discepto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [dis and capio].
I Jurid. t. t. (lit., to seize hold of and separate; hence, to stop the dispute), to decide, determine, judge a controversy, = dijudicare (cf.: dissero, disputo; good prose, but rare): res juste sapienterque, Cic. Mil. 9: hanc causam si in foro dicerem eodem audiente et disceptante te, id. Deiot. 2, 6; cf.: ipso exercitu disceptante, Liv. 5, 4: jus dicebat disceptabatque controversias, id. 41, 20; cf.: controversias inter se jure ac judicio, aut ... bello, id. 38, 38 fin. : inter populum Carthaginiensem et regem in re praesenti, id. 34, 62 fin. : inter amicos, Plin. Ep. 7, 15, 2. al.: FETIALES BELLA DISCEPTANTO, i. e. to decide between peace and war , Cic. Leg. 2, 9.—*
B Beyond the judic. sphere: cum Academici eorum controversias disceptarent, Cic. Tusc. 4, 3, 6.—Far more freq.,.
II Transf., of the parties themselves: to debate, dispute, discuss, strive .
α With de : de controversiis jure apud se potius, quam inter se armis disceptare, Caes. B. G. 3, 107 fin. ; cf.: de controversiis suis jure potius quam bello, Sall. J. 21 fin. ; and see under β: non de aliquo crimine sed de publico jure, Cic. Balb. 28, 64; cf.: de foederum jure verbis, Liv. 21, 19: de jure vectigalium, id. 34, 62: de cunctis negotiis inter se, Sall. J. 11, 2 al.—Ellipt.: damni (i. e. de actione damni) disceptare, Dig. 48, 19, 28, § 12.— Pass. impers. : quanto periculo de jure publico disceptaretur armis, Cic. Fam. 4, 14, 2; 6, 1, 5: quorum de re, id. de Or. 2, 43, 183: de omnibus condicionibus, Caes. B. C. 1, 24 fin. : de agro cum regis legatis, Liv. 34, 62 al.—With ob : ob rem pecuniariam cum aliquo, Tac. A. 6, 5.—With ad : ad aliquem, Liv. 8, 23.—
β Absol. : erat non jure, non legibus, non disceptando decertandum, Cic. Planc. 36; so, cum palaestritis aequo jure, id. Verr. 2, 2, 15; cf.: jure potius quam bellum gerere, Hirt. B. G. 8, 55 fin. : armis, Tac. A. 2, 65.— Pass. impers. : ut coram imperatore, sicut inter Marcellum Siculosque disceptatum fuerat, disceptaretur, Liv. 26, 33; cf. id. 38, 35.— Abl. absol. : multum invicem disceptato, Tac. A. 15, 14.—*
B With inanimate subjects: in uno proelio omnis fortuna rei publicae disceptat, depends upon, is at stake , Cic. Fam. 10, 10.