dif-findo, fĭdi, fissum (also diffīsum), 3
* V. a., to cleave asunder, to divide (rare but class.).
* 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.
* Transf., with an abstr. object: conjunctionem duplicem in longitudinem,Cic. Univ. 7.
* Trop.
* 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,App. M. 9, p. 225.—Esp. freq.
* 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.—*
* Transf.: diem somno,to divide by taking a nap,Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 5.

s. TLL