Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

dis-cerpo, psi, ptum, 3, v. a. [carpo], to pluck or tear in pieces, to rend, to mangle (class.).

  1. I. Lit.: animus nec secerni nec dividi nec discerpi nec distrahi potest, Cic. Tusc. 1, 29, 71; cf. id. N. D. 1, 11, 27: inter orgia Bacchi discerptum iuvenem sparsere per agros, Verg. G. 4, 522: aliquem, Liv. 1, 16; Suet. Caes. 17: semiustum cadaver (canes), id. Dom. 15: membra gruis, Hor. S. 2, 8, 86 et saep.: in parvas partīs aurum, Lucr. 2, 829; Vulg. Judic. 4, 6 al.
    1. B. Transf., to scatter, disperse, destroy: quae cuncta aërii discerpunt irrita venti, Cat. 64, 142; cf. Verg. A. 9, 313.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen.: divulsa et quasi discerpta contrectare, Cic. de Or. 3, 6, 24: rem quae proposita est, quasi in membra, id. Top. 5, 28.
    2. B. In partic. (like carpo, II. B.; concerpo, II.), to tear in pieces with words, to revile: me infestis dictis, Cat. 66, 73; cf.: lacerare carmina, Ov. P. 4, 16, 1.