Lewis & Short

abs-cīdo, cīdi, cīsum, 3, v. a. [caedo], to cut off with a sharp instrument (diff. from ab-scindo, to break or tear off as with the hand); the former corresponds to praecidere, the latter to avellere, v. Liv. 31, 34, 4 Drak.

  1. I. Lit.: caput, Cic. Phil. 11, 2, 5; Liv. 4, 19; Verg. A. 12, 511 al.; so, membra, Lucr. 3, 642: bracchium, Liv. 4, 28, 8: collum, Sil. 15, 473: dextram, Suet. Caes. 68: linguam, Plaut. Am. 2, 1, 7; Suet. Calig. 27 al.: comas alicui, Luc. 6, 568: truncos arborum et ramos, Caes. B. G. 7, 73, 2.
  2. II. Trop., to cut off, deprive of; to detract: spem (alicui), Liv. 4, 10, 4; 24, 30, 12; 35, 45, 6: orationem alicui, id. 45, 37, 9: omnium rerum respectum sibi, id. 9, 23, 12: omnia praesidia, Tac. H. 3, 78: vocem, Vell. 2, 66; cf. Quint. 8, 3, 85.
    Absol.: quarum (orationum) alteram non libebat mihi scribere, quia abscideram, had broken off, Cic. Att. 2, 7.
    Hence, abscīsus, a, um, P. a., cut off.
    1. A. Of places, steep, precipitous (cf. abruptus): saxum undique abscisum, Liv. 32, 4, 5; so id. 32, 25, 36: rupes, id. 32, 5, 12.
    2. B. Of speech, abrupt, concise, short: in voce aut omnino suppressā, aut etiam abscisā, Quint. 8, 3, 85; 9, 4, 118 Halm (al. abscissa): asperum et abscisum castigationis genus, Val. Max. 2, 7, 14: responsum, id. 3, 8, 3: sententia, id. 6, 3, 10; cf. in comp.: praefractior atque abscisior justitia, id. 6, 5, ext. 4.
      Sup. prob. not used.
      Adv.: abscīsē, cut off; hence, of speech, concisely, shortly, distinctly, Val. Max. 3, 7, ext. 6; Dig. 50, 6, 5, § 2.

abscīsus, a, um, P. a., v. abscido.