Lewis & Short

dē-cēdo, cessi, cessum, 3 (inf. sync. decesse, Ter. Heaut. prol. 32; Cic. Fam. 7, 1, 2; Neue Formenl. 2, 536. The part. perf. decessus perh. only Rutil. Nam. 1, 313), v. n., to go away, depart, withdraw. (For syn. cf.: linquo, relinquo, desero, destituo, deficio, discedo, excedo. Often opp. to accedo, maneo; freq. and class.)
Constr. absol. with de, ex, or merely the abl.; rarely with ab.

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen.: decedamus, Plaut. Bac. 1, 1, 74: de altera parte (agri) decedere, Caes. B. G. 1, 31, 10: decedit ex Gallia Romam Naevius, Cic. Quint. 4, 16: e pastu, Verg. G. 1, 381; cf.: e pastu decedere campis, id. ib. 4, 186: ex aequore domum, id. ib. 2, 205; Italiā, Sall. J. 28, 2: Numidiā, id. ib. 38, 9: Africā, id. ib. 20, 1; 23, 1: pugnā, Liv. 34, 47: praesidio, id. 4, 29 (cf.: de praesidio, Cic. de Sen. 20, 73): quae naves paullulum suo cursu decesserint, i. e. had gone out of their course, Caes. B. C. 3, 112, 3; so, cum luminibus exstinctis decessisset viā, had gone out of the way, Suet. Caes. 31: pantherae constituisse dicuntur in Cariam ex nostra provincia decedere, Cic. Fam. 2, 11, 2.
    2. B. Esp.
      1. 1. t. t.
        1. a. In milit. lang., to retire, withdraw from a former position: qui nisi decedat atque exercitum deducat ex his regionibus, Caes. B. G. 1, 44, 19; so, absol., id. ib. 1, 44 fin.; Hirt. B. G. 8, 50: de colle, Caes. B. C. 1, 71, 3: de vallo, id. B. G. 5, 43, 4: inde, id. B. C. 1, 71 fin.: loco superiore, Hirt. B. G. 8, 9; so with abl., Auct. B. Alex. 34; 35 (twice); 70 al.
        2. b. In official lang.: de provincia, ex provincia, provinciā, or absol. (cf. Cic. Planc. 26, 65), to retire from the province on the expiration of a term of office: de provincia decessit, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 20; so, id. Att. 7, 3, 5; id. Fam. 2, 15 (twice); Liv. 29, 19 Drak.: decedens ex Syria, Cic. Tusc. 2, 25, 61; so, e Cilicia, id. Brut. 1: ex Africa, Nep. Cato, 1, 4: ex Asia, id. Att. 4, 1: ex ea provincia, Cic. Div. in Caecil. 1 Zumpt N. cr.: ut decedens Considius provinciā, Cic. Lig. 1, 2; Liv. 39, 3; 41, 10: te antea, quam tibi successum esset, decessurum fuisse, Cic. Fam. 3, 6; so absol., id. Planc. 26, 65 al.: Albinus Romam decessit, Sall. J. 36 fin.; cf.: Romam ad triumphum, Liv. 8, 13; 9, 16.
          Rarely with a: cui cum respondissem, me a provincia decedere: etiam mehercule, inquit, ut opinor, ex Africa, Cic. Planc. 26 fin.
      2. 2. Decedere de viā; also viā, in viā alicui, alicui, or absol., to get out of the way, to give place, make way for one (as a mark of respect or of abhorrence): concedite atque abscedite omnes: de via decedite, Plaut. Am. 3, 4, 1; cf.: decedam ego illi de via, de semita, id. Trin. 2, 4, 80 (Cic. Clu. 59. 163; cf. II. B infra); cf.: qui fecit servo currenti in viā decesse populum, Ter. Heaut. prol. 32: censorem L. Plancum via sibi decedere aedilis coegit, Suet. Ner. 4; cf. id. Tib. 31: sanctis divis, Catul. 62, 268: nocti, Verg. Ec. 8, 88: peritis, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 216 (cf.: cedere nocti, Liv. 3, 60, 7).
        Also, to get out of the way of, avoid: decedere canibus de via, Cic. Rep. 1, 43, 67; cf.: hi numero impiorum habentur, his omnes decedunt, aditum defugiunt, etc., Caes. B. G. 6, 13, 7.
        By zeugma, in the pass.: salutari, appeti, decedi, assurgi, deduci, reduci, etc., Cic. de Sen. 18, 63.
      3. 3. Pregn., to depart, disappear (cf.: cedo, concedo).
        1. a. Of living beings, to decease, to die: si eos, qui jam de vita decesserunt, Cic. Rab. Perd. 11: vitā, Dig. 7, 1, 57, § 1; Vulg. 2 Mac. 6, 31; but commonly absol.: pater nobis decessit a. d. VIII. Kal. Dec., id. Att. 1, 6: cum paterfamiliae decessit, Caes. B. G. 6, 19, 3; Nep. Arist. 3, 2, and 3; id. Cim. 1; id. Ages. 8, 6; Liv. 1, 34; 9, 17; Quint. 3, 6, 96 et saep.: cruditate contracta, id. 7, 3, 33: morbo aquae intercutis, Suet. Ner. 5 fin.: paralysi, id. Vit. 3: ex ingratorum hominum conspectu morte decedere, Nep. Timol. 1, 6.
        2. b. Of inanimate things, to depart, go off; to abate, subside, cease: corpore febres, Lucr. 2, 34: febres, Nep. Att. 22, 3; Cels. 3, 3; cf.: quartana, Cic. Att. 7, 2 (opp. accedere): decessisse inde aquam, run off, fallen, Liv. 30, 38 fin.; cf.: decedere aestum, id. 26, 45; 9, 26 al.: de summa nihil decedet, to be wanting, to fail, Ter. Ad. 5, 3, 30; Cic. Clu. 60, 167; cf.: quicquid libertati plebis caveretur, id suis decedere opibus credebant, Liv. 3, 55: decedet jam ira haec, etsi merito iratus est, Ter. Hec. 3, 5, 55 (for which ib. 5, 2, 15: cito ab eo haec ira abscedet): postquam invidia decesserat, Sall. J. 88, 1; Liv. 33, 31 fin.; Tac. A. 15, 16 al.: priusquam ea cura decederet patribus, Liv. 9, 29; so with dat., id. 2, 31; 23, 26; Tac. A. 15, 20; 44.
          Poet.: incipit et longo Scyros decedere ponto, i. e. seems to flee before them, Stat. Ach. 2, 308.
          In the Aug. poets sometimes of the heavenly bodies, to go down, set: et sol crescentes decedens duplicat umbras, Verg. E. 2, 67; so id. G. 1, 222; Ov. M. 4, 91; hence also of the day, to depart: te veniente die, te decedente canebat, Verg. G. 4, 466; also of the moon, to wane, Gell. 20, 8, 7.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. De possessione, jure, sententia, fide, etc. (and since the Aug. per. with abl. alone; the reading ex jure suo, Liv. 3, 33, 10, is very doubtful), to depart from; to give up, resign, forego; to yield, to swerve from one’s possession, station, duty, right, opinion, faith, etc.
          1. (α) With de: cogere aliquem de suis bonis decedere, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 17 fin.; cf.: de hypothecis, id. Fam. 13, 56, 2; and de possessione, id. Agr. 2, 26; de suo jure, id. Rosc. Am. 27; id. Att. 16, 2: qui de civitate decedere quam de sententia maluit, id. Balb. 5: de officio ac dignitate, id. Verr. 1, 10: de foro decedere, to retire from public life, Nep. Att. 10, 2: de scena, to retire from the stage, Cic. Fam. 7, 1, 2; cf. impers.: de officio decessum, Liv. 8, 25 fin.
          2. (β) With abl. alone (so usually in Liv.): jure suo, Liv. 3, 33 fin.: sententiā, Tac. A. 14, 49: instituto vestro, Liv. 37, 54: officio (opp. in fide atque officio pristino fore), id. 27, 10; 36, 22: fide, id. 31, 5 fin.; 34, 11; 45, 19 al.: poema … si paulum summo decessit, vergit ad imum, Hor. A. P. 378.
          3. (γ) Very rarely with ab: cum (senatus) nihil a superioribus continuorum annorum decretis decesserit, Cic. Fl. 12.
          4. (δ) Absol.: si quos equites decedentis nactus sum, supplicio adfeci, Asin. Pol. ap. C. Fam. 10, 32, 5.
    2. B. De via, to depart, deviate from the right way: se nulla cupiditate inductum de via decessisse, Cic. Cael. 16, 38: moleste ferre se de via decessisse, id. Clu. 59, 163; so, viā dicendi, Quint. 4, 5, 3.
    3. C. (acc. to no. I. B. 2) To give way, yield to another (i. e. to his will or superior advantages—very rare): vivere si recte nescis, decede peritis, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 213: ubi non Hymetto Mella decedunt, are not inferior, id. Od. 2, 6, 15.
    4. D. (poet.) To avoid, shun, escape from (cf. I. B. 2 supra): nec serae meminit decedere nocti, to avoid the late night, i. e. the coldness of night, Varius ap. Macr. S. 6, 2, 20; Verg. Ecl. 8, 88; id. G. 3, 467: calori, id. ib. 4, 23.
    5. E. To fall short of, degenerate from: de generis nobilitate, Pall. 3, 25, 2: a rebus gestis ejus et gloriae splendore, Justin. 6, 3, 8.
  3. * III. For the simple verb (v. cedo, no. I. 2), to go off, turn out, result in any manner: prospere decedentibus rebus, Suet. Caes. 24.