dif-findo, fĭdi, fissum (also diffīsum), 3, v. a., to cleave asunder, to divide (rare but class.).
I Lit.: vitem mediam per medullam, Cato R. R. 41, 2: malos, Enn. ap. Non. 114, 7 (Ann. v. 389 ed. Vahl., where the read. is, as in Non., defindunt): ramum, Varr. R. R. 1, 40 fin. : terram, Lucr. 6, 584: saxum, Cic. Div. 1, 13 fin. : semen compressu suo (terra), id. de Sen. 15, 51: natem, Hor. S. 1, 8, 47: tempora plumbo, Verg. A. 9, 589; Suet. Gram. 11 et saep.— Poet.: urbium portas muneribus, i. e. to open , Hor. C. 3, 16, 13.—
2 Transf., with an abstr. object: conjunctionem duplicem in longitudinem, Cic. Univ. 7.—
II Trop.
A In gen.: equidem nihil hinc diffindere possum, I cannot cut off aught of this , i. e. I can refute or deny no part of it , Hor. S. 2, 1, 79: cuneus rigentem servi tenacitatem violenter diffinderet, to break by a bribe , Ap. Met. 9, 18, 19.—Esp. freq.,
B Diem, jurid. t. t., lit., to break off a matter, i. e. to put off to the following day, to defer (cf. differre), Dig. 2, 11, 2, § 3: triste omen diem diffidit, Liv. 9, 38, 15; Gell. 14, 2, 11.—*
2 Transf.: diem somno, to divide by taking a nap , Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 5.