(v. a.P. a.) : abs-cīdo, cīdi, cīsum, 3, v. a.caedo
* To cut off with a sharp instrument (diff. from ab-scindo, to break or tear off as with the hand); the former corresponds to praecidere, the latter to avellere, v. Liv. 31, 34, 4 Drak.
* Lit.: caput,Cic. Phil. 11, 2, 5; Liv. 4, 19; Verg. A. 12, 511 al.; so, membra,Lucr. 3, 642: bracchium,Liv. 4, 28, 8: collum,Sil. 15, 473: dextram,Suet. Caes. 68: linguam,Plaut. Am. 2, 1, 7; Suet. Calig. 27 al.: comas alicui,Luc. 6, 568: truncos arborum et ramos,Caes. B. G. 7, 73, 2.
* Trop., to cut off, deprive of; to detract: spem (alicui),Liv. 4, 10, 4; 24, 30, 12; 35, 45, 6: orationem alicui,id. 45, 37, 9: omnium rerum respectum sibi,id. 9, 23, 12: omnia praesidia,Tac. H. 3, 78: vocem,Vell. 2, 66; cf. Quint. 8, 3, 85.—Absol.: quarum (orationum) alteram non libebat mihi scribere, quia abscideram,had broken off,Cic. Att. 2, 7.—Hence, abscīsus, a, um, P. a., cut off.
* Of places, steep, precipitous (cf. abruptus): saxum undique abscisum,Liv. 32, 4, 5; so id. 32, 25, 36: rupes,id. 32, 5, 12.
* Of speech, abrupt, concise, short: in voce aut omnino suppressā, aut etiam abscisā,Quint. 8, 3, 85; 9, 4, 118 Halm (al. abscissa): asperum et abscisum castigationis genus,Val. Max. 2, 7, 14: responsum,id. 3, 8, 3: sententia,id. 6, 3, 10; cf. in comp.: praefractior atque abscisior justitia,id. 6, 5, ext. 4.—Sup. prob. not used.—Adv.: abscīsē, cut off; hence, of speech, concisely, shortly, distinctly, Val. Max. 3, 7, ext. 6; Dig. 50, 6, 5, § 2.

s. TLL