Lewis & Short

ex-cerpo, psi, ptum, 3, v. a. [carpo], to pick or take out.

  1. * I. Lit.: semina pomis, Hor. S. 2, 3, 272.
  2. II. Trop. (class.).
    1. A. To pick out, choose, select, gather: non solum ex malis eligere minima oportere, sed etiam excerpere ex ipsis, si quid inesset boni, Cic. de Off. 3, 1, 3: quod quisque (scriptorum) commodissime praecipere videbatur, excerpsimus, made extracts, selections, id. Inv. 2, 2, 4; so, verba ex Originibus Catonis, Aug. ap. Suet. Aug. 86: nihil umquam legit, quod non excerperet, Plin. Ep. 3, 5, 10; cf. id. ib. 6, 20, 5; Sen. Ep. 33, 2; Quint. 9, 1, 24; 10, 2, 13: ex libris qui chronici appellantur … easque excerptiones digerere, Gell. 17, 21, 1 et saep.: paucos enim, qui sunt eminentissimi, excerpere in animo est, to single out, make prominent, Quint. 10, 1, 45; 7, 1, 29.
      Hence, subst.: excerptum, i, n., an extract, selection, excerpt from a book or writing: ex Gorgiā Platonis, Quint. 2, 15, 24: Coelianum. M. Aurel. ap. Front. Ep. ad M. Caes. 1, 9.
      Plur., M. Aurel. ap. Front. Ep. ad M. Caes. 2, 5; Sen. Ep. 33, 3.
    2. B. To take out, strike or leave out, except, omit: non enim, si est facilius, eo de numero quoque est excerpendum, Cic. de Or. 2, 11, 47; cf.: me illorum excerpam numero, Hor. S. 1, 4, 40: tu id, quod boni est, excerpis: dicis, quod mali est, Ter. Phorm. 4, 4, 18.
    3. C. To withdraw one’s self: se consuetudini hominum, Sen. Ep. 5: se vulgo, id. Brev. Vit. 18; and simply se, id. Ep. 18.