lăbĕfăcĭo, fēci, factum (labefactarier, Ter. Eun. 3, 3, 5), 3, v. a.; pass.: lăbĕfīo, factus, fieri [labo-facio], to cause to totter, to shake, loosen, to make ready to fall (Cic. uses only labefactus).
- I. Lit.: dentes alicui, Ter. Ad. 2, 2, 36: partem muri, Caes. B. C. 2, 22: labefactae aedes, Tac. A. 1, 75: labefacta ictibus arbor Corruit, Ov. M. 8, 776; id. ib. 3, 69: charta (i. e. epistola) a vinclis non labefacta suis, loosened, opened, id. P. 3, 7, 6: munimenta incussu arietis labefieri, Sen. Const. Sap. 6.
Poet.: ignes labefacti aëre multo, weakened, Lucr. 5, 653: membra voluptatis dum vi labefacta liquescunt, id. 4, 1108: calor labefacta per ossa cucurrit, Verg. A. 8, 390.
- II. Trop.
- A. To cause to waver, to shake a person in his mind, principles, or fidelity: aliquem, Laber. ap. Macr. S. 2, 7: quem nulla umquam vis, nullae minae, nulla invidia labefecit, Cic. Sest. 47, 101. primores classiariorum, to shake their fidelity, excite them to mutiny, Tac. A. 15, 51: sic animus vario labefactus vulnere nutat, Ov. M. 10, 375; cf. in Greek construction: magno animum labefactus amore, shaken, disquieted, Verg. A. 4, 395.
- B. To shake, weaken; to overthrow, ruin, destroy: haec (res publica) jam labefacta, Cic. Har. Resp. 27, 60: quo, per contumeliam consulum, jura plebis labefacta essent, Liv. 3, 64: nihil hunc amicitia Sejani, sed labefacit haud minus ad exitia Macronis odium, Tac. A. 6, 29 (35): si priorem aetate et jam labefactum demovisset, id. ib. 4, 60: ne quis contagione ceteros labefaciat, Col. 6, 5, 1; cf. Tac. H. 2, 93: fidem, to shake or weaken one’s credit, Suet. Vesp. 4.