I. To boil away, boil down, diminish by boiling.
A. Lit.: “usque quo ad tertiam partem decoxeris,” Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 26; “so acetum ad quartas, ad tertias,” Col. 12, 34; Plin. 22, 25, 69, § 140: “in dimidiam partem,” Col. 12, 24, 1: “aquam,” id. 12, 26: “pars quarta (argenti) decocta erat,” had melted away, passed off into dross, Liv. 32, 2.—
B. Trop.
1. With acc., to diminish, repress, consume, waste: “multum inde decoquent anni,” Quint. 2, 4, 7; Plin. 21, 6, 17, § 31: “accensam sed qui bene decoquat iram,” Claud. in Eutrop. 2, 349.—Poet., with a personal object: “hic campo indulget, hunc alea decoquit,” Pers. 5, 57.—
2. Absol.
a. Of personal subjects, to run through the property of one's self or others; to become a bankrupt: “tenesne memoria, praetextatum te decoxisse?” Cic. Phil. 2, 18: “qui primus hoc cognomen acceperit decoxit creditoribus suis,” Plin. 33, 10, 47, § 133.—
b. To waste away, become impaired, decline: “res ipsa jam domino decoxit,” Col. 11, 1, 28: “quibus (annis) inertiā Caesarum (imperium) quasi decoxit,” Flor. 1, prooem. 8. “templorum vectigalia cotidie decoquunt,” Tert. adv. Gent. 42: “spero non tibi decoquet ornithon,” Varr. R. R. 3, 2, 16.
II. To boil, cook.
A. Lit.: “axungiam fictili novo,” Plin. 28, 9, 37, § 138: “cyathum aceti in calice novo,” id. 32, 7, 25, § 78: “lentem in vino,” id. 22, 25, 77, § 147: “rapa aqua,” id. 18, 13, 34, § 126: olus, * Hor. S. 2, 1, 74 et saep.—Hence,
2. Part. perf. subst.
a. dēcocta , ae, f. (sc. aqua), an icy-cold decoction, invented by Nero as a drink, Suet. Ner. 48; Juv. 5, 50; cf. Plin. 31, 3, 23, § 39. With aqua, Mart. 14, 116.—
B. Transf., pass. (acc. to coquo, no. I. b.), to ripen, dry, Plin. 17, 24, 37, § 226; Pall. 1, 34, 7.—
2. To concoct, fabricate, invent: consilia nefarii facinoris, Decl. M. Posc. Latr.—
3. Trop.: suavitatem habeat orator austeram et solidam, non dulcem et decoctam, a severe and solid, not a luscious and mellow sweetness (the fig. being taken from wine), Cic. de Or. 3, 26, 104.—Hence, dēcoctĭus , adj. comp. (cf. no. II. B. 2.), riper, of composition; more carefully elaborated: “aspice et haec, si forte aliquid decoctius audis,” Pers. 1, 125.
