dī-vĭdo, vīsi, vīsum, 3 (perf. sync. divisse, Hor. S. 2, 3, 169), v. a. [root vidh-, to part, split; Sanscr. vidhyati, to penetrate, whence vidhava; Lat. vidua].
I To force asunder , part , separate , divide (very freq. and class.; cf.: distribuo, dispertio; findo, scindo, dirimo, divello, separo, sejungo, segrego, secerno).
A Lit.: Europam Libyamque rapax ubi dividit unda, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 20; and id. N. D. 3, 10: discludere mundum membraque dividere, Lucr. 5, 440; cf.: si omne animal secari ac dividi potest, nullum est eorum individuum, Cic. N. D. 3, 12: crassum aërem, id. Tusc. 1, 19 fin. (with perrumpere); cf. nubila, Hor. C. 1, 34, 6: muros, to break through , Verg. A. 2, 234: marmor cuneis, to split , Plin. 36, 5, 4, § 14; cf.: hunc medium securi, Hor. S. 1, 1, 100: mediam frontem ferro, Verg. A. 9, 751; also simply, insulam, for to divide into two parts , Liv. 24, 6.—Poet.: vagam caelo volucrem, i. e. to cleave , to shoot , Sil. 2, 90: sol ... in partes non aequas dividit orbem, Lucr. 5, 683; so Galliam in partes tres, Caes. B. G. 1, 1: vicum in duas partes flumine, id. ib. 3, 1, 6: civitatem Helvetiam in quatuor pagos, id. ib. 1, 12, 4: populum unum in duas partes, Cic. Rep. 1, 19; cf. Caes. B. G. 7, 32, 5; id. B. C. 1, 35, 3: divisi in factiones, Suet. Ner. 20 et saep.—
2 Transf.
a For distribuere, to divide among several , to distribute , apportion : praedam, Plaut. Rud. 4, 3, 72: argentum, id. Aul. 2, 2, 3: pecudes et agros, Lucr. 5, 1109; cf. agros, Cic. Rep. 2, 18: agrum viritim, id. Brut. 14, 57; cf.: bona viritim, id. Tusc. 3, 20, 48: munera, vestem, aurum, etc., Suet. Aug. 7 et saep.: nummos in viros, Plaut. Aul. 1, 2, 30: Thracia in Rhoemetalcen inque liberos Cotyis dividitur, Tac. A. 2, 67; cf. id. ib. 3, 38. So of distributing troops in any place: equitatum in omnes partes, Caes. B. G. 6, 43, 4: exercitum omnem passim in civitates, Liv. 28, 2; cf. id. 6, 3 fin. : Romanos in custodiam civitatium, id. 43, 19; cf. id. 37, 45 fin. ; cf. also: conjuratos municipatim, Suet. Caes. 14: agros viritim civibus, Cic. Rep. 2, 14; so with dat. (most freq.): agrum sordidissimo cuique, Liv. 1, 47; cf. id. 34, 32; Suet. Caes. 20 et saep.: tabellas toti Italiae, Cic. Sull. 15: praedam militibus, Sall. J. 91, 6: loca praefectis, Liv. 25, 30: duo praedia natis duobus, Hor. S. 2, 3, 169: oscula nulli, id. C. 1, 36, 6 et saep.; cf. in double construction: divisit in singulos milites trecenos aeris, duplex centurionibus, triplex equiti, Liv. 40, 59: inter participes praedam, Plaut. Pers. 5, 1, 5; so, inter se, id. Poen. 3, 5, 30; Nep. Thras. 1 fin. : per populum fumantia (liba), Ov. F. 3, 672; so, agros per veteranos, Suet. Dom. 9: dimidiam partem cum aliquo, Plaut. Aul. 4, 10, 37; so id. Am. 5, 1, 73; id. Stich. 5, 4, 15: praemia mecum, Ov. F. 4, 887.— Absol. : non divides (with dispertire), Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 4; so Liv. 44, 45; Ov. M. 13, 102 al.—
b In mercant. lang. like distrahere and divendere, to sell piecemeal , in parcels , to retail , Suet. Caes. 54; id. Ner. 26.—
c In mal. part., Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 4 Wagner; 7; cf. Petr. 11 Büch.—
B Trop.
1 In gen.: bona tripartito, Cic. Tusc. 5, 13 fin. : annum ex aequo, Ov. M. 5, 565: horas (bucina), Luc. 2, 689: tempora curarum remissionumque, Tac. Agr. 9: dignitatem ordinum, id. A. 13, 27: et explanare ambigua, Cic. Or. 32 fin. : idem genus universum in species certas partietur et dividet, id. ib. 33, 117; cf. of logical or rhet. division, id. Fin. 2, 9, 28; Quint. 3, 6, 37 et saep.: verba, to divide at the end of the line , Suet. Aug. 87: nos alio mentes, alio divisimus aures, Cat. 62, 15; cf.: animum nunc huc celerem, nunc dividit illuc, Verg. A. 4, 285.—
2 In partic.
a Sententiam, polit. t. t., to divide the question , i. e. to take the vote separately upon the several parts of a motion or proposition : divisa sententia est postulante nescio quo, Cic. Mil. 6, 14; id. Fam. 1, 2; Plin. Ep. 8, 14, 15; Sen. Ep. 21; id. Vit. Beat. 3. The expression used in requiring this was DIVIDE, Ascon. Cic. Mil. 6, 14.—
b (Acc. to A. 2. a.) To distribute , apportion : sic belli rationem esse divisam, ut, etc., Caes. B. C. 3, 17, 3: haec temporibus, Ter. And. 476; Just. Praef. § 3: ea (negotia) divisa hoc modo dicebantur, etc., Sall. C. 43, 2.—
c Pregn., to break up , dissolve , destroy = dissolvere: nostrum concentum, Hor. Ep. 1, 14, 31: ira fuit capitalis ut ultima divideret mors, id. S. 1, 7, 13: dividitur ferro regnum, Luc. 1, 109; cf.: dividimus muros, et moenia pandimus urbis, Verg. A. 2, 234.—
d To accompany , i. e. to share upon an instrument a song sung by a voice: grata feminis Imbelli cithara carmina divides, Hor. C. 1, 15, 15.
II To divide , separate , part from; to remove from (class.).
A Lit.: flumen Rhenus agrum Helvetium a Germanis dividit ... flumen Rhodanus provinciam nostram ab Helvetiis dividit, Caes. B. G. 1, 2, 3; 1, 8, 1; 5, 11, 9: Macedoniam a Thessalia, id. B. C. 3, 36, 3: Gallos ab Aquitanis, id. B. G. 1, 1, 2 al.: tota cervice desecta, divisa a corpore capita, Liv. 31, 34, 4: populum distribuit in quinque classes, senioresque a junioribus divisit, Cic. Rep. 2, 22: tam multa illa meo divisast milia lecto, Quantum, etc., Prop. 1, 12, 3; cf.: dextras miseris complexibus, Stat. Th. 3, 166: tuis toto dividor orbe rogis, Ov. P. 1, 9, 48: dividor (sc.: ab uxore) haud aliter, quam si mea membra relinquam, Ov. Tr. 1, 3, 73; cf. Prop. 1, 12, 10: (Italiam) Longa procul longis via dividit invia terris, separates , keeps distant , Verg. A. 3, 383; cf. id. ib. 12, 45: discedite a contactu ac dividite turbidos, Tac. A. 1, 43 fin. —
B Trop., to separate , distinguish : legem bonam a mala, Cic. Leg. 1, 16, 44: defensionem (opp. se comitem exitii promittebat), Tac. A. 3, 15. —
2 Transf., for distinguere (II.), to distinguish , decorate , adorn (very rare): qualis gemma micat, fulvum quae dividit aurum, Verg. A. 10, 134: scutulis dividere, Plin. 8, 48, 74, § 196.
XVIII —Hence, dīvīsus , a, um, P. a., divided , separated : divisior, Lucr. 4, 962.—Adv.
α dīvīse , distinctly , separately , Gell. 1, 22, 16; 7, 2 fin. ; Tert. Carn. Chr. 13.—
β dīvīsim , separately , Hier. Ep. 100, 14.