I. To dig downwards or deep; to dig up, to dig (rare): “scrobem in limine stabuli,” Col. 7, 5, 17: “specus,” Verg. G. 3, 376: “domos,” id. Cul. 273: “terram,” Hor. S. 1, 1, 42: “locum in altitudinem pedum quinque,” Plin. 31, 3, 27, § 46: “defosso lacu,” Suet. Caes. 39.—More freq.,
II. To bury in the earth (quite class.): homines defoderunt in terram dimidiatos, Cato ap. Gell. 3, 14, 19; Lucr. 5, 935; 1366; Liv. 8, 10 fin.: “thesaurum defossum esse sub lecto,” Cic. Div. 2, 65; cf. id. de Or. 2, 41: “cotem et novaculam in comitio,” Cic. Div. 1, 17, 33: “hospitem (necatum) in aedibus,” Plaut. Most. 2, 2, 51; 71: “lapidem in agro,” Ov. F. 2, 641 al.: “aliquem humo,” Ov. M. 4, 239; id. F. 6, 458.—
B. Transf., to hide, conceal, cover: “defodiet (aetas) condetque nitentia,” Hor. Ep. 1, 6, 25: “quae necessitas hominem defodit, ut erueret aurum,” Sen. N. Q. 5, 15, 3; Plin. 19, 1, 2, § 9: “se,” Sen. ad Marc. 2 fin.