dis-turbo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a., to drive asunder, to separate by violence, to throw into disorder, disturb.
I Lit.
A In gen. (rarely): vidistis contionem gladiis disturbari, Cic. Mil. 33 fin. : sortes, id. Div. 1, 34 fin. : freta (Auster), Sen. Hippol. 1012. —Far more freq. and class. (but not in the Aug. poets),
B Pregn., to demolish , destroy (esp. freq. of buildings): aedes, Lucr. 2, 1102; so, domos, id. 6, 241: domum meam, Cic. Phil. 5, 7, 19: urbes, Lucr. 6, 587: porticum Catuli, Cic. Att. 4, 3 et saep.: ignis cuncta disturbat ac dissipat, id. N. D. 2, 15, 41: opera, * Caes. B. C. 1, 26, 1: si qua in vineis fossor disturbavit, Col. 11, 2, 38.—
II Trop., to frustrate , thwart , ruin : at nunc disturba quas statuisti machinas, Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 137: vitae societatem, Cic. Rosc. Am. 38, 111; cf. concordiam, Sall. H. Fragm. 1, 19 ed. Gerl. (Orat. L. Philippi); so, disturbare atque pervertere legem, Cic. Agr. 2, 37, 101: judicium tollere ac disturbare, id. Sull. 5, 15; cf. ib. 25, 71: rem, to hinder , prevent , id. Fam. 11, 21 fin. ; cf. nuptias, Ter. And. 182.