coepio

coepĭo, coepi, coeptum, 3 (the tempp. press. only a few times in the ante-class. period, and coepturus, Liv. 30, 5, 6; 42, 47, 3; Quint. 10, 1, 46; Plin. 16, 25, 41, § 98; Suet. Calig. 46; the tempp. perff., both in act. and pass. form, very freq.;

a trisyl. coëpit,

Lucr. 4, 619 Lachm. N. cr. ), v. a. and n. [contr. from co-ăpio = apo; hence coapias for coepias in Cod. Ambros.; Plaut. Trin. 4, 3, 46; v. in the foll., and cf. Lachm. ad Lucr. 2, p. 248], lit. to lay hold of something on different sides, to lay hold of; hence of an action, to begin, commence, undertake ( = incipio, which is the class. pres.).

I.

Act.

1.

Tempp. press.: coepiam seditiosa verba loqui, Cato ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 59, 10 Müll. lubido extemplo coepere est convivium, Plaut. Pers. 1, 3, 41:

mage si exigere coepias,

id. Trin. 4, 3, 46 Ritschl N. cr.:

neque pugnas neque ego lites coepio,

id. Men. 5, 5, 57:

ubi nihil habeat, alium quaestum coepiat,

id. Truc. 2, 1, 23: mane coepiam, Caecil. ap. Non. p. 89, 17: non Prius olfecissem, quam ille quicquam coeperet, Ter. Ad. 3, 3, 43 Fleck.; cf.

Neue, Formenl. 2, 616: se Hasdrubalem adgressurum, ceterum non ante coepturum, quam, etc.,

Liv. 30, 5, 6:

nos rite coepturi ab Homero videmur,

Quint. 10, 1, 46:

nemine opinante quidnam coepturus esset,

Suet. Calig. 46.—

2.

Tempp. perff. act.; the object usu. an inf.; so always in Cic. and Cæs.; mostly an inf. act.; rarely pass.; sometimes the acc. of a noun or pronoun.

(α).

With inf. act.:

cum ver esse coeperat,

Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 10, § 27; Ov. A. A. 1, 615 sq.:

discere coepit, Enn. Ann. ap. Fest. s. v. sam, p. 325, 24 Müll. (v. 228 Vahl.): amare coepi,

Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 20:

oppugnare,

Caes. B. G. 2, 6:

ire foras coeperunt,

Lucr. 4, 531:

coeperit inter se vesci, etc.,

id. 5, 72 et saep.—

(β).

With inf. pass. (in the poets and histt.):

per terrarum orbem fruges coepisse creari,

Lucr. 2, 614:

alia hujuscemodi fieri coepere,

Sall. C. 51, 40:

cum Lacedaemoniis pugnari coepit,

Nep. Epam. 10, 3; so,

urbanus haberi,

Hor. Ep. 1, 15, 27:

verti,

id. ib. 2, 1, 149:

institui,

id. A. P. 21:

moveri,

Ov. M. 3, 106; Suet. Tib. 75:

expleri,

id. Caes. 26:

eligi,

Tac. H. 1, 16:

occidi,

id. ib. 3, 34:

prohiberi,

Just. 14, 5, 9: coeptum est fieri, Auct. B. Afr. 69; 78; Liv. 24, 49, 4; 25, 34, 13; 27, 42, 5.—

(γ).

With acc. (rare in prose; cf. B. infra): coepit cursum, Att. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 22, 45:

novam mapalibus urbem,

Sil. 15, 420:

cur non ego id perpetrem, quod coepi?

Plaut. Cas. 3, 5, 57:

si quicquam hodie hic turbae coeperis,

Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 30:

quae coeperamus,

Quint. 6, prooem. 15:

hujuscemodi orationem,

Tac. A. 4. 37:

(Sabinus) obsidium coepit per praesidia,

id. ib. 4, 39.—

(δ).

Absol.:

nam primum... Non coepisse fuit: coepta expugnare secundum est,

Ov. M. 9, 619:

dimidium facti, qui coepit, habet,

Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 40:

Titus Livius hexametri exordio coepit,

Quint. 9, 4, 74; cf. id. 9, 4, 117:

si coepisset a toto corpore,

id. 9, 4, 23; cf. id. 7, 1, 2; 8, 6, 50:

pro vallo castrorum ita coepit (sc. dicere),

Tac. H. 1, 36:

Civilis ita coepit,

id. ib. 5, 26; id. A. 1, 41; 2, 37.—

(ε).

With an ellipsis for dicere coepi, to begin to speak:

ita coepit tyrannus,

Liv. 34, 31, 1; 39, 15, 2:

coram data copia fandi, Maximus Ilioneus placido sic pectore coepit,

Verg. A. 1, 521; 6, 372:

tum ita coepit: numquam mihi, etc.,

Liv. 28, 27, 1; Tac. A. 1, 41 fin.:

ad hunc modum coepit,

id. ib. 2, 37; id. H. 1, 36 fin.; Phaedr. 4, 23, 2.—

B.

Pass. in the tempp. perff. and with the inf. pass. (cf. Zumpt, Gram, §

221): jure coepta appellari est Canis,

Plaut. Men. 5, 1, 18:

ante petitam esse pecuniam, quam esset coepta deberi,

Cic. de Or. 1, 37, 168; id. Div. 2, 2, 7; id. Brut. 67, 236; 88, 301; id. Verr. 2, 3, 90, § 209; 2, 5, 4, § 9; id. Fam. 13, 29, 1; id. Att. 3, 15, 5; 6, 1, 3; Liv. 1, 57, 3; 2, 1, 4; 3, 38, 2;

9, 7, 7: quae (res) inter eos agi coeptae, neque perfectae essent,

Caes. B. G. 1, 47; 4, 18:

bello premi sunt coepti,

Nep. Timoth. 3, 1; Cat. 95, 2.—With inf. act.:

mitescere discordiae intestinae coeptae,

Liv. 5, 17, 10; cf. Weissenb. ad loc.— Hence, coeptus, a, um, Part., begun, commenced, undertaken. consilium fraude coeptum, Liv. 35, 36, 5:

coeptum atque patratum bellum foret,

Sall. J. 21, 2:

jussis Carmina coepta tuis,

Verg. E. 8, 12; so,

coepti fiducia belli,

id. A. 2, 162; Liv. 35, 23, 1:

amor,

Ov. H. 17, 189:

iter,

id. F. 1, 188:

arma,

Tac. H. 2, 6; 4, 61:

coeptam deinde omissam actionem repetere,

id. ib. 4,44:

dies,

id. A. 4, 25 (cf. infra II.):

luce,

id. ib. 1, 65;

15, 55: nocte,

id. ib. 2, 13:

hieme,

id. ib. 12, 31. —Hence, subst.: coeptum, i, n., a work begun, a beginning, undertaking (most freq. after the Aug. per. and in the plur.; perh. never in Cic.;

also not in Hor.): ut repetam coeptum pertexere dictis,

Lucr. 1, 418:

nec taedia coepti Ulla mei capiam,

Ov. M. 9, 616:

coepti paenitentia,

Quint. 12, 5, 3; Suet. Oth. 5:

manus ultima coepto Defuit,

Ov. Tr. 2, 555: ne audaci coepto deessent; Liv. 42, 59, 7; cf. Verg. G. 1, 40:

feroci,

Sil. 11, 202.—With adv.:

bene coepto,

Liv. 45, 15, 7:

bene coepta,

Vell. 2, 14; and:

temere coepta,

Liv. 36, 15, 2.— Plur.:

coeptis meis,

Ov. M. 1, 2:

nostris,

id. ib. 9, 486:

immanibus,

Verg. A. 4, 642 al. —Without adj., Ov. M. 8, 67; 8, 463; Liv. 23, 35, 16; 23, 41, 4; 24, 13, 4; Tac. H. 2, 85; 3, 52; Suet. Ner. 34; id. Vesp. 6 et saep.—

II.

Neutr., to begin, take a beginning, commence, originate, arise (most freq. since the Aug. per.; not in Cic.): neve inde navis incohandae exordium coepisset, Enn. ap. Auct. Her. 2, 22, 34 (Trag. Rel. v. 282 Vahl.):

sic odium coepit glandis,

Lucr. 5, 1416:

post, ubi silentium coepit... verba facit, etc.,

Sall. J. 33, 4:

cum primum deditio coepit,

id. ib. 62, 7:

ubi dies coepit,

id. ib. 91, 4 (cf. supra, I. 2. d):

vere coepturo,

Plin. 16, 25, 41, § 98:

postquam apud Cadmiam pugna coepit,

Nep. Epam. 10, 3; so,

pugna,

Liv. 2, 6, 10; Quint. 2, 4, 42; 9, 4, 50; cf. id. 9, 4, 55:

quando coeperit haec ars,

id. 2, 17, 8:

obsidium coepit per praesidia,

Tac. A. 4, 49:

a quo jurgium coepit,

Quint. 5, 10, 72; so with ab, Tac. H. 2, 47; and with ex, id. A. 15, 54 and 68; cf.:

quibus, uti mihi, ex virtute nobilitas coepit,

Sall. J. 85, 17.