dē-fŏdĭo, fōdi, fossum, 3, v. a.
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.