(verb) : dē-bello, āvi, ātum, 1, and
* A. (not ante-Aug.; esp. freq. in Livy).
* Neutr., to bring a war to an end, to finish a war. So rare in the act. form: Aulius cum Ferentanis uno secundo proelio debellavit,Liv. 9, 16; cf. id. Epit. 33; id. 44, 39 fin.; 35, 35. But exceedingly common as an impersonal: debellari eo die cum Samnitibus potuisse,Liv. 8, 36; cf. id. 4, 58: ne absente se debellaretur,id. 41, 18: proelioque uno debellatum est,id. 2, 26; 31, 48fin. Drak.; cf. id. 7, 28: debellatum est (erat, etc.),id. 2, 31; 3, 70; 9, 4 al.: debellatum foret,id. 23, 13; Tac. Agr. 26; id. H. 3, 19; Flor. 3, 5, 11 al.: debellatum iri,Liv. 29, 14; and in the part. perf. absol. debellato, after the war is ended (freq. in Livy): eum quasi debellato triumphare,Liv. 26, 21; so id. 29, 32; 30, 8 al.
* Act. (poet. and postAug.). *
* With a homogeneous object, to fight out: rixa super mero debellata,Hor. Od. 1, 18, 8.
* With heterog. object, to conquer completely, to vanquish, subdue: parcere subjectis et debellare superbos,Verg. A. 6, 853; gentem,id. ib. 5, 731: hostem clamore,Tac. Agr. 34: Darium,Plin. 6, 13, 16, § 41: Gallias,Suet. Ner. 43: Illyricum,id. Tib. 17: Indiam, * Ov. M. 4, 605; Vulg. Isa. 7, 1; 63, 10.
* Trop.: olim fugissemus ex Asia, si nos fabulae debellare potuissent,Curt. 9, 2, 15: debellat eos (fungos) et aceti natura,Plin. 22, 23, 47, § 99.

s. TLL