Lewis & Short

dif-fĕro, distŭli, dīlātum, differre (inf. differrier, Lucr. 1, 1088. In tmesi: disque tulissent, Plaut. Trin. 4, 1, 14), v. a. and n.

  1. I. Act., to carry different ways; to spread abroad, scatter, disperse, separate (cf.: reicere, proferre, procrastinare, producere, ampliare, prorogare—class.).
    1. A. Lit.: scintillas agere ac late differre favillam, Lucr. 2, 675; cf.: favillam longe (ventus), id. 6, 692: nubila (vis venti), id. 1, 273; Verg. G. 3, 197: ignem (ventus), Caes. B. C. 2, 14, 2: casae venti magnitudine ignem distulerunt, id. B. G. 5, 43, 2: majorem partem classis (vis Africi), Vell. 2, 79, 2: rudentes fractosque remos (Eurus), Hor. Epod. 10, 6 et saep.; cf. Plaut. Trin. 4, 1, 14: nos cum scapha tempestas dextrovorsum Differt ab illis, id. Rud. 2, 3, 39; cf. Lucr. 1, 1088: cytisum, to plant apart, in separate rows = disserere, digerere, Varr. R. R. 1, 43; Col. 11, 3, 30 sq.; 38; 42 al.; cf.: ulmos in versum, Verg. G. 4, 144: ut formicae frustillatim (te) differant, Plaut. Curc. 4, 4, 20; cf.: insepulta membra (lupi), Hor. Epod. 5, 99; and: Mettum in diversa (quadrigae), Verg. A. 8, 643.
    2. B. Trop.
      1. 1. To distract, disquiet, disturb a person (only ante-class.): vorsor in amoris rota miser, Exanimor, feror, differor, distrahor, diripior, Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 5: differor clamore, id. Ep. 1, 2, 15: cupidine ejus, id. Poen. 1, 1, 28; cf.: amore istius, id. Mil. 4, 4, 27: laetitia, id. Truc. 4, 1, 3: doloribus, Ter. Ad. 3, 4, 40.
        Less freq. act.: aliquem dictis, to confound, Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 125; cf. Ter. And. 2, 4, 5 Ruhnk.
      2. 2. To spread abroad, publish, divulge; with a personal object, to cry down, to defame (mostly anteclass. and post-Aug.; not in Cic., Caes., or Sall.).
          1. (α) With acc. rei: cum de me ista foris sermonibus differs, Lucil. ap. Non. 284, 16; cf.: rumores famam differant licebit nosque carpant, Varr. ib. 18: commissam libertatem populo Rom. sermonibus, Liv. 34, 49: promissum jus anulorum fama distulit, Suet. Caes. 33.
            With acc. and inf.: ne mi hanc famam differant, Me dedidisse, etc., Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 63; Ter. Heaut. prol. 16; Nep. Dion. 10; Val. Fl. 1, 753.
            With quasi and dependent clause: rumore ab obtrectatoribus dilato, quasi eundem mox et discruciatum necasset, Suet. Aug. 14 et saep.
            Pass. impers.: quo pertinuit differri etiam per externos, tamquam veneno interceptus esset, Tac. A. 3, 12; cf. id. ib. 4, 25.
          2. (β) With acc. pers.: aliquem pipulo, Plaut. Aul. 3, 2, 32 (cf. Varr. L. L. 7, § 103 Müll., and see pipulum): aliquem maledicendo sermonibus, Lucil. ap. Non. 284, 24: dominos variis rumoribus, Tac. A. 1, 4: te circum omnes alias puellas, to bring into disrepute with them, Prop. 1, 4, 22.
            In the pass.: differor sermone miser, Caecil. ap. Gell. 2, 93, 10: alterna differor invidia, Prop. 1, 16, 48.
      3. 3. With reference to time, to defer, put off, protract, delay any thing; with a personal object also to put off, amuse with promises, get rid of (class. and very freq.).
          1. (α) With acc. rei: cetera praesenti sermoni reserventur: hoc tamen non queo differre, etc., Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 8: differre quotidie ac procrastinare rem, id. Rosc. Am. 9 fin.: saepe vadimonia, id. Quint. 5 fin.: iter in praesentia, Caes. B. C. 3, 85, 4: pleraque (with omittere in praesens tempus), Hor. A. P. 44: distulit ira sitim, Ov. M. 6, 366 et saep.: differri jam hora non potest, Cic. Phil. 6, 7, 19: tempus, id. ib. 8, 8; id. Prov. Cons. 11 fin.; Liv. 3, 46; Ov. M. 1, 724 al.: diem de die, Liv. 25, 25 et saep.
            With inf.: quaerere distuli, Hor. Od. 4, 4, 21; so Liv. 42, 2 (but not Suet. Caes. 81, where agere belongs to proposuerat, cf. id. Aug. 72; id. Calig. 49).
            With quin: nihil dilaturi, quin periculum summae rerum facerent, Liv. 6, 22 fin.; so Suet. Caes. 4; with in and acc.: reliqua in crastinum, Cic. Rep. 2, 44 fin.: in posterum diem, id. Deiot. 7, 21; cf. Caes. B. C. 1, 65 fin.: in posterum, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 32; Caes. B. G. 7, 11, 5: in aliud tempus, Cic. Brut. 87; Caes. B. C. 1, 86, 2: in adventum tuum, Cic. Fam. 2, 3 fin.: diem edicti in a. d. IV. Kal. Dec., id. Phil. 3, 8, 20: curandi tempus in annum, Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 39 et saep.
            Poet.: tropaea in pueros suos, to reserve for, Prop. 4, 6, 82.
            Rarely with ad: aliquid ad crudelitatis tempus, Cic. Vat. 11 fin.; cf. the foll.
          2. (β) With acc. pers.: sin autem differs me in tempus aliud, Cic. Fam. 5, 12, 10; Liv. 26, 51; 41, 8: differri non posse adeo concitatos animos, id. 7, 14: dilatus per frustrationem, id. 25, 25; cf.: aliquem variis frustrationibus, Just. 9, 6 fin.: Campanos, Liv. 26, 33: aliquem petentem, Suet. Vesp. 23 Ern.: caros amicos (opp. properare), Mart. 13, 55 et saep.
            Poet.: vivacem anum, to preserve alive, i. e. to postpone her death, Ov. M. 13, 519; cf.: decimum dilatus in annum (belli) Hector erat, id. ib. 12, 76: aliquem in spem impetrandi tandem honoris, Liv. 39, 32: aliquem in septimum diem, Suet. Tib. 32; id. Caes. 82 Oud.; id. Aug. 44 fin. et saep.
            Rarely with ad: legati ad novos magistratus dilati, Liv. 41, 8: aliquem ad finem muneris, Suet. Vit. 12: quas (legationes) par tim dato responso ex itinere dimisit, partim distulit Tarraconem, Liv. 26, 51.
            Once with post: aliquid post bellum differre, Liv. 4, 6, 4.
          3. (γ) Absol. Prov.: differ; habent parvae commoda magna morae, Ov. F. 3, 394.
  2. II. Neut., to differ, be different (esp. freq. since the Ciceron. period—cf.: discrepare, distare, interesse): qui re consentientes vocabulis differebant, Cic. Fin. 4, 2 fin.; cf.: naturis differunt, voluntate autem similes sunt, id. de Or. 2, 23: verbo differre, re esse unum, id. Caecin. 21, 59: distare aliquid aut ex aliqua parte differre, id. ib. 14: nihil aut non fere multum differre, id. Brut. 40 fin.: paulum differre, id. Agr. 2, 31, 85 et saep.: nec quicquam differre, utrumne … an, etc., Hor. S. 2, 3, 251; cf.: quid enim differt, barathrone Dones quicquid habes, an? etc., id. ib. 166.
          1. (β) With ab: ita ut pauxillum differat a cavillulis, Plaut. Truc. 3, 2, 18: quidnam esset illud, quo ipsi (poëtae) differrent ab oratoribus, Cic. Or. 19, 66; id. Off. 1, 27 fin.: quid hoc ab illo differt? id. Caecin. 14: non multum ab hostili expugnatione, id. de Imp. Pomp. 5 fin.: multum a Gallica consuetudine, Caes. B. G. 5, 14; cf. ib. 6, 21; 6, 28, 5: hoc fere ab reliquis differunt, quod, etc., id. ib. 6, 18, 3 et saep.
          2. (γ) With inter (esp. impers.): si nihil inter deum et deum differt, Cic. N. D. 1, 29, 80; id. Off. 1, 28, 99; id. Fin. 4, 25, 70: nequid inter privatum et magistratum differat, id. Rep. 1, 43: ut non multum differat inter summos et mediocres viros, id. Off. 2, 8, 30: multa sunt alia, quae inter locum et locum plurimum differunt (for which, shortly before, inter locorum naturas quantum intersit), id. Fat. 4: haec cogitatione inter se differunt, re quidem copulata sunt, id. Tusc. 4, 11: inter se aliqua re, id. Opt. gen. 2, 6; id. N. D. 1, 7, 16; Caes. B. G. 1, 1, 2; 6, 11, 1; Quint. 12, 10, 22; 34; 67 et saep.: quae quidem inter se plurimum differunt, id. 5, 14, 27.
          3. (δ) Rarely with cum: occasio cum tempore hoc differt, Cic. Inv. 1, 27: hoc genus causae cum superiore hoc differt, quod, etc., id. ib. 2, 30, 92 Orell. N. cr.
            (ε) Likewise rarely, differre in aliqua re, Lucr. 3, 314; Nep. Ages. 7 fin.
            (ζ) Rarely, and only poet. or in post-Aug. prose, with dat.: quod pede certo Differt sermoni sermo merus, Hor. S. 1, 4, 48: tragico differre colori, id. A. P. 236; Quint. 2, 21, 10; Plin. 9, 35, 54, § 107; cf. id. 9, 8, 7, § 23.
            Hence, diffĕ-rens, entis, P. a., different, superior: differentius nomen, a more excellent name, Vulg. Heb. 1, 4; in Quintilian subst. n. (opp. proprium), a difference, Quint. 5, 10, 55; 58; 6, 3, 66; 7, 3, 3; 25 sq.
            *Adv.: diffĕren-ter, differently, Sol. 1.