Lewis & Short

con-fūto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [futo, v. intens. from foveo], to check or repress a boiling liquid, to suppress, restrain, check.

  1. I. Prop.: cocus magnum ahenum quando fervit, paulā confutat truā, Titin. ap. Non. p. 87, 13 (Com. Rel. v. 128 Rib.); cf. Varr. ib. p. 87, 11.
    Hence (far more freq.),
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen., to repress, diminish, impede, destroy, put to silence: nostras secundas res, Cato ap. Gell. 7, 3, 14: maximos dolores inventorum suorum memoriā et recordatione, Cic. Tusc. 5, 31 88: audaciam, id. Part. Or. 38, 134.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. To put down by words, to put to silence, confute (so class.): sensus judjcum imperiosis comminationibus, Tiro ap. Gell. 7, 3, 13: ego istos, qui nunc me culpant, confutaverim, Plaut. Truc. 2, 3, 28: iratum senem verbis, Ter. Phorm. 3, 1, 13; cf. dictis, id. Heaut. 5, 1, 76.
      2. 2. To refute, confute, disprove, answer conclusively: hunc tactum confutabunt nares? Lucr. 4, 488: argumenta Stoicorum, Cic. Div. 1, 5, 8: opinionis levitatem, id. N. D. 2, 17, 45: ut verba magnifica rebus confutaret, Liv. 37, 10, 2: suo sibi argumento confutatus est, Gell. 5, 10, 16.
      3. 3. In late Lat., to convict, Cod. Th. 11, 8, 1.
        With inf.: nocuisse quibusdam, Amm. 26, 3, 1: tot suscepisse labores et pericula, id. 17, 9, 5.