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dif-fĭcĭlis, e (old form difficul, like facul, famul, simul, etc., Varr. ap. Non. 111, 25), adj. [facilis; hence, far from easy to do, to accomplish, to bear, etc.; v. facilis], hard, difficult, troublesome (very freq. and class.).

  1. I. In gen.: nulla est tam facilis res, quin difficilis siet, quom invitus facias, Ter. Heaut. 4, 6, 1; cf. Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 20; and: sacrorum diligentiam difficilem, apparatum perfacilem esse voluit, Cic. Rep. 2, 14 Mos.: quae facilia ex difficillimis animi magnitudo redegerat, Caes. B. G. 2, 27, fin.: quam graves, quam difficiles plerisque videntur calamitatum societates! Cic. Lael. 17 fin.: res arduae ac difficiles, id. Inv. 2, 54, 163; cf. id. Or. 10; id. Tusc. 3, 34 fin.; Plin. 17, 4, 3, § 28: contortae res et difficiles, Cic. de Or. 1, 58 fin.: quam scopuloso difficilique in loco verser, id. Div. in Caecil. 11, 35; cf.: in locos difficiles abire, Sall. J. 87 fin. Kritz.: iter angustum et difficile, Caes. B. G. 1, 6; id. B. C. 1, 65, 3: valles, id. ib. 1, 68, 2: difficili et arduo ascensu, id. ib. 3, 34; Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 23: difficilis atque impedita palus, Caes. B. G. 7, 19: transitus, id. ib. 6, 7, 5: aditus, id. ib. 7, 36; Hor. S. 1, 9, 56: tempus anni difficillimum, Caes. B. C. 1, 48, 5: difficili rei publicae tempore, Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 21: difficillimo reip. tempore, id. Phil. 5, 13, 36; cf. id. Caecin. 4, 11: difficilioribus usi tempestatibus, Caes. B. C. 3, 15, 4: partus, Plin. 24, 5, 13, § 22: urina, id. 23, 9, 83, § 165: venter, id. 22, 13, 15, § 33 et saep.: (Macer et Lucretius) alter humilis, alter difficilis, Quint. 10, 1, 87 Frotsch.: nimium difficile est reperiri amicum, Plaut. Trin. 3, 1, 20; so with a subjectclause, Ter. And. 1, 3, 6; Lucr. 1, 138; Cic. Lael. 6, 22; 8, 26; 10, 33 et saep.; Caes. B. G. 1, 14, 2; 7, 58, 2; id. B. C. 1, 50 fin. et saep.; cf.: difficile ad fidem est in tam antiqua re, quot pugnaverint ceciderintve exacto affirmare numero, Liv. 3, 5, 12: difficile est longum subito deponere amorem, Cat. 77, 13.
    Prov.: difficile est, crimen non prodere vultu, Ov. M. 2, 447: difficile est, tristi fingere mente jocum, Tib. 3, 7, 2: (rebus) difficilibus ad eloquendum, Cic. Off. 1, 35, 126: ad percipiendum, Quint. 8 prooem. § 4.
    With supin.: difficile factu est, Cic. Rep. 1, 43; so, factu, id. Off. 1, 21, 71; id. N. D. 3, 1; id. Univ. 11: dictu, id. Lael. 3, 12; 7, 23; id. Fam. 1, 7, 2: aditu (locus), Sall. J. 91 fin. Kritz.
    With dat.: fructus difficilis concoctioni, Plin. 23, 8, 79, § 151.
    With gerund.: in difficili esse, Liv. 3, 65, 11; cf.: in facili esse, id. 3, 8, 9; so, in difficili rem esse, Cels. 5, 26 fin.: ille casus in difficili est, si, etc., Dig. 28, 2, 29, § 15.
  2. II. In partic., of character, hard to manage or to please, obstinate, captious, morose, surly: difficiles ac morosi, Cic. Or. 29 fin.; cf. id. Fin. 1, 18, 61; Att. ap. Non. 407, 25; Hor. S. 2, 5, 90; id. A. P. 173: senex, Ter. Heaut. 3, 2, 24; cf.: moderati nec difficiles nec inhumani senes, Cic. de Sen. 3, 7: sunt morosi et anxii et iracundi et difficiles senes, id. ib. 18, 65: avunculus difficillimā naturā, Nep. Att. 5; cf.: difficili bile tumet jecur, Hor. C. 1, 13, 4: parens in liberos difficilis, Att. ap. Cic. N. D. 3, 29, 72: Penelopen difficilem procis, Hor. C. 3, 10, 11: vocanti, id. ib. 3, 7, 32: Gradivo, Ov. A. A. 2, 566: precibus, id. P. 2, 2, 20.
    Trop.: terrae, intractable, Verg. G. 2, 179.
    Prov.: difficilem oportet aurem habere ad crimina, deaf, inaccessible, Pub. Syr. 133 (Rib.).
    Adv., in three forms (but the use of the adv. is mostly avoided by the best authors, difficile est taking its place, v. supra).
          1. (α) diffĭcĭlē, with difficulty (perh. not ante-Aug.), Vell. 2, 63, 3; Plin. 11, 18, 19, § 62; 27, 12, 94, § 120; Suet. Gramm. 11; Just. 27, 3, 2; Pall. Jan. 7; Tert. Apol. 48.
          2. (β) diffĭculter, with difficulty (the usual form), Caes. B. C. 1, 62; Sall. C. 14, 5; Liv. 1, 52, 4; 42, 54, 3; Tac. A. 12, 35; Suet. Claud. 41; Quint. 1, 3, 3 al.
          3. (γ) diffĭcĭl-ĭter, with difficulty (rare), Cic. Ac. 2, 16, 49 and 50; Col. 5, 3, 1; 5, 7, 1; Lact. Mort. Pers. 9, 7.
        1. b. Comp.: difficilius, Caes. B. G. 7, 58; Quint. 1, 12, 8; 11, 2, 28; Plin. 22, 21, 28, § 56; Suet. Caes. 29; id. Ner. 43 al.
        2. c. Sup.: difficillime, Cic. Lael. 17, 64; Plin. 16, 33, 60, § 139; 19, 7, 35, § 117 al.

diffĭcĭlĭter, adv., with difficulty; v. difficilis fin., no. γ.