Lewis & Short

dē-sĭno, sĭi (rarely īvi, Sol. 35, 4, v. Neue, Form. II. 404; also, sync. perf.: desit, Mart. 6, 26, 3: desisse, Cic. Fam. 9, 24, 2; Suet. Ner. 33; 46; Gell. 15, 16, 2: desissem, Catull. 36, 5 al.: DESI, dissyl., Inscr. Orell. 71), sĭtum, 3, v. a. and n.
Prop., to put or set down; hence, to leave off, give over, cease, desist (opp. coepi, the construction of which it for the most part follows; cf. for syn.: cesso, cunctor, tergiversor, defugio, haesito, moror, tardor; desisto, omitto, intermitto, praetermitto, praetereo, etc.).

  1. I. Act.
          1. (α) With inf. act.: illud jam mirari desino, Cic. de Or. 2, 14, 59: te uti teste, id. Rep. 1, 39: commemorare eos, id. ib. 1, 1: amare, Plaut. Bac. 1, 1, 67: lacessere, Ter. Eun. prol. 16: maledicere, id. And. prol. 22: de compositione loqui, *Caes. B. C. 3, 19 fin. et saep.
            Less freq.,
          2. (β) with inf. pass.: ubi ipsi Desierunt vorti, Lucr. 4, 403: moveri, Cic. Rep. 6, 25: fieri, id. Att. 1, 19, 9: cerni, Quint. 8, 5, 29: quaeri ab eo, id. 11, 3, 6: inquiri, Ov. M. 6, 616 al.
          3. (γ) With acc. (mostly poet.): artem, Cic. Fam. 7, 1, 4; Suet. Tib. 36; Gell. 15, 16, 2: seditionem, id. 2, 12, 3: versus, Verg. E. 8, 61; cf. plura, id. ib. 5, 19; 9, 66: Titania bella, Sil. 12, 725: lugubres voces, Ap. Mag. 5, p.170 al.
    1. B. Pass. (usually in the tempp. perff.): veteres orationes a plerisque legi sunt desitae, Cic. Brut. 32, 123; cf. id. Off. 2, 8, 27; and: Persei numquam desitum celebrari nomen, Liv. 42, 49: censores creari desitos, Suet. Aug. 37: sermone abhinc multis annis jam desito, Gell. 1, 10, 2: nectier postea desitum, Cic. Rep. 2, 34; cf. id. Fin. 2, 13, 43: coeptum per eos qui volebant, desitum est per hunc, qui decessit, id. Cornel. Fragm. ap. Prisc. p. 809 P.
      In the pres.: tunc bene desinitur, Ov. A. A. 1, 411.
  2. II. Neutr., to cease, stop, end, close (not freq. till after the Aug. period).
    1. A. In gen.:’ omne bellum sumi facile, ceterum aegerrume desinere, Sall. J. 83, 2: ferrea primum desinet gens, Verg. E. 4, 9: desierant imbres, Ov. M. 5, 285: desinat ira, id. H. 3, 89: cetera, fragilia et caduca occidunt desinuntque, perish, Plin. Ep. 2, 10, 4 et saep.: cauda desinit in piscem, Ov. M. 4, 727; cf. Hor. A. P. 4; Verg. A. 10, 211; Sen. Ep. 92, 10; 24, 26: Plin. 8, 33, 51, § 121: (gemma) ad vini colorem accedens, prius quam eum degustet, in viola desinit fulgor, Plin. 37, 9, 40, § 121: Pyrenaeus desinens, i. e. their extreme end, Flor. 4, 12, 46.
    1. A. With abl. and in: in quo desinimus, Ov. M. 8, 597; or abl. alone: desine quaeso communibus locis, Cic. Ac. 2, 25, 80.
      With gen., poet. (like the Gr. παύειν and λήγειν): querelarum, Hor. Od. 2, 9, 17: irae, Sil. 10, 84.
      Absol.: Mi. Ah! pergisne? De. Jam jam desino, Ter. Ad. 5, 3, 67: ut incipiendi (sc. sermonem) ratio fuerit, ita sit desinendi modus, Cic. Off. 1, 37 fin.; so opp. incipere, Quint. 9, 2, 19; 11, 3, 35: quo ex genere coeperis translationes, hoc desinas, id. 8, 6, 50: cantasse eum publice Oedipodem exsulem atque in hoc desisse versu: Θανεῖν μ’ ἀνῷγε, etc., Suet. Ner. 46 fin.: a praeceptis incipio, desino in exemplis, Sen. Cons. ad Marc. 2, 1.
      In colloq. lang. desine sometimes like the Gr. παῦε (cf. Lidd. and Scott, under παύω, no. II.), leave off! give over! stop! be still! etc.: Ba. Heu, heu, heu! Ps. Desine, Plaut. Ps. 5, 2, 51; so Ter. And. 5, 6, 8; id. Eun. 2, 3, 56 al.
    2. B. Esp., in rhetor., of the close of a period, to end, close: illa, quae similiter desinunt, etc., Cic. de Or. 3, 54; cf. Quint. 9, 3, 79; 9, 4, 42 et saep.; cf. cado, no. II.