desum
Latin
Etymology
dē- + sum
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈdeː.sum/, [ˈd̪eːs̠ʊ̃ˑ]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈde.sum/, [ˈd̪ɛːs̬um]
- Note: The ēe found in forms such as dēesse, dēerunt, dēest frequently scans in poetry as a single syllable (an example of synizesis).
Verb
dēsum (present infinitive dēesse, perfect active dēfuī, future participle dēfutūrus); irregular conjugation, irregular, no passive, no supine stem except in the future active participle
- I am wanting/lacking (+ dative)
- Synonyms: careō, egeō, indigeō, dēlinquō, deficiō, cessō, perdō
- Antonyms: flōreō, niteō, abundō, affluō
- Dominus pāscit mē et nihil mihī dēerit.
- The Lord is my shepherd and nothing shall I want.
- (literally, “The Lord tends me as a shepherd and nothing for me will be lacking.”)
- Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita, I, 36 :
- equitem maxime suis deesse viribus ratus
- thought that cavalry was what he chiefly lacked
- equitem maxime suis deesse viribus ratus
- I fall short of, fail to obtain, miss
- Synonyms: discēdō, dēficiō, cadō, dēlinquō
- Antonyms: perficiō, impetrō, perpetrō, ēvincō
- I abandon, I desert, I neglect
- Synonyms: relinquō, omittō, dēdō, concēdō, dēcēdō, dēserō, reddō, remittō, dēstituō, dēficiō, oblīvīscor, cēdō, permittō, dissimulō, trādō, addīcō, praetereō, neglegō, pōnō
- Dīmicantī dē fāmā dēesse.
- To abandon one whose reputation is attacked.
- (literally, “To abandon against the pummeling of fame.”)
- I am away, I am absent, I am missing
- Synonym: absum
- Antonyms: adsum, stō
Usage notes
Due to the lack of passive forms, "to be missed" as in "to not get hit" is expressed with the following translation: English [object missed in subject form] + [form of to be] + missed by + [object that misses in object form] becomes [object that misses in subject form] + [form of desum] + [object missed in object form]. "She is missed by us," as in "She does not get hit by us," for example, becomes "Eam desumus," which literally means "We miss her," as in "We do not hit her."
Conjugation
| Conjugation of dēsum (highly irregular, suppletive, no supine stem except in the future active participle, active only) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indicative | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| active | present | dēsum | dēes | dēest | dēsumus | dēestis | dēsunt |
| imperfect | dēeram | dēerās | dēerat | dēerāmus | dēerātis | dēerant | |
| future | dēerō | dēeris, dēere | dēerit | dēerimus | dēeritis | dēerunt | |
| perfect | dēfuī | dēfuistī | dēfuit | dēfuimus | dēfuistis | dēfuērunt, dēfuēre | |
| pluperfect | dēfueram | dēfuerās | dēfuerat | dēfuerāmus | dēfuerātis | dēfuerant | |
| future perfect | dēfuerō | dēfueris | dēfuerit | dēfuerimus | dēfueritis | dēfuerint | |
| subjunctive | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| active | present | dēsim | dēsīs | dēsit | dēsīmus | dēsītis | dēsint |
| imperfect | dēessem, dēforem | dēessēs, dēforēs | dēesset, dēforet | dēessēmus, dēforēmus | dēessētis, dēforētis | dēessent, dēforent | |
| perfect | dēfuerim | dēfuerīs | dēfuerit | dēfuerīmus | dēfuerītis | dēfuerint | |
| pluperfect | dēfuissem | dēfuissēs | dēfuisset | dēfuissēmus | dēfuissētis | dēfuissent | |
| imperative | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| active | present | — | dēes | — | — | dēeste | — |
| future | — | dēestō | dēestō | — | dēestōte | dēsuntō | |
| non-finite forms | active | passive | |||||
| present | perfect | future | present | perfect | future | ||
| infinitives | dēesse | dēfuisse | dēfutūrum esse, dēfore | — | — | — | |
| participles | — | — | dēfutūrus | — | — | — | |
References
- “dēsum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “desum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- dēsum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette, page 510
- Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
- I have no time to do something: tempus mihi deest ad aliquid faciendum
- to neglect an opportunity: occasioni deesse
- to assist, stand by a person: adesse alicui or alicuius rebus (opp. deesse)
- to accede to a man's petitions: alicui petenti satisfacere, non deesse
- I have nothing to write about: deest mihi argumentum ad scribendum (Att. 9. 7. 7)
- to answer every question: percontanti non deesse (De Or. 1. 21. 97)
- we have no expression for that: huic rei deest apud nos vocabulum
- to neglect one's duty: officio suo deesse (Fam. 7. 3)
- to take no part in politics: rei publicae deesse (opp. adesse)
- to further the common weal: saluti rei publicae non deesse
- I have no time to do something: tempus mihi deest ad aliquid faciendum
- “dēsum” on page 529 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (1st ed., 1968–82)