con-fercĭo, no perf., fertum, 4, v. a. [farcio],
I to stuff or cram together, to press close together (in verb. finit. very rare; in part. perf. and P. a. class.).
α Verb. finit. : ventus cum confercit, franguntur montes nimborum, Lucr. 6, 158: se (apes), Varr. R. R. 3, 16, 35: myrrham in follis, Plin. 12, 15, 35, § 68.—
β Part. perf. : viā sibi inter confertas naves factā, Liv. 37, 11, 13: quo magis astu Confertos ita acervatim mors accumulabat, Lucr. 6, 1263; cf.: agrestem in arta tecta, Liv. 3, 6, 3.
IV —Hence, confer-tus , a, um, P. a.; lit., pressed together; hence,
A Pressed close, crowded, thick, dense (opp. rarus): caeruleum spumat sale confertā rate pulsum, Enn. ap. Prisc. 5, p. 659 P. (Ann. v. 379 Vahl.): tune inane quicquam putes esse, cum ita completa et conferta sint omnia, ut, etc., Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 40, 125: plures simul conferti, Liv. 29, 34, 12: in confertā multitudine, * Suet. Tib. 2: agmen, Verg. G. 3, 369 (conjunctum, Serv.): moles, Tac. A. 4, 62.—Esp.,
2 In milit. lang., of the close, compact order of battle: ut numquam conferti, sed rari magnisque intervallis proeliarentur, Caes. B. G. 5, 16: acies, Auct. B. Afr. 13; Liv. 10, 29, 6; 42, 59, 5; Tac. A. 6, 35; 14, 36; Verg. A. 2, 347.— Comp. , Liv. 9, 27, 9.— Sup. , Caes. B. G. 1, 24; 2, 23: hostes, Sall. C. 60, 7: turba, Liv. 2, 12, 6; Sall. J. 98, 1: turmatim et quam maxume confertis equis Mauros invadunt, id. ib. 101, 4: conferto gradu inrupere, Tac. A. 12, 35.—
B With abl., stuffed, filled full, full : ingenti turbā conferta deorum templa, Liv. 45, 2, 7.—Trop.: otiosa vita, plena et conferta voluptatibus, Cic. Sest. 10, 23; so id. Tusc. 3, 19, 44; id. Fin. 2, 20, 64: cibo, id. Cat. 2, 5, 10; * Quint. 5, 14, 27: legio conferta maniplis, Sil. 7, 390.—* Adv.: confertē , in acc. with A. 2. (for the more usual confertim, q. v.), in a compact body; only comp. : confertius resistentes, Amm. 24, 7, 7.