Lewis & Short

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dē-scisco, īvi or ĭi, ītum, 3, v. n., orig. a publicist’s t. t. to free one’s self from a connection with any one, to withdraw, leave, revolt from, = sciscendo deficere; and with an indication of the terminus, to desert to, go over to any one (class. prose).

  1. I. Prop.: multae longinquiores civitates ab Afranio desciscunt, Caes. B. C. 1, 60 fin.; so, ab aliquo, id. ib. 2, 32, 2; Cic. Phil. 11, 9, 21; Liv. 6, 36; Nep. Alc. 5, 1; id. Dat. 5, 5; Just. 5, 1 fin. et saep.: ad aliquem (opp. a nobis deficere), Liv. 31, 7; cf.: Praeneste ab Latinis ad Romanos descivit, id. 2, 19; and simply: ad aliquem, id. 26, 21; Front. Strat. 4, 3, 14 al.; cf. pass. impers.: quibus invitis descitum ad Samnites erat, Liv. 9, 16; and Flor. 3, 5, 6.
    Absol.: cum Fidenae aperte descissent, Liv. 1, 27; 21, 19; Tac. H. 1, 31; Suet. Caes. 68; Nep. Tim. 3, 1; id. Ham. 2, 2; Front. Strat. 1, 8, 6: Stat. Th. 2, 311 al.
  2. II. Transf. beyond the political sphere, to depart, deviate, withdraw from a person or thing; to fall off from, be unfaithful to: a nobis desciscere quaeres? Lucr. 1, 104: a se ipse, Cic. Att. 2, 4, 2: si Cicero a Demosthene paulum in hac parte descivit, Quint. 9, 4, 146: cur Zeno ab hac antiqua institutione desciverit, Cic. Fin. 4, 8; so, a pristina causa, id. Fam. 1, 9, 17 Orell. N. cr.: a veritate, id. Ac. 2, 15: a natura, id. Tusc. 3, 2: a disciplina, Vell. 2, 81: a virtute, id. 2, 1: a consuetudine parentum, Plin. Ep. 3, 20, 4 et saep.: a vita, to separate, sever one’s self, Cic. Fin. 3, 18, 61 (opp. manere in vita).
    Pass. impers.: praecipiti cursu a virtute descitum, ad vitia transcursum, Vell. 2, 1.
    Stating the terminus, to fall off to, decline to; to degenerate into: ab excitata fortuna ad inclinatam et prope jacentem, Cic. Fam. 2, 16; cf.: ad saevitiam, ad cupiditatem, Suet. Dom. 10: in regem (i. e. to degenerate, be transformed), Flor. 4, 3: in monstrum, id. 4, 11.
    1. B. Of subjects not personal: quis ignorat et eloquentiam et ceteras artes descivisse ab ista vetere gloria, Tac. Or. 28: (vitis) gracili arvo non desciscit, does not degenerate, Col. 3, 2, 13: semina, id. 3, 10, 18.