Lewis & Short

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di-spergo, in late Lat. and sometimes in MSS. of the older authors written di-spargo (cf. aspergo and conspergo), si, sum, 3, v. a., to scatter on all sides, to scatter about, disperse (freq. and class., esp. in the part. perf.).

  1. I. Lit.: per agros passim dispergit corpus, Cic. Poet. N. D. 3, 26, 67; cf. per hypallagen: membrorum collectio dispersa (coupled with dissipare), id. de Imp. Pomp. 9, 22 (but in Lucr. 3, 988, the right reading is: dispessis membris, not dispersis, v. dispando): cur (deus) tam multa pestifera terra marique disperserit? id. Ac. 2, 38, 120: nubes dispergunt venti, Lucr. 5, 254: an tibi jam mavis cerebrum dispergam hic? Ter. Ad. 5, 2, 7; for which: ut cerebro dispergat viam, besprinkle, id. ib. 3, 2, 19: caprae dispergunt se, contra oves so congregant et condensant in locum unum, Varr. R. R. 2, 3, 9; cf.: comites dispersi, Lucr. 4, 576; so the mid.: dispersi, of persons, Cic. Fl. 13, 30; id. Sest. 42, 91; and esp. freq. of soldiers, Caes. B. G. 1, 40, 8; 3, 28, 3; id. B. C. 1, 44, 1; 2, 38, 5 et saep.; Sall. J. 98, 4, et saep.; cf.: dispersi a suis pars cedere, etc., id. ib. 51, 1; and in the verb. fin. act.: quae (duo milia evocatorum) tota acie disperserat, had distributed, Caes. B. C. 3, 88, 4: fimum, Plin. 18, 23, 53, § 193: vitem traducibus dispergere atque disrarare, Col. 5, 6, 36: lactuca dispergitur, set out, i. e. planted, id. 11, 3, 25: color dispergitur omnis, Lucr. 2, 831 (not disperditur, v. Lachm. ad h. l.): ubi brachia et crura inaequaliter dispergit, i. e. moves at random, Cels. 2, 6: Mesopotamia vicatim dispersa, i. e. divided, Plin. 6, 26, 30, § 117: magna pars Judaeae vicis dispergitur, Tac. H. 5, 8 et saep.
    Poet.: aries dispergit saxa (with effundere muros), Luc. 1, 384 Cort.: dispersa capillos, id. 10, 84: quo latior (res) est, in cunctas undique partis Plura modo dispargit et ab se corpora mittit, Lucr. 2, 1135; so with in and acc., id. 1, 309; Caes. B. G. 6, 34, 1; Plin. 11, 37, 89, § 220: tripartitum exercitum plures in manus, Tac. A. 3, 74 al.: aër dispargitur ad partis minutas corporis, Lucr. 4, 895.
  2. II. Trop.: in praesentia tantummodo numeros et modos et partes argumentandi confuse et permixte dispersimus: post descripte … ex hac copia digeremus, Cic. Inv. 1, 30, 49; cf. id. de Or. 1, 42, 187; 191; Quint. 9, 3, 39: bellum tam longe lateque dispersum, Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 12, 35: in re dispersa atque infinita, Q. Cic. Pet. Cons. 1: plebis vis soluta atque dispersa in multitudine, Sall. J. 41, 6: rumorem, Tac. A. 4, 24: falsos rumores, id. H. 2, 96; and with acc. and inf.: volgus fingendi avidum disperserat accitum in adoptionem, had given out, id. ib. 2, 1: membratim oportebit partis rei gestae dispergere in causam, Cic. Inv. 1, 21, 30: vitam in auras, Verg. A. 11, 617; cf.: partem voti in auras, id. ib. 795.
    Hence, adv. in two forms:
      1. 1. dispersē, dispersedly, here and there (very rare): disperse et diffuse dictae res, Cic. Inv. 1, 52, 98: multis in locis dicta, id. Verr. 2, 4, 52, § 116.
      2. 2. dispersim, Varr. R. R. 1, 1, 7; 3, 2, 13; Suet. Caes. 80.