ăbĭcĭo or abjĭc- (in the best MSS. abicio; cf. ăbĭci, Ov. P. 2, 3, 37; ăbĭcit, Juv. 15, 17), ĕre, jēci, jectum, 3, v. a. [ab-iacio], to cast away, to throw away, throw down.
I Lit.: in sepulcrum ejus abjecta gleba non est, Varr. L. L. 5, § 23 Müll.: scutum, Cic. Tusc. 2, 23: insigne regium de capite, id. Sest. 27, 58: socer ad pedes abjectus, id. ib. 34, 74; so, se ad pedes, id. Phil. 2, 34, 86: se e muro in mare, id. Tusc. 1, 34; so, corpus in mare, id. Phil. 11, 2, 5: impelluntur, feriuntur, abiciuntur, cadunt, id. Tusc. 2, 15, 36: se abjecit exanimatus, he threw himself down as if lifeless , id. Sest. 37.— Absol. : si te uret sarcina, abicito, throw it down , Hor. Ep. 1, 13, 7.—Also with in and abl., when the place from which a thing is thrown is designated: anulum in mari, Cic. Fin. 5, 30, 92 Madv. N. cr.; so, ut se abiceret in herba, id. de Or. 1, 7, 28: statuas in propatulo domi, Nep. Hann. 9, 3: cadaver in viā, Suet. Ner. 48; cf.: ubi cadaver abjeceris, Tac. A. 1, 22.
II Fig.
A In gen., to cast off , throw away , give up , etc.: ut primum tenebris abjectis inalbabat, as soon as the day , having dispelled the darkness , was beginning to brighten , Enn. Ann. v. 219 Vahl.: nusquam ego vidi abjectas aedīs, nisi modo hasce, thrown away , i.e. sold too low , Plaut. Most. 3, 3, 3: psaltria aliquo abiciendast, must be got rid off ( il faut se defaire d'elle , Dacier), Ter. Ad. 744: vitam, Cic. Att. 3, 19: salutem pro aliquo, id. Planc. 33: memoriam beneficiorum, id. Phil. 8, 11: versum, to declaim it carelessly , id. de Or. 3, 26 (cf. with id. ib. 3, 59: ponendus est ille ambitus, non abiciendus, the period must be brought gradually to a close , not broken off abruptly ).
B In partic.
1 To throw off , cast aside care for, remembrance of, etc., to give up , abandon : abicimus ista, we let that go , Cic. Att. 13, 3: fama ingenii mihi est abicienda, I must renounce , id. ib. 9, 16: domum Sullanam desperabam jam . . . sed tamen non abjeci, but yet I have not abandoned it , i. e. its purchase, id. Fam. 9, 15: abjectis nugis, nonsense apart , Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 141 (cf. amoto ludo, id. S. 1, 1, 27).
2 To cast down to a lower grade , to degrade , humble , Cic. Leg. 1, 9: hic annus senatus auctoritatem abjecit, degraded or lowered the authority of the Senate , id. Att. 1, 18; so also id. Tusc. 5, 18; id. de Or. 3, 26, 104.—Hence, abjectae res, reduced circumstances (opp. florentes), Nep. Att. 8; Cic. Quint. 30; Tac. A. 4, 68.
3 Abicere se, to throw one's self away , degrade one's self , v. Cic. Tusc. 2, 23: ut enim fit, etc.—Hence,
VIII abiectus , a, um, P. a., downcast , disheartened , desponding; low , mean , abject , worthless , unprincipled.
A Quo me miser conferam? An domum? matremne ut miseram lamentantem videam et abjectam? Gracch. ap. Cic. de Or. 3, 56, 214: plura scribere non possum, ita sum animo perculso et abjecto, Cic. Att. 3, 2.—
B Nihil abjectum, nihil humile cogitare, Cic. Fin. 5, 20: contemptum atque abjectum, id. Agr. 2, 34: verbis nec inops nec abjectus, id. Brut. 62, 222 al.— Comp. : animus abjectior, Cic. Lael. 16; Liv. 9, 6.— Sup. : animus abjectissimus, Quint. 11, 1, 13 al.—
XI Adv.: abiectē .
1 Dispiritedly , despondingly : in dolore est providendum, ne quid abjecte, ne quid timide, ne quid ignave faciamus, Cic. Tusc. 2, 23, 55; id. Phil. 3, 11, 28.—
2 Low , meanly : quo sordidius et abjectius nati sunt, Tac. Or. 8: incuriose et abjecte verbum positum, improperly , Gell. 2, 6, 1.