dī-mĭco, āvi (e. g. dimicavere, Vell. 2, 85, 1; dimicaverant, Caes. B. C. 2, 4, 3; dimicassent, Vell. 2, 85, 5 al.; dimicuisse, Ov. Am. 2, 7, 2; 2, 13, 28), ātum, 1, v. n., lit., to brandish one's weapons against the enemy, i. e. to fight, struggle, contend (freq. and class.).
I Lit.: manum conserere atque armis dimicare, Caes. B. C. 1, 20, 4: armis cum aliquo, Nep. Milt. 1, 2: ferro pro patria, Liv. 1, 24: acie cum aliquo, id. 2, 49 fin. ; for which: in acie, Caes. B. G. 7, 64, 2: proelio, id. ib. 5, 16, 2; 6, 31, 1 al.: equitatu, Nep. Eum. 3 fin. : adversus aliquem, Nep. Milt. 4 fin. : pro legibus, pro libertate, pro patria, Cic. Tusc. 4, 19 et saep.: tuto dimicare, Caes. B. G. 3, 24, 2; so absol. , id. ib. 2, 21, 5; 3, 17 fin. et saep.— Pass. impers. : ancipiti proelio dimicatur, Caes. B. C. 3, 63, 3; so, proelio, id. ib. 1, 41, 3; 3, 72, 3 al.; and without proelio, id. B. G. 5, 16, 1; id. B. C. 3, 85, 3; Cic. Off. 1, 12, 38; cf.: in mortem dimicabatur, Vell. 2, 85, 4 al.—In partic. of gladiatorial combats, Suet. Caes. 26; 39; id. Calig. 27; 30; Plin. 8, 7, 7, § 18 al.—
b With an abstr. subject: leonum feritas inter se non dimicat, Plin. H. N. 7 prooem. § 5.
II Transf. beyond the milit. sphere, to struggle, to strive, to contend : omni ratione erit dimicandum, ut, etc., Cic. Div. ap. Caecil. 22, 72: dimicantes competitores, Liv. 6, 41: de sua potentia periculo civitatis, Cic. Att. 7, 3; esp. with the accessory idea of risk, hazard: reos, de capite, de fama, de civitate, de fortunis, de liberis dimicantes (for which, shortly before: qui auderent se et salutem suam in discrimen offerre ), Cic. Sest. 1: de honore et gloria (for which, shortly before: de vita, de gloria in discrimen vocantur ), id. Off. 1, 24, 83: de vita gloriae causa, id. Arch. 10, 23; cf.: de vita, id. ib. 11 fin. ; Liv. 24, 26: de omnibus fortunis reip., Pompei. ap. Cic. Att. 8, 12 D.: de fama, Nep. Timo th. 4, 3: de liberis, Liv. 3, 44 fin. ; and: de repulsa, i. e. at the risk of one , id. 6, 40; cf. also without de : ut in singulas horas capite dimices tuo, Liv. 2, 12 (in Cic. Fin. 2, 17, 56, the reading is dubious, v. Madv. ad h. l.).—
b In Tertullian, borrowed from the lang. of gladiators (v. supra, no. I.): ad hanc jam lineam dimicabit nostra congressio, Tert. Pudic. 6; id. adv. Marc. 1, 7.