dif-fundo, fūdi, fūsum, 3, v. a., to spread by pouring, to pour out, pour forth (very freq. and class.).
I Lit.: (glacies) liquefacta se diffunderet, Cic. N. D. 2, 10: sanguis per venas in omne corpus diffunditur, id. ib. 2, 55, 138: (unda) diffunditur Hellesponto, Cat. 64, 359; cf.: tum freta diffundi jussit, to pour themselves forth , Ov. M. 1, 36: vinum de doliis, to draw off, bottle off; to fill , Col. 12, 28, 3; so of racking off wine, id. 3, 2, 26; Hor. Ep. 1, 5, 4 Krüg. ad loc.; Ov. F. 5, 517; Juv. 5, 30; Plin. 14, 14, 16, § 94 et saep.—
B Transf., of objects not liquid, to spread, scatter, diffuse : nitet diffuso lumine caelum, Lucr. 1, 9; 3, 22; cf.: luce diffusa toto caelo, Cic. N. D. 2, 37 fin. ; 2, 10, 26: ab ejus summo rami late diffunduntur, * Caes. B. G. 6, 26 fin. ; cf. under P. a. : dederatque comam diffundere ventis, Verg. A. 1, 319; so, comam, Ov. F. 3, 538; cf. capillos, id. H. 10, 47: signa (i. e. astra) caelo, Hor. S. 1, 5, 10: equitem latis campis, Verg. A. 11, 465.—Mid.: modo via coartatur, modo latissimis pratis diffunditur et patescit, opens , Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 3 et saep.: cibus in totas usque ab radicibus imis, per truncos ac per ramos, diffunditur, Lucr. 1, 354; cf.: partem vocum per aures, id. 4, 571: vim mali Herculeos per artus, Ov. M. 9, 162: medicamentum se diffudit in venas, Curt. 3, 6, 16: aethera late in omnes partes, Lucr. 5, 470: flammam in omne latus, Ov. M. 9, 239; 10, 24 et saep.
II Trop., to spread, diffuse, scatter : di vim suam longe lateque diffundunt, Cic. Div. 1, 36, 79; cf. in the part. perf. : error longe lateque diffusus, id. Fin. 2, 34, 115; so, late longeque, id. Leg. 1, 12, 34: laus alicujus late longeque diffusa, id. Balb. 5, 13: late et varie diffusus, id. Sest. 45, 97: flendo diffundimus iram, we moderate, temper , Ov. H. 8, 61: dolorem suum flendo, to give vent to , id. M. 9, 143: tantam oblivionem sensibus, Hor. Epod. 14, 1 et saep.—Mid.: Claudia nunc a quo diffunditur et tribus et gens Per Latium, spreads itself out, branches out , Verg. A. 7, 703: diffunditur mare iterumque contrahitur, Mart. Cap. 6, § 606: crede animam quoque diffundi multoque perire Ocius, et citius dissolvi in corpora, Lucr. 3, 437: affectus per totam actionem, Quint. 7, 10, 12: bella et paces longum in aevum, Hor. Ep. 1, 3, 8: haec in ora virum, Verg. A. 4, 195: animam in arma cruore, id. ib. 10, 908: crimen paucarum in omnes, Ov. A. A. 3, 9: prope in immensum oratio mea, Plin. Pan. 56, 2 et saep.: inde doctrina se diffudit per ceteras Graeciae partes, August. Serm. 150, 2.—
B In partic. (like dissolvere, solvere, remittere, etc., and opp. contrahere, adducere, etc.), with the accessory idea of non-restraint, freedom, qs, to let the heart, countenance, etc., flow freely, without constraint, i. e. to cheer up, gladden, exhilarate : diffundet animos omnibus ista dies, Ov. A. A. 1, 218; so, animos, id. M. 4, 766: vultum, id. Pont. 4, 4, 9; id. M. 14, 272; Sen. Ep. 106.—
2 Of the persons themselves: ut ex bonis amici quas diffundantur et incommodis contrahantur. Cic. Lael. 13 fin. : Jovem memorant, diffusum nectare, curas Seposuisse graves, Ov. M. 3, 318, imitated by Stat. S. 4, 2, 54; cf.: diffusus in risum, Petr. 10, 3; id. 71, 1 al.— Hence, diffūsus , a, um, P. a., spread abroad, spread out, extended, wide (a favorite expression of the post-Aug. prosaists).
A Lit.: platanus patulis diffusa ramis, Cic. de Or. 1, 7, 28; cf.: diffusiora consepta, Col. 1, 4, 7; Plin. 16, 16, 28, § 70; Mart. 3, 31: latior scena et corona diffusior, Plin. Ep. 7, 17, 9: sus (opp. angusta), stout, fat , Plin. 16, 6, 8, § 25.—
B Trop.: jus civile, quod nunc diffusum et dissipatum est, in certa genera coacturum, diffuse, prolix , Cic. de Or. 2, 33, 142; cf. Col. 11, 1, 10: opus diffusum, Plin. Ep. 3, 5, 6; and transf. to the writers: Diophanes totum Dionysium, per multa diffusum volumina, sex epitomis circumscripsit, id. 1, 1, 10: amplius ac diffusius meritum, Plin. Pan. 53, 3.—Adv.: diffūsē , in a scattered manner; copiously : res disperse et diffuse dictae unum in locum coguntur, Cic. Inv. 1, 52, 98; cf.: haec latius aliquando dicenda sunt et diffusius, more amply, more in full , id. Tusc. 3, 10, 22.— Sup. of the adj. and adv. do not occur.