Lewis & Short

dī-dūco, xi, ctum, 3, v. a., to draw apart; to part, split, separate, sever, sunder, divide (class.).

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen.: ventus eas (sc. nubes) leviter diducit, Lucr. 6, 215: cum compresserat digitos pugnumque fecerat … cum autem diduxerat et manum dilataverat, etc., Cic. Or. 32, 113; of the graceful movements of the arms in dancing: molli diducit candida gestu brachia, Prop. 3, 15, 5 (Müll. al. deducit): candida seu molli diducit brachia motu, Stat. S. 3, 5, 66; cf. oculum, Cels. 7, 7, 4: supercilium volnere diductum, Plin. 11, 37, 57, § 157: pedem et crus in diversa, Cels. 8, 22: os, Plin. 32, 4, 14, § 36: nares, Quint 11, 3, 80: labra, ib. 81: fauces immani hiatu, to stretch, Sil. 3, 194: rictum risu, Hor. S. 1, 10, 7 et saep.: nodos manu, Ov. M. 2, 560; cf.: complexus vestros, Prop. 1, 13, 19: humum, Ov. M. 8, 588; cf.: arva et urbes, Verg. A. 3, 419: terram, id. G. 2, 354: scopulos (Hannibal), Juv. 10, 153; cf. of natural cleavings of the earth, Tac. A. 2, 47; 12, 69: cibum, i. e. to digest = digerere, Cels. 3, 4 fin.; v. the foll.: mixti neque inter se diducti colores, Cels. 2, 8 et saep.
      With in: crudam materiam in corpus omne diduci, Cels. praef.: maxima flumina in rivos diducuntur, Quint. 5, 13, 13; cf.: domum in multos diductam recessus, id. 11, 2, 18.
    2. B. In partic. milit. t. t., to separate the forces, in a good or (more freq.) in a bad sense; to divide, distribute; to disperse, scatter: diductis nostris paullatim navibus, Caes. B. C. 2, 6, 2: instruunt aciem diductam in cornua, Liv. 5, 38, 1 Drak.; cf.: diducta propere in cornua levis armatura est, id. 21, 55, 5: diductis in latera viribus, Front. Strat. 2, 3, 8 Oud.: ordines, id. ib. 2, 3, 12; 2, 6, 4: copias, Caes. B. C. 3, 111, 2: cornua, Liv. 31, 21, 14: robur, Luc. 3, 584 Cort.; and poet.: choros, Verg. A. 5, 581: ubi Crassus animadvertit, suas copias propter exiguitatem non facile diduci, Caes. B. G. 3, 23, 7; 6, 34, 5; id. B. C. 3. 40, 2; Sall. J. 25, 9; Liv. 26, 41; Tac. A. 2, 11; 4, 2; Front. Strat. 4, 7, 31 et saep.
  2. II. Trop. (mostly post-Aug.): cum diducaris ab eo, quicum libentissime vixeris, Cic. Inv. 1, 55 fin.; cf.: amicitias cohaerentes, Sen. de Ira, 2, 29: nuptias, id. Contr. 2, 13; cf. matrimonium, Suet. Oth. 3; and: si repudio diducta fuerit, Sen. Contr. 2, 10: diducta civitas ut civili bello, divided into parties, Tac. A. 4, 17; cf. below: in sterili jejunaque materia, eandem speciem laudis diducere ac spargere, Plin. Pan. 66, 1; cf. argumenta, Quint. 4, 2, 82; 5, 13, 12: nomina, id. 6, 3, 17 Spald.: litem domini et conductoris, i. e. to settle, adjust, Col. 3, 13, 12 et saep.
    With in: assem in partes centum, Hor. A. P. 326: in tres partes medicina diducta est, Cels. praef.: haec omnia rursus in species, Quint. 2, 14, 5; cf. id. 5, 10, 61; 94 al.: divisionem in digitos, to tell off on one’s fingers, id. 4, 5, 24 (coupled with partiri); cf. argumenta, id. 11, 1, 53: animum in tam multiplex officium, id. 20, 7, 9: ultio senatum in studia diduxerat, Tac. H. 4, 6; 2, 68; cf.: seditio in diversa consilia diduxerat vulgum, Curt. 9, 1; of classification, to divide: in tres partes medicinam, Cels. praef.