Lewis & Short

rĕ-cūso, āvi, ātum, 1 (gen. plur. of the part. pres. recusantūm, Verg. A. 7, 16), v. a. [causa].

  1. I. In gen., to make an objection against, in statement or reply; to decline, reject, refuse, be reluctant or unwilling to do a thing, etc. (freq. and class.; cf.: abnuo, renuo, denego); constr. with acc., an inf., an object-clause, with de, ne, quin, quominus, or absol.
          1. (α) With acc.: uxorem, * Ter. Hec. 3, 1, 16; Hor. S. 1, 4, 50: me judicem, Tac. Or. 5 al.; cf.: populum Romanum disceptatorem, Cic. Fl. 38, 97: populi Romani amicitiam, Caes. B. G. 1, 44: nec quae pepigere recusent, Verg. A. 12, 12: nullum periculum communis salutis causā, Caes. B. G. 7, 2; so, nullum periculum, id. ib. 7, 19; id. B. C. 3, 26: laborem, id. ib. 1, 68 fin.; Quint. 11, 3, 26; 12, 11, 10: nihil nisi hiberna, Caes. B. G. 5, 41: legumina, id. B. C. 3, 47 fin.: servitutem, Sall. J. 31, 20: vincla (leones), Verg. A. 7, 16: jussa, id. ib. 5, 749 et saep.: nihil tibi a me postulanti recusabo, Cic. de Or. 2, 29, 128; so, psalteria virginibus probis, Quint. 1, 10, 31: nihil de poenā, Cic. Planc. 1, 3; cf.: de stipendio, Caes. B. G. 1, 44: qui quod ab altero postularent, in se recusarent, id. B. C. 1, 32, 5: Ptolemaeus recusabat regem Aridaeum, rejected, Just. 13, 2, 11.
            Of things: terra numquam recusat imperium, Cic. Sen. 15, 51: genua impediunt cursumque recusant, Verg. A. 12, 747: rapax ignis non umquam alimenta recusat, Ov. M. 8, 837: (falsae gemmae) recusant limae probationem, Plin. 37, 13, 76, § 200 et saep.
          2. (β) With inf. (in class. prose, only in negative sentences or questions implying a negative): mori recusare, Caes. B. G. 3, 22; Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 8, 6; 10, 17, 2; Anton. ap. Cic. Phil. 8, 8, 25; Liv. 22, 60, 17: hoc facere, id. 5, 53, 9: ad minora se demittere, Quint. prooem. § 5: prodere voce suā quemquam aut opponere morti, Verg. A. 2, 126: praeceptis parere, id. ib. 2, 607: quicquam tentare, id. ib. 11, 437: tibi comes ire, id. ib. 2. 704: facere ipse, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 208; Plin. Pan. 5; Curt. 6, 11, 36; Just. 14, 1, 6.
            Of things: pedes vitiosum ferre recusant Corpus, Hor. S. 2, 7, 108; so id. Ep. 2, 1, 259; id. A. P. 39.
          3. (γ) With object-clause: non rem (medicam) antiqui damnabant, sed artem. Maxime vero quaestum esse manipretio vitae recusabant, Plin. 29, 1, 8, § 16: Velinum lacum obstrui recusantes, refusing to permit, Tac. A. 1, 79; cf. infra, II.
          4. (δ) With de: de judiciis transferendis recusare, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 2, § 6.
            (ε) With ne: Servilius et recusare et deprecari, ne iniquis judicibus … judicium capitis in se constitueretur, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 54, § 141: sententiam ne diceret, recusavit, id. Off. 3, 27, 100: reliqui … ne unus omnes antecederet, recusarent, Caes. B. C. 3, 82 fin.
            (ζ) With quin: si absim, haud recusem, quin mihi male sit, Plaut. Curc. 1, 3, 8: non possumus, quin alii a nobis dissentiant, recusare, Cic. Ac. 2, 3, 7: non recuso quin, etc., id. Fam. 6, 18, 4; id. Rosc. Am. 3, 8; Caes. B. C. 3, 45 fin.: neque recusare … quin armis contendant, id. B. G. 4, 7; Liv. 8, 7, 19.
            (η) With quominus: nec recusabo, quominus omnes mea legant, Cic. Fin. 1, 3, 7; id. Div. in Caecil. 10, 31: … quominus perpetuo sub illorum dicione essent, Caes. B. G. 1, 31: neque recusavit quo minus poenam subiret, Nep. Epam. 8, 2.
            (θ) Absol.: non recuso, non abnuo, etc., Cic. Mil. 36, 100: recusandi aut deprecandi causā legatos mittere, Caes. B. G. 5, 6; Verg. E. 3, 29 et saep.
  2. II. In partic.
      1. 1. To refute, disprove: nativitatis mendacium, Tert. adv. Marc. 3, 11.
      2. 2. In jurid. lang., to protest against a complaint; to object, take exception, plead in defence: causa omnis, in quā pars altera agentis est, altera recusantis, Quint. 3, 10, 1: numquid recusas contra me? Plaut. Poen. 5, 6, 18: tu me ad verbum vocas: non ante venio, quam recusaro … Quoniam satis recusavi, veniam jam quo vocas, Cic. Caecin. 28, 8 sq.: cum reus recusare vellet, sub usuris creditam esse pecuniam, etc., Dig. 17, 1, 48; cf. recusatio, II. B.