I.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 omen diem diffidit, Liv. 9, 38, 15; Gell. 14, 2, 11.—*
