In Ancient Rome, diffarreatio (from Lat dif- + farreum, a spelt-cake) was a form of divorce in which a cake was used. Diffarreatio was properly the dissolving of marriages contracted by confarreatio, which were those of the pontifices. Festus says it was performed with a wheaten cake and that it was called diffarreatio from far, "wheat". Vigenère claims that confarreatio and diffarreatio are the same thing.
References
- "diffarreation". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "Diffarreation". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1st ed.). James and John Knapton, et al.