I. Lit.
A. In gen.
1. To cut, hew, lop, cut down, fell, cut off, cut to pieces: caesa abiegna trabes, Enn. ap. Cic. N. D. 3, 30, 75 (Trag. v. 281 Vahl.): “frondem querneam caedito,” Cato, R. R. 5, 8: “arbores,” Cic. Div. 2, 14, 33; Ov. M. 9, 230: “robur,” Cic. Div. 2, 41, 86; Ov. M. 8, 769: “lignum,” Plaut. Merc. 2, 3. 63: silvam, Varr ap. Non. p. 272, 5; Lucr. 5, 1265; Caes. B. G. 3, 29; Ov. M. 8, 329; Suet. Aug. 94 fin.; Pall. Mai, 4, 1: “nemus,” Ov. M. 2, 418; cf. id. ib. 1, 94; 9, 230; 9, 374; “14, 535: harundinem,” Dig. 7, 1, 59, § 2: “arboris auctum,” Lucr. 6, 167: “comam vitis,” Tib. 1, 7, 34: “faenum,” Col. 2, 18, 1: “murus latius quam caederetur ruebat,” Liv. 21, 11, 9: “caesis montis fodisse medullis,” Cat. 68, 111; so, “caedi montis in marmora,” Plin. 12, prooem. § 2:“ lapis caedendus,” Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 56, § 147: “silicem,” id. Div. 2, 41, 85: “marmor,” Dig. 24, 3, 7, § 13: “toga rotunda et apte caesa,” cut out, Quint. 11, 3, 139: caedunt securibus umida vina, with axes they cut out the wine (formerly liquid, now frozen), Verg. G. 3, 364: volutas, to carve or hollow out volutes, Vitr. 3, 3: tineae omnia caedunt, Lucil. ap. Non. p. 272, 14.—
b. Prov.: “ut vineta egomet caedam mea,” i. e. carry my own hide to market, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 220 (proverbium in eos dicitur, qui sibi volentes nocent, Schol. Crucq.; cf. Tib. 1, 2, 98; Verg. A. 5, 672).—
c. Ruta caesa; v ruo, P. a.—
2. In gen., to strike upon something, to knock at, to beat, strike, cudgel, etc.: “ut lapidem ferro quom caedimus evolat ignis,” strike upon with iron, Lucr. 6, 314: “caedere januam saxis,” Cic. Verr 2, 1, 27, § 69: “silicem rostro,” Liv. 41, 13, 1: “vasa dolabris,” Curt. 5, 6, 5: “femur, pectus, frontem,” Quint. 2, 12, 10; cf. id. 11, 3, 123 al.: “verberibus,” Plaut. Most. 5, 2, 45; so Ter. And. 1, 2, 28: “pugnis,” Plaut. Curc. 1, 3, 43: “aliquem ex occulto,” Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 17: “at validis socios caedebant dentibus apri,” they fell with their strong tusks upon their own party, Lucr. 5, 1325; cf. Plaut. Poen. 3, 3, 71: “virgis ad necem caedi,” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 28, § 69; Hor. S. 1, 2, 42: “populum saxis,” id. ib. 2, 3, 128: “ferulā aliquem,” id. ib. 1, 3, 120: “flagris,” Quint. 6, 3, 25: “aliquem loris,” Cic. Phil. 8, 8, 24; Suet. Ner. 26; 49; id. Dom. 8: “caeduntur (agrestes) inter potentium inimicitias,” Sall. H. Fragm. 3, 61, 27 Dietsch: “nudatos virgis,” Liv. 2, 5, 8: “hastilibus caedentes terga trepidantium,” id. 35, 5, 10: “servum sub furcā caesum medio egerat circo, i.e. ita ut simul caederet,” id. 2, 36, 1.—
b. Prov.: “stimulos pugnis caedere,” to kick against the pricks, to aggravate a danger by foolish resistance, Plaut. Truc. 4, 2, 55.—
c. Trop.: “in judicio testibus caeditur,” is pressed, hard pushed, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 3, 3.—
B. Pregn.
1. (Cf. cado, I. B. 2.) To strike mortally, to kill, murder: “ille dies, quo Ti. Gracchus est caesus,” Cic. Mil. 5, 14: “P. Africanus de Tiberio Graccho responderat jure caesum videri,” id. de Or. 2, 25, 106; id. Off. 2, 12, 43: “caeso Argo,” Ov. M. 2, 533; 5, 148; 12, 113; 12, 590; 12, 603; Suet. Caes. 76 al. —Poet., transf. to the blood shed in slaying: “caeso sparsuros sanguine flammam,” Verg. A. 11, 82.—Esp. freq.,
b. In milit. lang., to slay a single enemy; or, when a hostile army as a whole is spoken of, to conquer with great slaughter, to cut to pieces, vanquish, destroy (cf. Oud., Wolf, and Baumg.Crus. upon Suet. Vesp. 4): “exercitus caesus fususque,” Cic. Phil. 14, 1, 1: “Romani insecuti (hostem), caedentes spoliantesque caesos, castra regia diripiunt,” Liv. 32, 12, 10; 2, 47, 9: “infra arcem caesi captique multi mortales,” id. 4, 61, 6; 22, 7, 2 and 9; Quint. 12, 10, 24; Suet. Aug. 21; 23; id. Vesp. 4: “Indos,” Curt. 9, 5, 19: “passim obvios,” id. 5, 6, 6: “praesidium,” id. 4, 5, 17: “propugnatores reipublicae,” Quint. 12, 10, 24: “caesus (hostis) per calles saltusque vagando circumagatur,” Liv. 44, 36, 10 Kreyss.: “consulem exercitumque caesum,” id. 22, 56, 2: “legio-nes nostras cecidere,” id. 7, 30, 14; so Nep. Dat. 6, 4; Tac. Agr. 18; Suet. Claud. 1.— And poet., the leader is put for the army: “Pyrrhum et ingentem cecidit Antiochum Hannibalemque dirum,” Hor. C. 3, 6, 36.—In poet. hypallage: “caesi corporum acervi (for caesorum),” Cat. 64, 359.—
c. To slaughter animals, esp. for offerings, to kill, slay, sacrifice: “caedit greges armentorum,” Cic. Phil. 3, 12, 31: “boves,” Ov. M. 15, 141: “deorum mentes caesis hostiis placare,” Cic. Clu. 68, 194: “caesis victimis,” id. Att. 1, 13, 1; Liv. 8, 6, 11; 10, 7, 10; 45, 7, 1; Tac. A. 2, 75; Suet. Caes. 81; id. Calig. 14; id. Ner. 25; id. Oth. 8; id. Galb. 18; id. Claud. 25; Just. 11, 5, 6 al.; Verg. A. 5, 96; Hor. Epod. 2, 59; Ov.M.13, 637; Juv. 6, 48; 6, 447; 8, 156; 12, 3 al.: inter caesa et porrecta; v. porricio.—
d. Hence, since security for a person was anciently given by the deposit of sheep belonging to him, which were slaughtered in case of forfeiture, leg. t. t.: pignus caedere (or concidere), to declare the for feiture of a security, to confiscate a pledge: non tibi illa sunt caedenda, si L. Crassum vis coërcere, Crass. ap. Cic. de Or. 3, 1, 4.—
2. In mal. part. ( = concido; cf.: “jam hoc, caede, concide: nonne vobis verba depromere videtur ad omne genus nequitiae accommodata?” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 66, § 155); Cat. 56, 7; Auct. Priap. 25, 10; Tert. Pall. 4.—
II. Trop.: caedere sermones, a Grecism, acc. to Prisc. 18, p. 1118 P., = κόπτειν τὰ ῥήματα, to chop words, chat, talk, converse, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 1; cf. Non. p. 272, 13, and Prisc. p. 1188 P.: “oratio caesa,” i. e. asyndeton, Auct. Her. 4, 19, 26; Aquil. Rom. §§ 18 and 19; Mart. Cap. 5; § 528.—Hence, caesum , i, n.; subst. in gram. synon. with comma, a stop, pause, comma, Mart. Cap. 5, § 527; Aquil. Rom. § 19; Fortun. Art. Rhet. 3, 10.
