Lewis & Short

dē-pugno, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. and a.

  1. I. To fight eagerly, fight out; to contend, combat violently.
    1. A. Prop. (freq. and class.): collatis signis, Plaut. Cas. 2, 5, 44; cf. Liv. 34, 46: acie instructā, * Caes, B. G. 7, 28: multi depugnant gemitusque edunt, Lucr. 4, 1015: haud procul moenibus, Liv. 10, 37; cf. id. 34, 46; 40, 34: adversus aliquem, Front. Strat. 2, 4, 6 et saep.: Torquatus cum Gallo apud Anienem depugnavit, Cic. Fin. 2, 22, 73: ad depugnandum, Nep. Them. 4, 4; so of single combat, Cic. Tusc. 4, 22; id. Fin. 2, 22, 73; Suet. Caes. 39; and as a t. t. of gladiatorial combats, id. ib. 2, 17 fin.; Asin. Pollio, ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 32, 3; Quint. 8, 5, 12 Spald.; in the latter sense also with an object: feram, Dig. 3, 1, 1, § 6; cf. bestias, ib. 48, 8, 11.
      Pass. impers.: ante depugnabitur, Cic. Att. 16, 11, 6: so, depugnarier, Plaut. Cas. 2, 5, 36: depugnatum est, Liv. 7, 26; 9, 39.
    2. B. Transf. out of the milit. sphere: cum animo suo, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 29: cum fame, id. Stich. 4, 2, 47: morti, Sil. 10, 475.
      And in a figure borrowed from the lang. of gladiators: unum par, quod depugnet, reliquum est voluptas cum honestate, Cic. Ac. 2, 46; cf.: natura atque luxuria depugnant (flores), rival one another, Plin. 21, 8, 22, § 46: indocti stolidique et depugnare parati, * Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 184.
  2. * II. To fight to the end, stop fighting: depugnato proelio, "the day after the fair," Plaut. Men. 5, 6, 31.