diffindo

dif-findo, fĭdi, fissum (also diffīsum), 3, v. a., to cleave asunder, to divide (rare but class.).

I.

Lit.:

vitem mediam per medullam,

Cato R. R. 41, 2: malos, Enn. ap. Non. 114, 7 (Ann. v. 389 ed. Vahl., where the read. is, as in Non., defindunt):

ramum,

Varr. R. R. 1, 40 fin.:

terram,

Lucr. 6, 584:

saxum,

Cic. Div. 1, 13 fin.:

semen compressu suo (terra),

id. de Sen. 15, 51:

natem,

Hor. S. 1, 8, 47:

tempora plumbo,

Verg. A. 9, 589; Suet. Gram. 11 et saep.— Poet.:

urbium portas muneribus,

i. e. to open, Hor. C. 3, 16, 13.—

2.

Transf., with an abstr. object:

conjunctionem duplicem in longitudinem,

Cic. Univ. 7.—

II.

Trop.

A.

In gen.: equidem nihil hinc diffindere possum, I cannot cut off aught of this, i. e. I can refute or deny no part of it, Hor. S. 2, 1, 79:

cuneus rigentem servi tenacitatem violenter diffinderet,

to break by a bribe, App. M. 9, p. 225.—Esp. freq.,

B.

Diem, jurid. t. t., lit., to break off a matter, i. e. to put off to the following day, to defer (cf. differre), Dig. 2, 11, 2, § 3: triste [p. 576] omen diem diffidit, Liv. 9, 38, 15; Gell. 14, 2, 11.—

* 2.

Transf.:

diem somno,

to divide by taking a nap, Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 5.