Lewis & Short

dis-trăho, xi, ctum, 3, v. a.

  1. I. To pull asunder, tear in pieces, to separate forcibly, divide (freq. and class.).
    1. A. Lit.
      1. 1. In gen.: corpus quod dirimi distrahive non possit, Cic. N. D. 3, 12; cf. id. Tusc. 1, 29, 71: exanimor, feror, differor, distrahor, diripior, Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 5; Pentheum diripuisse aiunt Bacchas; nugas … prae quo pacto ego divorsus distrahor, id. Merc. 2, 4, 1 sq.; cf.: Mettum Fufetium equis ad curriculum ex utraque parte deligatum distraxit, Varr. ap. Non. 287, 22; so of the same: corpus passim, Liv. 1, 28 fin.; of Hippolytus: turbatis distractus equis, Verg. A. 7, 787: quae (materia) neque perrumpi neque distrahi potest, Caes. B. G. 7, 23 fin.; cf. vallum (with diripere), Liv. 25, 36: ut aciem ejus distrahi paterentur, i. e. to be separated, broken up, Caes. B. C. 3, 92, 1: Taurus mons mediam distrahens Asiam, Plin. 5, 27, 27, § 97 et saep.
      2. 2. In partic., in mercant. lang., to sell separately, in parcels, to retail = divendere (mostly post-Aug.): dividant, differant, dissipent, distrahant, Lucil. ap. Non. 287, 9: coëmendo quaedam tantum ut pluris postea distraheret, Suet. Vesp. 16: agros, Tac. A. 6, 17; cf. fundum, Dig. 2, 15, 8, § 15: merces, Just. 9, 1, 6: bona venum, Gell. 20, 1, 19 et saep.
          1. (β) In gen., to sell: instrumentum, Suet. Cal. 39: levi pretio aetatulam, App. M. 7, p. 191 fin.
      3. 3. To waste, squander: apsenti hic tua res distrahitur tibi, Plaut. Trin. 3, 1, 16.
    2. B. Trop., to draw in different directions; to divide, distract, perplex: qui haec natura cohaerentia opinione distraxissent, Cic. Off. 3, 3, 11; cf. Quint. 4, 3, 4: distrahitur in deliberando animus, Cic. Off. 1, 3, 9; cf., shortly before: in quo considerando saepe animi in contrarias sententias distrahuntur; cf.: distrahor, tum hoc mihi probabilius, tum illud videtur, id. Ac. 2, 43 fin.: cum Tiberium anceps cura distraheret, vine militum … an, etc., Tac. A. 2, 40; cf. id. ib. 6, 44: obsessos hinc fides, inde egestas inter decus ac flagitium distrahebant, id. H. 4, 60: oratoris industriam in plura studia distrahere nolim, Cic. de Or. 1, 59: sic distrahuntur in contrarias partes impotentium cupiditates, id. Tusc. 5, 20 fin.; cf. Tac. A. 4, 40: res publica distracta lacerataque, Liv. 2, 57; cf. quae sententia omnem societatem distrahit civitatis, Cic. Off. 3, 6, 28: Caesarem et Pompeium perfidia hominum distractos in pristinam concordiam reducere, Balbus ap. Cic. Att. 8, 15 A.: amorem, Ter. Ph. 3, 2, 33: concilium Boeotorum, Liv. 42, 47: collegia, Suet. Caes. 42: matrimonium, Dig. 24, 2, 2 et saep.: rem, to frustrate, prevent, Caes. B. C. 1, 33, 3: controversias, i. e. dirimere, to end, adjust, Cic. Caecin. 2, 6; Suet. Caes. 85: voces, i. e. to leave a hiatus (opp. contrahere), Cic. Or. 45, 152: qua ipse fama distraheretur, i. q. differretur (cf. differo, B. 2.), would be assailed, Tac. A. 3, 10.
  2. II. To tear away, draw away, part, to separate, remove.
    1. A. Lit.: membra divellere ac distrahere, Cic. Sull. 20 fin.: illam a me distrahit necessitas, Ter. Hec. 3, 5, 42; id. Phorm. 1, 4, 24; Cic. Fam. 4, 13, 2.
    2. B. Trop.: sapientiam, temperantiam, fortitudinem copulatas esse docui cum voluptate, ut ab ea nullo modo nec divelli nec distrahi possint, Cic. Fin. 1, 16, 50.
      1. 2. Of persons, to separate in sentiment, to estrange, alienate: aliquem ab aliquo (preceded by: a conjunctione avocare, and: a familiaritate disjungere), id. Phil. 2, 10, 23; so with divellere, id. Planc. 42, 102.
        Hence, distractus, a, um, P. a.
    1. A. Divided (very rarely): (conjectus animaï) divisior inter se ac distractior, Lucr. 4, 961.
    2. B. Trop., distracted, perplexed: distractissimus tantorum onerum mole, Vell. 2, 114, 1.
      Adv. does not occur.