rĕ-sĕco, cŭi, ctum (resecavi, Symm. Ep. 10, 73: resecata, Eum. Grat. Act. ad Const. 11 fin.), 1, v. a., to cut loose, cut off (class.; esp. in the trop. signif.; cf. praecido).
- I. Lit.: ut linguae scalpello resectae liberarentur, Cic. Div. 2, 46, 96: os, id. Leg. 2, 22, 55: palpebras, id. Pis. 19, 43: enodes truncos, Verg. G. 2, 78: radices, Ov. M. 7, 264: longos ferro capillos, id. ib. 11, 182: de tergore partem Exiguam, id. ib. 8, 650: barba resecta, id. Tr. 4, 10, 58: alas, id. R. Am. 701: extremam partem ipsius unguis ad vivum, to the quick, Col. 6, 12, 3; 5, 9, 15: ungues, Val. Max. 3, 2, 15.
- II. Trop., to cut off, curtail; to check, stop, restrain: quod aiunt, nimia resecari oportere, naturalia relinqui (shortly after, circumcidere and amputare), Cic. Tusc. 4, 26, 57; cf. id. ib. 4, 20, 46: quae resecanda erunt, non patiar ad perniciem civitatis manere, id. Cat. 2, 5, 11: libidinem, id. Att. 1, 18, 2: audacias et libidines, id. Verr. 2, 3, 89, § 208: crimina quaedam cum primā barbā, Juv. 8, 166: spatio brevi Spem longam reseces, Hor. C. 1, 11, 7; cf.: haec (dicta), Plin. Ep. 2, 5, 4; Juv. 8, 166: neque id ad vivum reseco, ut illi qui haec subtilius disserunt, i. e. nor do I take this in too strict a sense, Cic. Lael. 5, 18 (v. supra, I.): de vivo aliquid erat resecandum, was to be cut from the quick, id. Verr. 2, 3, 50, § 118.