Lewis & Short

discepto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [dis and capio].

  1. I. Jurid. t. t. (lit., to seize hold of and separate; hence, to stop the dispute), to decide, determine, judge a controversy, = dijudicare (cf.: dissero, disputo; good prose, but rare): res juste sapienterque, Cic. Mil. 9: hanc causam si in foro dicerem eodem audiente et disceptante te, id. Deiot. 2, 6; cf.: ipso exercitu disceptante, Liv. 5, 4: jus dicebat disceptabatque controversias, id. 41, 20; cf.: controversias inter se jure ac judicio, aut … bello, id. 38, 38 fin.: inter populum Carthaginiensem et regem in re praesenti, id. 34, 62 fin.: inter amicos, Plin. Ep. 7, 15, 2. al.: FETIALES BELLA DISCEPTANTO, i. e. to decide between peace and war, Cic. Leg. 2, 9.
    1. * B. Beyond the judic. sphere: cum Academici eorum controversias disceptarent, Cic. Tusc. 4, 3, 6.
      Far more freq.,.
  2. II. Transf., of the parties themselves: to debate, dispute, discuss, strive.
          1. (α) With de: de controversiis jure apud se potius, quam inter se armis disceptare, Caes. B. G. 3, 107 fin.; cf.: de controversiis suis jure potius quam bello, Sall. J. 21 fin.; and see under β: non de aliquo crimine sed de publico jure, Cic. Balb. 28, 64; cf.: de foederum jure verbis, Liv. 21, 19: de jure vectigalium, id. 34, 62: de cunctis negotiis inter se, Sall. J. 11, 2 al.
            Ellipt.: damni (i. e. de actione damni) disceptare, Dig. 48, 19, 28, § 12.
            Pass. impers.: quanto periculo de jure publico disceptaretur armis, Cic. Fam. 4, 14, 2; 6, 1, 5: quorum de re, id. de Or. 2, 43, 183: de omnibus condicionibus, Caes. B. C. 1, 24 fin.: de agro cum regis legatis, Liv. 34, 62 al.
            With ob: ob rem pecuniariam cum aliquo, Tac. A. 6, 5.
            With ad: ad aliquem, Liv. 8, 23.
          2. (β) Absol.: erat non jure, non legibus, non disceptando decertandum, Cic. Planc. 36; so, cum palaestritis aequo jure, id. Verr. 2, 2, 15; cf.: jure potius quam bellum gerere, Hirt. B. G. 85 fin.: armis, Tac. A. 2, 65.
            Pass. impers.: ut coram imperatore, sicut inter Marcellum Siculosque disceptatum fuerat, disceptaretur, Liv. 26, 33; cf. id. 38, 35.
            Abl. absol.: multum invicem disceptato, Tac. A. 15, 14.
    1. * B. With inanimate subjects: in uno proelio omnis fortuna rei publicae disceptat, depends upon, is at stake, Cic. Fam. 10, 10.