carpo, psi, ptum, 3 [cf.: rapio, ἁρπάζω, καρπός; Engl. grab, grip, grasp].
I 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).
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.—
B Esp.
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. 591: 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 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.
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.—
B Esp.
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.—
b In a bad sense.
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.—
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,
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 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
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 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.