Lewis & Short

carpo, psi, ptum, 3 [cf.: rapio, ἁρπάζω, καρπος; Engl. grab, grip, grasp]. Lit., of plants, flowers, fruits, etc., to pick, pluck, pluck off, cull, crop, gather (class.; in prose and poetry, esp. in the latter very freq.; syn. decerpere).

  1. A. In gen.: (flos) tenui carptus ungui, Cat. 62, 43; Hor. C. 3, 27, 44; Ov. M. 9, 342: ab arbore flores, id. ib. 9, 380; cf. infra, II.: rosam, poma, Verg. G. 4, 134: violas et papavera, id. E. 2, 47: violas, lilia, Ov. M. 5, 392: frondes uncis manibus, id. G. 2, 366: plenis pomaria ramis, Ov. H. 4, 29: vindemiam de palmite, Verg. G. 2, 90: fructus, id. ib. 2, 501: frumenta manu, id. ib. 3, 176.
  2. B. Esp.
    1. 1. Of animals, to take something as nourishment (cf. Burm. ad Phaedr. 1, 28, 4); first, of nourishment from plants, to crop, pluck off, browse, graze on, etc. (syn. depascere); also of flesh, to eat, devour (rare): alia (animalia) sugunt, alia carpunt, alia vorant, alia mandunt, Cic. N. D. 2, 47, 122: carpunt gramen equi, Verg. A. 9, 353; id. G. 2, 201; Ov. M. 1, 299: herbam, Verg. G. 3, 296; 3, 465; Ov. M. 13, 927: pabula, id. ib. 4, 217; id. F. 4, 750: alimenta, id. M. 15, 478: apes carpunt ex oleā arbore ceram, e fico mel, etc., gather, Varr. R. R. 3, 16, 24 sq.; cf.: apis carpens thyma, Hor. C. 4, 2, 29.
      Poet.: Invidia (personif. envy) summa cacumina carpit, Ov. M. 2, 792: nec carpsere jecur volucres, id. ib. 10, 43; cf. Phaedr. 1, 28, 4.
      Sometimes transf., of men: prandium, Ter. Ad. 4, 2, 52: carpe cibos digitis, Ov. A. A. 3, 755: pisces, pulles, Mart. 3, 13, 1.
      Also, to carve; hence the pun in Petr. 36 fin.
    2. 2. Poet., of other things, to tear off, tear away: summas carpens media inter cornua saetas, Verg. A. 6, 245.
      Of wool, to pluck; hence, poet., to spin: vellera, Verg. G. 4, 335: pensa, id. ib. 1, 390; Prop. 3 (4), 6, 16; Hor. C. 3, 27, 64: lana carpta, carded, Cels. 6, 6, 1 (hence, facete: stolidum pecus, to pluck, i. e. to fleece rich lovers, Prop. 2 (3), 16, 8; Ov. A. A. 1, 420): ex collo furtim coronas, to pull off, Hor. S. 2, 3, 256: crinem genasque, to tear, rend, lacerate, Val. Fl. 8, 7; so acc. to Servius’s inaccurate account, in a fragment of the Twelve Tables: mulier faciem ne carpito, Serv. ad Verg. A. 12, 606 (instead of the real words: MVLIERES. GENAS. NE. RADVNTO.; cf. Dirks. Fragm. XII. Tab. p. 668): artus in parva frusta, Sen. Thyest. 1061.
  • II. Trop.
    1. A. (Acc. to I. A.) To pluck, snatch, etc.: ut omni ex genere orationem aucuper, et omnes undique flosculos carpam atque delibem, Cic. Sest. 56, 119; id. de Or. 1, 42, 191: atque in legendo carpsi exinde quaedam, Gell. 9, 4, 5: oscula, to pluck, as it were, from the lips, to snatch, Prop. 1, 20, 27; Ov. H. 11, 117 Loers. N. cr.; id. M. 4, 358; Phaedr. 3, 8, 12 al.: basia, Mart. 5, 46, 1: gaudia, Ov. A. A. 3, 661: dulcia, Pers. 5, 151: regni commoda carpe mei, Ov. F. 3, 622: fugitivaque gaudia carpe, and snatch pleasures as they fly, Mart. 7, 47, 11: delicias, Prop. 2 (3), 34, 74.
    2. B. Esp.
      1. 1. (Acc. to I. B. 1.) In a good sense, to enjoy, use, make use of (mostly poet.; syn.: fruor, capio): breve ver et primos carpere flores, Ov. M. 10, 85 (cf.: flore aetatis frui, Liv. 21, 3, 4): illa mihi sedes, illic mea carpitur aetas, spent, lived, passed, Cat. 68, 35: diem, Hor. C. 1, 11, 8: honores virtutis, Val. Fl. 1, 177: auras vitales, Verg. A. 1, 388; cf. Sil. 3, 712: sub dio somnos, Verg. G. 3, 435: quietem, id. A. 7, 414: soporem, id. ib. 4, 522: noctes securas, Val. Fl. 5, 48; a poet. circumlocution for vivere, degere, etc.
        1. b. In a bad sense.
          1. (α) To gnaw at or tear character or reputation, to carp at, slander, calumniate, revile: more hominum invident, in conviviis rodunt, in circulis vellicant: non illo inimico, sed hoc maledico dente carpunt, Cic. Balb. 26, 57: nam is carpebatur a Bibulo, Curione, Favonio, id. ad Q. Fr. 2, 3, 2: Paulum obtrectatio carpsit, Liv. 45, 35, 5: imperatorem, id. 44, 38, 2: quae non desierunt carpere maligni, Quint. 11, 1, 24: maligno sermone, Suet. Aug. 27: obliquis orationibus, id. Dom. 2: nonnihil vocibus, Caes. B. G. 3, 17: aliquem sermonibus, Liv. 7, 12, 12: sinistris sermonibus, Plin. Ep. 1, 9, 5: Ciceronem in his, Quint. 9, 4, 64: te ficto quaestu, Cat. 62, 36 and 37: et detorquere recte facta, Plin. Ep. 1, 8, 6: famam vitamque, id. Pan. 53, 4; Suet. Calig. 34.
          2. (β) To rob of strength, to weaken, enfeeble, wear away, consume; or poet., with the idea extended (cf. absumo), to consume completely, to destroy: vires, Verg. G. 3, 215; Liv. 9, 27, 6: quid si carpere singula (jura) et extorquere … patiemini, id. 34, 3, 2; esp. of in ward care, anxiety, longing, etc.: at regina, gravi jamdudum saucia curā, Volnus alit venis et caeco carpitur igni, Verg. A. 4, 2; Ov. M. 3, 490; 10, 370: solane perpetua maerens carpere juventā? Verg. A. 4, 32: curā carpitur ista mei, Ov. A. A. 3, 680: aegra assiduo mens carpitur aestu, Val. Fl. 3, 305; Lucr. 9, 744; Sil. 15, 1: invidia carpit et carpitur unā, Ov. M. 2, 781; cf. Prop. 3 (4), 5, 3: non ego Tot tuos patiar labores carpere lividas Obliviones, to wear away, Hor. C. 4, 9, 33; cf.: otia corpus alunt, animus quoque pascitur illis; Inmodicus contra carpit utrumque labor, Ov. P. 1, 4, 21 sq.: aras etiam templaque demolitur et obscurat oblivio, neglegit carpitque posteritas, Plin. Pan. 55, 9: totum potest excedere quod potest carpi, Sen. N. Q. 2, 13, 2.
            So,
          3. (γ) In milit. lang., to inflict injury upon an enemy (esp. by single, repeated attacks), to weaken, harass: agmen adversariorum, Caes. B. C. 1, 63: hostes carpere multifariam vires Romanas, Liv. 3, 5, 1; 22, 32, 2; 27, 46, 6; cf. id. 3, 61, 13 infra; Weissenb. ad Liv. 22, 16, 2; Tac. A. 12, 32; Luc. 4, 156: novissimum agmen, Caes. B. C. 1, 78 fin.: novissimos, Liv. 8, 38, 6: extrema agminis, id. 6, 32, 11.
      2. 2. To separate a whole into single parts, to cut to pieces, divide (syn.: dividere, distribuere): neque semper utendum est perpetuitate, sed saepe carpenda membris minutioribus oratio est, Cic. de Or. 3, 49, 190: in multas parvasque partes carpere exercitum, Liv. 26, 38, 2: summam unius belli in multa proelia parvaque, id. 3, 61, 13: Erymanthus … ab accolis rigantibus carpitur, is drawn off into canals, Curt. 8, 9, 410.
        With a reference to the meaning
          1. (α) supra: si erunt plures qui ob innocentem condemnandum pecuniam acceperint, tu non animadvertes in omnis, sed carpes ut velis, et paucos ex multis ad ignominiam sortiere? distinguish, single out, Cic. Clu. 46, 129; cf.: in multorum peccato carpi paucos ad ignominiam, id. ib.
      3. 3. Viam, iter, etc., or with definite local substantives, terram, mare, litora, etc., to go, tread upon, pass over, navigate, sail along or through, to take or pursue one’s way (syn. ire): viam, Verg. A. 6, 629; Hor. S. 2, 6, 93; Ov. M. 8, 208; 11, 139: iter, Hor. S. 1, 5, 95; Ov. H. 18, 34; id. M. 2, 549; 10, 709: supremum iter = mori, Hor. C. 2, 17, 12: gyrum, to go in a circle, Verg. G. 3, 191: fugam, to fly, Sil. 10, 62; cf.: prata fugā, Verg. G. 3, 142: pede viam, Ov. A. A. 2, 230: pede iter, id. F. 3, 604: pedibus terras, pontum remis, Prop. 1, 6, 33: pede campos, Ov. Tr. 1, 10, 23: mare, id. M. 11, 752: litora, id. ib. 12, 196; 15, 507: aëra alis, id. ib. 4, 616; cf. Verg. G. 4, 311: aethera, Ov. M. 8, 219: carpitur acclivis per muta silentia trames, id. ib. 10, 53.