delibo

dē-lībo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a., to take off, take away a little from any thing; of food, to taste (class.).

I.

Lit.:

parvam delibet ab aequore partem,

Lucr. 6, 622:

aliquid membrorum,

Varr. R. R. 2, 2, 16:

truncum,

Col. 2, 2, 26:

paululum carnis,

Petr. 136, 1; cf. cenas (opp. edere), Favor. ap. Gell. 15, 8 fin. —

II.

Trop.

A.

To take, enjoy, pluck, gather: flos delibatus populi Suadaeque medulla, the picked flower of the people, Enn. ap. Cic. Brut. 15, 58:

ut omni ex genere orationem aucuper et omnes undique flosculos carpam atque delibem,

cull, Cic. Sest. 56:

ex universa mente divina delibatos animos habere,

id. de Sen. 21, 78:

novum honorem,

to taste, enjoy, Liv. 5, 12; cf.:

honores parcissime,

Plin. Pan. 54, 3: oscula, Verg. A. 12, 434; Phaedr. 4, 24, 8:

artes,

Ov. F. 1, 169:

omnia narratione,

to touch upon, Quint. 4, 2, 55; cf. Plin. Pan. 38; Suet. Aug. 94: delibor, I am ripe for plucking, i. e. about to die, Vulg. 2 Tim. 4, 6. —

B.

To take away, detract from, diminish:

neque úlla Res animi pacem delibat,

Lucr. 3, 24:

de laude jejuni hominis delibare quicquam,

Cic. Fam. 10, 21, 2:

aliquid de honestate,

id. Inv. 2, 58, 174:

de gloria sua,

id. ib. 2, 39, 115:

de virginitatis integritate,

Flor. 2, 6, 40; cf.:

castitatem virginis,

Val. Max. 9, 1, 2 ext.:

pudicitiam,

Suet. Aug. 68:

nec vitam ducendo demimus hilum Tempore de mortis nec delibare valemus,

Lucr. 3, 1088 al. — Poet., transf.:

Delibata deum per te tibi numina sancta Saepe oberunt,

disparaged, Lucr. 6, 70; cf.:

ille (Gracchus) nulla voce delibans insitam virtutem concidit tacitus,

Auct. Her. 4, 55, 68.