I. To separate, divide, part.
A. Lit. (very rare, and almost exclusively poet.): “onus inclusum numero eodem,” Ov. M. 1, 47: “crinem docta manu,” i. e. to arrange, Sen. Troad. 884; cf. “meton.: caput acu,” Claud. Nupt. Hon. 284.—Of countries: “qui locus Bithyniam et Galatis,” Amm. 25, 10.—Far more freq. and class. (not in Caes.),
B. Trop., to distinguish, discriminate, = discernere.
1. In gen.: “ea (crimina) distinguere ac separare,” Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 41; cf. “with dividere,” id. Pis. 28, 69: “servos numero,” id. Caecin. 20; so, “cadentes guttas intervallis,” id. de Or. 3, 48, 186: “oratorum genera aetatibus,” id. Brut. 19: “status familiarum agnationibus,” id. Leg. 1, 7 fin.: “qua via ambigua distinguantur, ostendit,” id. Fin. 1, 7; id. Brut. 41, 152; id. Or. 4, 16; cf. “secernenda,” id. Top. 7, 31: “genera causarum,” Quint. 4, 2, 68 et saep.: “fortes ignavosque,” Tac. H. 3, 27: “veri similia ab incredibilibus dijudicare et distinguere,” Cic. Part. 40; cf.: “vera somnia a falsis,” id. Div. 2, 61: “Vargulam a Crasso,” id. de Or. 2, 60, 244: “artificem ab inscio,” id. Ac. 2, 7, 22: “voluntatem a facto,” Liv. 45, 24: “thesin a causa,” Quint. 3, 5, 11 et saep.: “vero falsum,” Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 29: “simiarum genera caudis inter se,” Plin. 8, 54, 80.—Pass. impers.: “quid inter naturam et rationem intersit, non distinguitur,” Cic. N. D. 3, 10, 26; cf.: malus arborem significet an hominem non bonum, apice distinguitur, Quint. 1, 7, 2: “nuntiatum Claudio perisse Messalinam, non distincto sua an aliena manu,” Tac. A. 11, 38.—
2. In partic.
(α).
In rhet. and gram., to mark the pauses in discourse, to punctuate: “puer ut sciat, quo loco versum distinguere debeat,” Quint. 1, 8, 1; cf.: “eam (orationem) distinguent atque concident,” id. 11, 2, 27; and: “incidit has (sc. voces) et distinxit in partes,” Cic. Rep. 3, 2 Mos.: “distinctio est silentii nota, etc.,” Diom. p. 432 P.—
II. To set off, decorate, adorn (most freq. in the P. a.).
A. Lit.: “racemos purpureo colore,” Hor. C. 2, 5, 11; so, “poma vario colore,” Ov. Nux, 31: “aurum gemmarum nitor,” Sen. Med. 573; cf. Plin. 37, 10, 62, § 171.—
B. Trop.: “orationem variare et distinguere quasi quibusdam verborum sententiarumque insignibus,” Cic. de Or. 2, 9, 36; “so of discourse,” id. Inv. 2, 15, 49 (with illustrare); id. de Or. 2, 13; Liv. 9, 17: “voluptatem (with variare),” Cic. Fin. 1, 11, 38; cf.: “coenam comoedis,” Plin. Ep. 3, 1, 9.—Hence, distinctus , a, um, P. a.
A. (Acc. to I.) Separated, separate, distinct: “urbs delubris distincta spatiisque communibus,” Cic. Rep. 1, 26: Romana acies distinctior, ex pluribus partibus constans, Liv. 9, 19: “Hesiodus circa CXX. annos distinctus ab Homeri aetate,” Vell. 1, 7: “concentus ex distinctis sonis,” Cic. Rep. 2, 42; cf. id. ib. 6, 18: “distinctos dignitatis gradus non habebat (civitas),” id. ib. 1, 27 fin.—
2. Of discourse, properly divided: “oratio,” Quint. 11, 3, 35. —
B. (Acc. to II.) Decorated, adorned: “pocula gemmis distincta,” Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 27: “distinctum et ornatum caelum astris,” id. N. D. 2, 37 fin.: “lyra gemmis et dentibus Indis,” Ov. M. 11, 167: “herbae innumeris floribus,” id. ib. 5, 266: “retia maculis,” id. H. 5, 19.—
2. Trop.: “oratio et ornata et artificio quodam et expolitione distincta,” id. de Or. 1, 12; “so of discourse,” Quint. 5, 14, 33; and transf., of the speaker himself: utroque genere creber et distinctus Cato, Cic. Brut. 17 fin.; cf. in comp., Tac. Or. 18.—Adv.: distincte .
1. (Acc. to I.) Distinctly, clearly: “articulatim distincteque dicere,” Cic. Leg. 1, 13, 36; id. Or. 28 fin.: “scribere,” id. Tusc. 2, 3, 7: “designare,” Plin. Pan. 88, 6.—In the comp.: “enuntiare,” id. Ep. 7, 13.— Sup.: “distinctissime persuadere,” Cassiod. Complex ad Ephes. 3.—
2. (Acc. to II.) Elegantly, handsomely: “qui distincte, qui explicate, qui abundanter, qui illuminate et rebus et verbis dicunt,” Cic. de Or. 3, 14, 53; cf. id. Off. 1, 1, 2: “distinctius,” Plin. Ep. 3, 1, 1.
