Lewis & Short

quasso (old form casso, Plaut. Bacch. 2, 3, 71 Ritschl), āvi, ātum, 1, v. freq. a. and n. [quatio].

  1. I. Act., to shake or toss violently (class.).
    1. A. Lit.: ecus saepe jubam quassat, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 3 (Ann. v. 506 Vahl.): caput, Plaut. Merc. 3, 4, 15; Verg. A. 7, 292; Val. Fl. 1, 526: Etruscam pinum, Verg. A. 9, 521: hastam, id. ib. 12, 94; Ov. A. A. 1, 696: monumenta, Plin. Ep. 8, 17, 5: lampade, of the Furies, Sil. 2, 611; cf. lampada, Verg. A. 6, 587.
      Pass., in mid. force, tremble: quassantur membra metu, Sen. Phoen. 530.
      1. 2. In partic.
        1. a. To shatter, shiver, to break or dash to pieces, to batter, make leaky: quassatis vasis, Lucr. 3, 434: quassata ventis classis, Verg. A. 1, 551: quassata domus, Ov. Tr. 2, 83; cf.: hordeum sub molā, App. M. p. 194, 35: harundinem, Petr. S. 134.
        2. b. To strike or shake: ramum Lethaeo rore madentem super utraque quassat Tempora, Verg. A. 5, 854.
    2. B. Trop., to shake, shatter, impair, weaken: quassatā re publicā, Cic. Sest. 34, 73; id. Marc. 8, 24: quassatum corpus, shattered, enfeebled, Suet. Aug. 31: ingenia vitia quassant, Sil. 11, 428: tempora quassatus, of a drunkard, fuddled, beclouded, disordered, id. 7, 202; cf.: quassus, B. s. v. quatio: IVVENTAM FLETV, to disfigure, impair, Inscr. Grut. 607, 4: harundo quassata, a bruised reed, Vulg. Matt. 12, 20.
    3. C. Esp., of countries, communities, etc., to disturb, unsettle, throw into confusion: quassata Placentia bello, Sil. 8, 593: bellis urbs, id. 7, 252.
  2. II. Neutr., to shake itself, to shake (poet.): cassanti capite incedit, Plaut. As. 2, 3, 23 (Ussing, quassanti): quassanti capite, App. M. 4, p. 156, 7; 3, p. 140, 28: siliquā quassante, rattling, Verg. G. 1, 74.
    Plur.: capitibus quassantibus, Plaut. Bacch. 2, 3, 71.