I.to check, drive back, repress.
I. Lit.: “semper illas nationes nostri imperatores refutandas potius bello quam lacessandas putaverunt,” Cic. Prov. Cons. 13, 32.—
II. Trop., to repel, repress, resist, restrain, oppose (freq. and class.; syn.: reicio, reprimo).
A. In gen.: “virtutem aspernari ac refutare,” Cic. Rab. Post. 16, 44: “refutetur ac reiciatur ille clamor,” id. Tusc. 2, 33, 55: “alicujus cupiditatem,” id. Fam. 1, 9, 25: vitam, to contemn, Sall. Fragm. ap. Serv. ad Verg. G. 4, 218 (H. 1, 73 Dietsch); cf.: “temporis munera,” Quint. 10, 6, 6: “alicujus libidinem,” Cic. de Or. 3, 1, 4: “nummum,” Sol. 22 med.: “ad mortem si te (Fors dicta refutet!) Prodiderim,” may fate avert, Verg. A. 12, 41.—
B. In partic., to repel, rebut any thing by speech, etc.; to confute, refute, disprove (syn.: “refello, redarguo): res refutat id,” Lucr. 2, 245; 2, 867: “nemo te ita refutandum ut gravem adversarium arbitrabatur,” Cic. Vatin. 1, 1: “testes,” id. Font. 1, 1: “nostra confirmare argumentis ac rationibus, deinde contraria refutare,” id. de Or. 2, 19, 80; so (opp. confirmare) Quint. 5, prooem. § 2;: “neque refutanda tantum, sed contemnenda, elevanda, ridenda sunt,” id. 6, 4, 10: “perjuria testimoniis,” Cic. Font. 16, 35: “oratio re multo magis quam verbis refutata,” id. Imp. Pomp. 17, 52: “infamiam pudicitiae posterae vitae castitate,” Suet. Aug. 71: “quos tum, ut pueri, refutare domesticis testibus solebamus,” Cic. de Or. 2, 1, 2: “a te refutentur,” id. Fam. 9, 11, 2: “tribunos oratione feroci,” Liv. 2, 52 fin.— Poet., with object-clause: “si quis corpus sentire refutat,” denies, Lucr. 3, 350.
