To thumpe: to strike: to breake: to make dull or blunt: to wearie one with speaking: to inculcate: or repeate a thing often: to annoye with many wordes. Aciem oculorum obtundere. Plin. To make the eyes dimme. Eleuare & obtundere ægritudinem. Cic. To alay and diminish griefe of minde. Auditum obtundere. Plin. To hurt the hearing: to make one thicke of hearing. Acuere & obtundere ingenia, contraria. Cic. Mentem obtundere cui opponitur Acuere mentem. Cic. To make the wit and mind dull. Vocem obtundere. Cic. To make hoarse: to hurt the noyce. Quum patronus vocem in drcendo obtudisser. Cicer. When the patrone with pleading had lost his voy ce or made hint selfe hoarse. Vox obtunditur. Lucret. Obtundere aliquem. Terent. To wearie or anndy with many wordes. Diutius aures aliquorum non obtundere. Cic. Obtundere aliquem longis epistolis. Cic.

I. To strike or beat against, at, or on a thing; to beat, thump, belabor (very rare; perh. only ante- and post-class.): pectora pugnis, Firm. Math. 5, 5: obtundit os mihi, breaks my jaw, Plaut. Cas. 5, 2, 50; cf.: obtunso ore, id. ib. 5, 1, 8; cf.: nam sum obtusus pugnis pessume, id. Am. 2, 1, 59.—

II. To blunt, dull, by striking.

A. Lit. (very rare): telum, Lucr. 6, 399: gladios, Claud. Cons. Mall. Theod. 166.—

B. Transf.

1. To blunt, weaken, make dull, deprive of strength: aciem oculorum, Plin. 22, 25, 70, 142: auditum, id. 24, 11, 50, 87: obtusus stomachus, id. Ep. 7, 3, 5: vocem, to blunt, weaken, Lucr. 4, 613: ingenia, Cic. de Or. 2, 70, 282: et obtusis ceciderunt viribus artis, Lucr. 3, 452; Liv. 7, 2: mentem, Cic. Tusc. 1, 33, 80: ingenia, id. de Or. 3, 24, 93: nihil est quod tam obtundat elevetque aegritudinem, quam. etc., id. Tusc. 3, 16, 34.—

2. Aures or aliquem, or simply obtundere, to stun or din the ears; to deafen one by saying a thing too often or too long; hence, to annoy or tease with importunity; aures graviter obtundo tuas, ne quem ames, Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 120: ne brevitas defraudasse aures videatur, neve longitudo obtudisse, Cic. Or. 66, 221: aliquem longis epistulis, to annoy, molest, id. Att. 8, 1: aliquem, id. Fam. 5, 14, 3: rogitando, Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 6.—With object-clause: obtuderunt ejus aures, te socium praetoris fuisse, they dinned into him that, etc., Timarch. ap. Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 67, 157.— With subj.: non cessat obtundere, totam prorsus a principio fabulam promeret, App. M. 9, p. 228, 8: aliquem de aliquā re, to importune, annoy, Ter. Ad. 1, 2, 33: obtundis, tametsi intellego, etc., id. And. 2, 2, 11.—Hence, obtūsus (obtunsus or optūsus), a, um, P. a., blunt, dull, obtuse (class.).

A. Lit.: falx obtusa et hebes, Col. 4, 24, 21: pugio, Tac. A. 15, 54: vomer, Verg. G. 1, 262: angulus, Lucr. 4, 355: cornua lunae obtusa, Plin. 18, 35, 79, 347.—

B. Transf., blunted, blunt, dull, weak, faint, powerless: animi acies obtusior, Cic. Sen. 23, 83: stellis acies obtunsa, Verg. G. 1, 395: obtusi et hebetes ad aliquam rem, Cic. Fragm. ap. Lact. 3, 14: aures obtunsae, blunted, dull of hearing, Auct. Her. 3, 9, 17: vox, thick, not clear (opp. clara), Quint. 11, 3, 15: fauces tumentes strangulant vocem, optusae obscurant, id. 11, 3, 20: stomachus, weakened, spoiled, Plin. Ep. 7, 3, 5: obtunsa pectora, insensible, without feeling, Verg. A. 1, 567: ingenium, Gell. 13, 24, 21: vires, enfeebled, Lucr. 3, 452: nimio ne luxu obtunsior usus Sit genitali arvo, too blunted, too enfeebled, Verg. G. 3, 135: vigor animi, Liv. 5, 18: cor, Lact. 2, 5, 4: sensus eorum, Vulg. 2 Cor. 3, 14: venenum, powerless, Calp. Ecl. 5, 94.—Comp.: quo quid dici potest obtusius? Cic. N. D. 1, 25, 70.—Sup. does not occur.—Hence, adv.: obtūsē, dully, not keenly (postclass.): crocodili in aquā obtusius vident, in terrā acutissime, Sol. 32, 28.—Fig.: hoc facere obtuse, Aug. Doct. Christ. 4, 5, 7.