I.v. a., to break or dash to pieces; to break, burst asunder (rare but class.).
I. Lit.: “tabulā caput,” Plaut. Bacch. 3, 3, 37: “ne medius disrumpar miser,” id. Curc. 2, 1, 7: “cum se in nubem induerint (venti) ejusque tenuissimam quamque partem coeperint dividere atque disrumpere,” Cic. Div. 2, 19, 44: “imagines,” Tac. H. 1, 55: homo diruptus, i. e. that has a rupture (c. c. dirutus), Cic. Phil. 13, 12.—In an obscene sense, Plaut. Cas. 4, 3, 11 al.—
II. Trop.
A. To break off, sunder, sever: “amicitias exorsa aliqua offensione dirumpimus,” Cic. Lael. 22 fin.; cf.: “humani generis societatem,” id. Off. 3, 5, 21: “regnum,” Vulg. 3 Reg. 11, 11.—And in a figure borrowed from a play (in which two persons tugged at the ends of a rope until it broke, or one of them fell to the ground): “cave dirumpatis, i. e. the rope or thread of your recollection,” Plaut. Poen. prol. 117.— Esp. freq.,
B. Pass. in colloquial lang., to burst with envy, etc.: “unum omnia posse dirumpuntur ii qui, etc.,” Cic. Att. 4, 16, 10; cf.: “infinito fratris tui plausu dirumpitur,” id. Fam. 12, 2, 2: “dirumpor dolore,” id. Att. 7, 12, 3; cf. “risu,” App. M. 3, p. 130, 3.—Once act.: dirupi me paene, I nearly burst myself with earnest speaking, Cic. Fam. 7, 1, 4.
