dif-fīdo

dif-fīdo, fīsus (post-class. perf. diffidi), 3, v. n., to distrust; to be diffident or distrustful, to despair (freq. and class.).

With dat. (so most freq.):

eum potius (corrupisse), qui sibi aliqua ratione diffideret, quam eum, qui omni ratione confideret,

Cic. Clu. 23, 63:

sibi,

Plaut. Rud. prol. 82; Cic. Prov. Cons. 16, 38:

memoriae alicujus,

id. Part. Or. 17, 59:

sibi patriaeque,

Sall. C. 31, 3:

suis rebus,

Caes. B. G. 5, 41, 5:

veteri exercitui,

Sall. J. 52, 6; 32, 5; 46, 1;

75, 1: suae atque omnium saluti,

Caes. B. G. 6, 38, 2:

summae rei,

id. B. C. 3, 94 fin.:

perpetuitati bonorum,

Cic. Fin. 2, 27, 86:

ingenio meo,

id. Mur. 30, 63:

huic sententiae,

id. Tusc. 5, 1, 3: prudentiae tuae, Sulp. ap. Cic. Fam. 4, 5, 6:

rei publicae,

Cic. Fam. 5, 13, 3:

illis (viris),

Ov. H. 10, 97:

caelestibus monitis,

id. M. 1, 397 et saep.— Pass. impers.:

cur M. Valerio non diffideretur,

Liv. 24, 8; so Tac. A. 15, 4.—

With a dependent clause:

antiquissimi invenire se posse, quod cuperent, diffisi sint,

Cic. Ac. 2, 3; id. Quint. 24, 77; id. Or. 1, 3; 28, 97; Caes. B. G. 6, 36; Quint. 10, 1, 126 al.; cf.:

quos diffidas sanos facere, facies,

Cato R. R. 157, 13:

quem manu superare posse diffiderent,

Nep. Alcib. 10, 4.—

With ne:

ne terras aeterna teneret,

Lucr. 5, 980.—

Rarely with abl. (after the analogy of fido and confido):

diffisus occasione,

Suet. Caes. 3 Burm. and Oud.; so,

paucitate suorum,

Front. Strat. 1, 8, 5 Oud.:

paucitate cohortium (al. paucitati),

Tac. H. 2, 23:

potestate,

Lact. 5, 20 (also Caes. B. C. 1, 12, 2, several good MSS. have voluntate; and id. ib. 3, 97, 2: eo loco, v. Oud. on the former pass.).—

Absol.:

(facis) ex confidente actutum diffidentem denuo,

Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 15:

jacet, diffidit, abjecit hastas,

Cic. Mur. 21, 45:

ita graviter aeger, ut omnes medici diffiderent. id, Div. 1, 25, 53: de Othone, diffido,

id. Att. 12, 43, 2 al. —Hence, diffīdens, entis, P. a., without self-confidence, diffident, anxious, Suet. Claud. 35; id. Tib. 65. — Adv.: diffīdenter, without self-confidence, diffidently (very rare): timide et diffidenter attingere aliquid, * Cic. Clu. 1, 1:

agere,

Liv. 32, 21, 8:

incedere,

Amm. 26, 7, 13.— Comp.:

timidius ac diffidentius bella ingredi,

Just. 38, 7, 4.