ab-rumpo

I. to break off something violently, to rend, tear, sever (poet.; seldom used before the Aug. per., only once in Cic., but afterw. by Verg., Ov., and the histt. often).

I. Lit.: vincla abrupit equus (transl. of the Homeric δεσμὸν ἀπορρήξας, Il. 6, 507), Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 3 (Ann. v. 509 Vahl.); so, nec Lethaea valet Theseus abrumpere caro vincula Pirithoo, * Hor. C. 4, 7, 27; cf. Verg. A. 9, 118: abrupti nubibus ignes, Lucr. 2, 214; cf. with the fig. reversed, in Verg.: ingeminant abruptis nubibus ignes, A. 3, 199: abrupto sidere, id. ib. 12, 451: plebs velut abrupta a cetero populo, Liv. 3, 19, 9.—

II. Trop.: (legio Martia) se prima latrocinio Antonii abrupit, Cic. Phil. 14, 12: abrumpere vitam, Verg. A. 8, 579; 9, 497; so later, abrumpere fata, Sen. Herc. Oet. 893, or, medios annos, Luc. 6, 610: abrumpere vitam a civitate, Tac. A. 16, 28 fin.: fas, Verg. A. 3, 55: medium sermonem, id. ib. 4, 388; cf. abruptus: omnibus inter victoriam mortemve abruptis, Liv. 21, 44, 8.—Hence, ab-ruptus, a, um, P. a., broken off from, separated, esp. of places, inaccessible, or difficult of access.

A. Lit., of places, precipitous, steep (syn.: praeceps, abscissus): locus in pedum mille altitudinem abruptus, Liv. 21, 36: (Roma) munita abruptis montibus, Plin. 3, 5, 9, § 67; Tac. A. 2, 23: petra undique abscissa et abrupta, Curt. 7, 11.—Also absol.: abruptum, i, n., a steep ascent or descent; cf. praeceps: vastos sorbet in abruptum fluctus, Verg. A. 3, 422.—

B. Trop., broken, disconnected, abrupt: Sallustiana brevitas et abruptum sermonis genus, Quint. 4, 2, 45: contumacia, Tac. A. 4, 20.— Comp., Plin. 11, 37, 51, § 138; Tert. adv. Marc. 1, 1.—Sup., Plin. Ep. 9, 39, 5.—Absol.: per abrupta, Tac. Agr. 42 fin. (cf. supra: abrupta contumacia).—Adv.: abruptē.

1. Lit., in broken manner, here and there: palantes flammarum ardores, Amm. 17, 7, 8.—

2. Trop., of conduct, hastily, inconsiderately, Just. 2, 15, 4; of discourse, Quint. 3, 8, 6; 4, 1, 79; also, Macr. Somn. Scip. 1, 19.—Comp., Amm. 20, 11.