ( = incipio, which is the class. pres.).
I. Act.
1. Tempp. press.: coepiam seditiosa verba loqui, Cato ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 59, 10 Müll. lubido extemplo coepere est convivium, Plaut. Pers. 1, 3, 41: “mage si exigere coepias,” id. Trin. 4, 3, 46 Ritschl N. cr.: “neque pugnas neque ego lites coepio,” id. Men. 5, 5, 57: “ubi nihil habeat, alium quaestum coepiat,” id. Truc. 2, 1, 23: mane coepiam, Caecil. ap. Non. p. 89, 17: non Prius olfecissem, quam ille quicquam coeperet, Ter. Ad. 3, 3, 43 Fleck.; cf. “Neue, Formenl. 2, 616: se Hasdrubalem adgressurum, ceterum non ante coepturum, quam, etc.,” Liv. 30, 5, 6: “nos rite coepturi ab Homero videmur,” Quint. 10, 1, 46: “nemine opinante quidnam coepturus esset,” Suet. Calig. 46.—
2. Tempp. perff. act.; the object usu. an inf.; so always in Cic. and Cæs.; mostly an inf. act.; rarely pass.; sometimes the acc. of a noun or pronoun.
(α).
With inf. act.: “cum ver esse coeperat,” Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 10, § 27; Ov. A. A. 1, 615 sq.: “discere coepit, Enn. Ann. ap. Fest. s. v. sam, p. 325, 24 Müll. (v. 228 Vahl.): amare coepi,” Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 20: “oppugnare,” Caes. B. G. 2, 6: “ire foras coeperunt,” Lucr. 4, 531: “coeperit inter se vesci, etc.,” id. 5, 72 et saep.—
(β).
With inf. pass. (in the poets and histt.): “per terrarum orbem fruges coepisse creari,” Lucr. 2, 614: “alia hujuscemodi fieri coepere,” Sall. C. 51, 40: “cum Lacedaemoniis pugnari coepit,” Nep. Epam. 10, 3; so, “urbanus haberi,” Hor. Ep. 1, 15, 27: “verti,” id. ib. 2, 1, 149: “institui,” id. A. P. 21: “moveri,” Ov. M. 3, 106; Suet. Tib. 75: “expleri,” id. Caes. 26: “eligi,” Tac. H. 1, 16: “occidi,” id. ib. 3, 34: “prohiberi,” Just. 14, 5, 9: coeptum est fieri, Auct. B. Afr. 69; 78; Liv. 24, 49, 4; 25, 34, 13; 27, 42, 5.—
(γ).
With acc. (rare in prose; cf. B. infra): coepit cursum, Att. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 22, 45: “novam mapalibus urbem,” Sil. 15, 420: “cur non ego id perpetrem, quod coepi?” Plaut. Cas. 3, 5, 57: “si quicquam hodie hic turbae coeperis,” Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 30: “quae coeperamus,” Quint. 6, prooem. 15: “hujuscemodi orationem,” Tac. A. 4. 37: “(Sabinus) obsidium coepit per praesidia,” id. ib. 4, 39.—
(δ).
Absol.: “nam primum ... Non coepisse fuit: coepta expugnare secundum est,” Ov. M. 9, 619: “dimidium facti, qui coepit, habet,” Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 40: “Titus Livius hexametri exordio coepit,” Quint. 9, 4, 74; cf. id. 9, 4, 117: “si coepisset a toto corpore,” id. 9, 4, 23; cf. id. 7, 1, 2; 8, 6, 50: “pro vallo castrorum ita coepit (sc. dicere),” Tac. H. 1, 36: “Civilis ita coepit,” id. ib. 5, 26; id. A. 1, 41; 2, 37.—（ε) With an ellipsis for dicere coepi, to begin to speak: “ita coepit tyrannus,” Liv. 34, 31, 1; 39, 15, 2: “coram data copia fandi, Maximus Ilioneus placido sic pectore coepit,” Verg. A. 1, 521; 6, 372: “tum ita coepit: numquam mihi, etc.,” Liv. 28, 27, 1; Tac. A. 1, 41 fin.: “ad hunc modum coepit,” id. ib. 2, 37; id. H. 1, 36 fin.; Phaedr. 4, 23, 2.—
B. Pass. in the tempp. perff. and with the inf. pass. (cf. Zumpt, Gram, § “221): jure coepta appellari est Canis,” Plaut. Men. 5, 1, 18: “ante petitam esse pecuniam, quam esset coepta deberi,” Cic. de Or. 1, 37, 168; id. Div. 2, 2, 7; id. Brut. 67, 236; 88, 301; Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 90, § 209; 2, 5, 4, § 9; id. Fam. 13, 29, 1; id. Att. 3, 15, 5; 6, 1, 3; Liv. 1, 57, 3; 2, 1, 4; 3, 38, 2; “9, 7, 7: quae (res) inter eos agi coeptae, neque perfectae essent,” Caes. B. G. 1, 47; 4, 18: “bello premi sunt coepti,” Nep. Timoth. 3, 1; Cat. 95, 2.—With inf. act.: “mitescere discordiae intestinae coeptae,” Liv. 5, 17, 10; cf. Weissenb. ad loc.— Hence, coeptus , a, um, Part., begun, commenced, undertaken. consilium fraude coeptum, Liv. 35, 36, 5: “coeptum atque patratum bellum foret,” Sall. J. 21, 2: “jussis Carmina coepta tuis,” Verg. E. 8, 12; so, “coepti fiducia belli,” id. A. 2, 162; Liv. 35, 23, 1: “amor,” Ov. H. 17, 189: “iter,” id. F. 1, 188: “arma,” Tac. H. 2, 6; 4, 61: “coeptam deinde omissam actionem repetere,” id. ib. 4,44: “dies,” id. A. 4, 25 (cf. infra II.): “luce,” id. ib. 1, 65; “15, 55: nocte,” id. ib. 2, 13: “hieme,” id. ib. 12, 31. —Hence, subst.: coeptum , i, n., a work begun, a beginning, undertaking (most freq. after the Aug. per. and in the plur.; perh. never in Cic.; “also not in Hor.): ut repetam coeptum pertexere dictis,” Lucr. 1, 418: “nec taedia coepti Ulla mei capiam,” Ov. M. 9, 616: “coepti paenitentia,” Quint. 12, 5, 3; Suet. Oth. 5: “manus ultima coepto Defuit,” Ov. Tr. 2, 555: ne audaci coepto deessent; Liv. 42, 59, 7; cf. Verg. G. 1, 40: “feroci,” Sil. 11, 202.—With adv.: “bene coepto,” Liv. 45, 15, 7: “bene coepta,” Vell. 2, 14; and: “temere coepta,” Liv. 36, 15, 2.—Plur.: “coeptis meis,” Ov. M. 1, 2: “nostris,” id. ib. 9, 486: “immanibus,” Verg. A. 4, 642 al.—Without adj., Ov. M. 8, 67; 8, 463; Liv. 23, 35, 16; 23, 41, 4; 24, 13, 4; Tac. H. 2, 85; 3, 52; Suet. Ner. 34; id. Vesp. 6 et saep.—
II. Neutr., to begin, take a beginning, commence, originate, arise (most freq. since the Aug. per.; not in Cic.): neve inde navis incohandae exordium coepisset, Enn. ap. Auct. Her. 2, 22, 34 (Trag. Rel. v. 282 Vahl.): “sic odium coepit glandis,” Lucr. 5, 1416: “post, ubi silentium coepit... verba facit, etc.,” Sall. J. 33, 4: “cum primum deditio coepit,” id. ib. 62, 7: “ubi dies coepit,” id. ib. 91, 4 (cf. supra, I. 2. δ): “vere coepturo,” Plin. 16, 25, 41, § 98: “postquam apud Cadmiam pugna coepit,” Nep. Epam. 10, 3; so, “pugna,” Liv. 2, 6, 10; Quint. 2, 4, 42; 9, 4, 50; cf. id. 9, 4, 55: “quando coeperit haec ars,” id. 2, 17, 8: “obsidium coepit per praesidia,” Tac. A. 4, 49: “a quo jurgium coepit,” Quint. 5, 10, 72; so with ab, Tac. H. 2, 47; and with ex, id. A. 15, 54 and 68; cf.: “quibus, uti mihi, ex virtute nobilitas coepit,” Sall. J. 85, 17.
