dē-fīgo — Lewis & Short
dē-fīgo, xi, xum, 3,
I v. a., to fasten down or in; and with especial reference to the terminus, to drive, fix, or fasten into (class.). —
I Lit.: in campo Martio crucem ad civium supplicium defigi et constitui jubes, Cic. Rab. perd. 4; so,
tigna machinationibus immissa in flumen,Caes. B. G. 4, 17, 4:
sudes sub aqua,id. ib. 5, 18, 3:
asseres in terra defigebantur,id. B. C. 2, 2; Liv. 44, 5:
verutum in balteo,Caes. B. G. 5, 44, 7:
sicam in consulis corpore,to thrust, Cic. Cat. 1, 6; cf.:
cultrum in corde,Liv. 1, 58 fin.:
tellure hastas,Verg. A. 12, 130; cf. id. ib. 6, 652:
gladium superne jugulo,Liv. 1, 25; cf. Ov. M. 13, 436 al.: cruci defiguntur, Varr. ap. Non. 221, 13:
arborem penitus terrae,Verg. G. 2, 290:
te hodie, si prehendero, defigam in terram colaphis,Plaut. Pers. 2, 4, 22 (for which, shortly after, cruci affigere):
morsus in aurem,Plin. 8, 12, 12, § 34:
clavum percussum malleo in cerebrum,Vulg. Judic. 4, 21; Eccles. 12, 11. —
B Meton. (Causa pro effectu.) To fix, fasten, render immovable (rare):
defixa caelo sidera,Hor. Epod. 17, 5; cf. Ov. M. 11, 76:
defixere aciem in his vestigiis,have fixed them motionless, Tac. Agr. 34; cf.:
defixi et Neronem intuentes,id. A. 13, 16:
sedeo defixus,Plin. Ep. 9, 34, 1:
me defixum in ora, etc.,Prop. 1, 8, 15.—
C Esp. in phrase, manus defigere, to strike hands, i. e., to close a contract as surety, to pledge one's person, Vulg. Prov. 6, 1; 22, 26.—
II Trop.
A In gen., to fix, fasten; to turn intently in any direction:
virtus est una altissimis defixa radicibus,Cic. Phil. 4, 5:
oculos in vultu regis,Curt. 7, 8:
iratos oculos in te,Ov. Am. 2, 18, 15:
in alicujus possessiones oculos defigere,Cic. Phil. 11, 5, 10:
oculos defigere in terram,Quint. 11, 3, 158; Curt. 9, 3.—Absol.:
oculos,to let fall, cast down, Tac. A. 3, 1:
Aeneas defixus lumina,Verg. A. 6, 156:
animos in ea, quae perspicua sunt,Cic. Ac. 2, 15:
disputare non vaganti oratione, sed defixa in una republica,id. Rep. 1, 11; cf.:
in eo mentem orationemque defigit,id. de Or. 3, 8, 31:
omnes suas curas in reip. salute,id. Phil. 14, 5, 13; Cic. Verr. 1, 3; cf. id. Prov. Cons. 4, 8.—
B In partic.
1 To strike motionless, sc. with astonishment, etc.; to stupefy, astound, astonish (not freq. till after the Aug. per.):
utraque simul objecta res oculis animisque immobiles parumper eos defixit,Liv. 21, 33; so,
aliquem,id. 3, 47; 6, 40 al.: silentium triste ita defixit omnium animos, ut, etc., Liv. 1, 29.—In the part. perf.:
dum stupet obtutuque haeret defixus in uno,Verg. A. 1, 495; 6, 156; 7, 249; Hor. Ep. 1, 6, 14; Liv. 8, 7; Tac. A. 1, 68; 13, 5 et saep.—
2 Religious t. t. *
a To declare fixedly, firmly, unalterably:
QVAE AVGVR VITIOSA, DIRA DEFIXERIT, IRRITA SVNTO,Cic. Leg. 2, 8 fin.—
b (Because, in making imprecations, the waxen image of him for whom destruction was to be prepared, or his name written in wax, was stuck through with a needle; cf. Ov. H. 6, 91 sq., and Voss upon Verg. E. 8, 80.) To bewitch, enchant; to curse any thing:
caput alicujus dira imprecatione,Sen. Ben. 6, 35:
defigi imprecationibus,Plin. 28, 2, 4, § 19:
nomina cerā,Ov. Am. 3, 7, 29; cf.:
DEFIXA NOMINA,Inscr. Orell. 3726:
regis animum Iolchiacis votis,Verg. Cir. 376.—
3 To censure, reprove a thing:
culpam,Pers. 5, 16.