labefacio

lăbĕfăcĭo, fēci, factum (labefactarier, Ter. Eun. 3, 3, 5), 3, v. a.; pass.: lăbĕfīo, factus, fieri [labo-facio], to cause to totter, to shake, loosen, to make ready to fall (Cic. uses only labefactus).

I.

Lit.:

dentes alicui,

Ter. Ad. 2, 2, 36:

partem muri,

Caes. B. C. 2, 22:

labefactae aedes,

Tac. A. 1, 75:

labefacta ictibus arbor Corruit,

Ov. M. 8, 776; id. ib. 3, 69:

charta (i. e. epistola) a vinclis non labefacta suis,

loosened, opened, id. P. 3, 7, 6:

munimenta incussu arietis labefieri,

Sen. Const. Sap. 6.— Poet.:

ignes labefacti aëre multo,

weakened, Lucr. 5, 653:

membra voluptatis dum vi labefacta liquescunt,

id. 4, 1108:

calor labefacta per ossa cucurrit,

Verg. A. 8, 390.—

II.

Trop.

A.

To cause to waver, to shake a person in his mind, principles, or fidelity: aliquem, Laber. ap. Macr. S. 2, 7:

quem nulla umquam vis, nullae minae, nulla invidia labefecit,

Cic. Sest. 47, 101. primores classiariorum, to shake their fidelity, excite them to mutiny, Tac. A. 15, 51:

sic animus vario labefactus vulnere nutat,

Ov. M. 10, 375; cf.

in Greek construction: magno animum labefactus amore,

shaken, disquieted, Verg. A. 4, 395. —

B.

To shake, weaken; to overthrow, ruin, destroy:

haec (res publica) jam labefacta,

Cic. Har. Resp. 27, 60:

quo, per contumeliam consulum, jura plebis labefacta essent,

Liv. 3, 64:

nihil hunc amicitia Sejani, sed labefacit haud minus ad exitia Macronis odium,

Tac. A. 6, 29 (35):

si priorem aetate et jam labefactum demovisset,

id. ib. 4, 60:

ne quis contagione ceteros labefaciat,

Col. 6, 5, 1; cf. Tac. H. 2, 93: fidem, to shake or weaken one's credit, Suet. Vesp. 4.