diffĭcultas — Lewis & Short
diffĭcultas, ātis (
I gen. plur. difficultatium, Liv. 9, 31, 14; Gell. 14, 2, 3), f. difficilis, difficulty, trouble, distress, poverty, want.
I In gen. (freq. in good prose in sing. and plur.
(a) With gen.:
ineundi consilii,Cic. Rep. 1, 34:
discendi (with labor),id. Div. 1, 47, 105:
dicendi,id. de Or. 1, 26, 120:
navigandi,id. ib. 1, 18, 82; Caes. B. G. 3, 12 fin.:
belli gerendi,id. ib. 3, 10:
faciundi pontis,id. ib. 4, 17, 2 et saep.:
viarum,id. ib. 7, 56, 2; id. B. C. 1, 70; cf.
loci,Sall. J. 98, 5; Tac. Agr. 17 fin.:
rerum,Cic. Div. in Caecil. 12; Sall. C. 57, 2; Suet. Tib. 16; 21:
morbi,Cels. 3, 1; cf.
urinae,id. 2, 1 al.:
vecturae,Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 82:
summa navium,id. ib. 2, 5, 20:
rei frumentariae,Caes. B. G. 7, 17, 3:
annonae,Suet. Aug. 41; cf.
nummaria,want. scarcity of money, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 28; Suet. Tib. 48:
domestica,distressed circumstances, Cic. Cat. 1, 6, 14 et saep.—
(b) Absol.:
ne qua ob eam suspicionem difficultas eveniat,Plaut. Epid. 2, 2, 105; Ter. Hec. 4, 4, 45:
perspicio quantum in agendo difficultatis et quantum laboris sit habitura (altera pars actionis),Cic. Clu. 1, 2;
so with labor,Quint. 11, 1, 68; and:
habere difficultatem,Cic. Brut. 7; id. Att. 13, 33:
magnam res ad receptum difficultatem afferebat,Caes. B. C. 3, 51, 6; so with ad:
haec res Caesari difficultatem ad consilium capiendum afferebat,id. B. G. 7, 10, 1;
and without it,Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 11:
delabi in difficultates,id. Fat. 17: erat in magnis difficultatibus res, ne, etc., Caes. B. G. 7, 35 et saep.—*
II In partic. (acc. to difficilis, no. II.), obstinacy, captiousness, moroseness:
arrogantiam pertulit, difficultatem exsorbuit,Cic. Mur. 9, 19.