ob-sĭdĕo — Lewis & Short
ob-sĭdĕo, ēdi, essum, 2, v. n. and
I a. [sedeo].
I Neutr., to sit, stay, remain, abide anywhere (only poet.):
servi ne obsideant, liberis ut sit locus,Plaut. Poen. prol. 23:
domi obsidere,Ter. Ad. 4, 6, 6:
in limine,Val. Fl. 2, 237.—
II Act., to sit at, on, or in, to remain on or in, to haunt, inhabit, frequent a place.
A In gen.:
aram,Plaut. Rud. 3, 3, 36:
ranae stagna et rivos obsident,frequent marshes, Plin. 11, 18, 19, § 62:
obsedit limina bubo,Sil. 8, 636:
Apollo umbilicum terrarum obsidet,Cic. Div. 2, 56.—
B In partic.
1 Milit. t. t., to sit down before, to hem in, beset, besiege, invest, blockade a place (cf. oppugno):
cum omnes aditus armati obsiderent,Cic. Phil. 2, 35, 89:
Curio Uticam obsidere instituit,Caes. B. C. 2, 36:
consiliis ab oppugnandā urbe ad obsidendam versis,Liv. 2, 11:
propius inopiam erant obsidentes quam obsessi,id. 25, 11:
ut Carthaginem crederent extemplo Scipionem obsessurum,id. 30, 7:
totam Italiam,Cic. Agr. 2, 28, 75:
vias,Caes. B. G. 3, 23:
vallis obsessa,Verg. A. 10, 120:
egregias Lateranorum aedīs,Juv. 10, 17.—
2 To occupy, fill, possess:
corporibus omnis obsidetur locus,is filled, Cic. N. D. 1, 23, 65:
senatum armis,id. Phil. 7, 5, 15:
palus obsessa salictis,full of osier-thickets, Ov. M. 11, 363:
Trachasque obsessa palude,i. e. surrounded, id. ib. 15, 717.—
b Trop., to occupy, possess, take possession of:
alicujus animum,Just. 42, 4, 21:
qui meum tempus obsideret,who took up my time, Cic. Verr. 1, 2, 6; id. Or. 62, 210:
cum obsideri aures a fratre cerneret,that they were continually besieged by his brother, Liv. 40, 20 fin.—
3 To have one's eye upon, to watch closely, be on the look-out for:
jacere humi ... ad obsidendum stuprum,Cic. Cat. 1, 10, 26:
rostra,id. Fl. 24, 57.