desum

Latin

Etymology

dē- +‎ sum

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈdeː.sũː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈd̪ɛː.s̬um]
• Note: The -ēe- found in forms such as dēesse, dēest, dēerunt generally scans in poetry as a single syllable, implying it was contracted in pronunciation to a single long -ē- sound (compare dēmō, dēbeō). There are however a few exceptions; Statius uses dēëst, pronounced in two syllables and without the expected shortening of a long vowel before another vowel.

Verb

dēsum (present infinitive deesse, perfect active dēfuī, future active participle dēfutūrus); irregular conjugation, suppletive, no passive, no supine stem except in the future active participle, no gerund

1. to be 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.”)

   • 63 BCE, Cicero, Catiline Orations Oratio in Catilinam Prima in Senatu Habita.3:

     [...] nōn dēest reī pūblicae cōnsilium neque auctōritās hujus ōrdinis: nōs, nōs, dīcō apertē, cōnsulēs dēsumus.

     The Republic lacks neither the judgment nor the authority of this body: [it is] we — we, I say openly — we the consuls [who] are lacking.

   • 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita I.36:

     equitem maxime suis deesse viribus ratus

     thought that cavalry was what he chiefly lacked

2. to fall short of, fail to obtain, miss

   Synonyms: discēdō, dēficiō, cadō, dēlinquō

   Antonyms: perficiō, impetrō, perpetrō, ēvincō

3. to abandon, to desert, to neglect

   Synonyms: relinquō, omittō, dēdō, concēdō, dēcēdō, dēserō, reddō, remittō, dēstituō, dēficiō, oblīvīscor, cēdō, permittō, dissimulō, trādō, addīcō, praetereō, neglegō, pōnō

   Dīmicantī dē fāmā deesse.

   To abandon one whose reputation is attacked.

   (literally, “To abandon against the pummeling of fame.”)

4. to be away, to be absent, to be missing

   Synonym: absum

   Antonyms: adsum, stō

Conjugation

   Conjugation of dēsum (irregular conjugation, suppletive, no passive, no supine stem except in the future active participle, no gerund)

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, dēsiem, dēfuam1		dēsīs, dēsiēs, dēfuās1		dēsit, dēsiet, dēfuat1		dēsīmus, dēsiēmus, dēfuāmus1		dēsītis, dēsiētis, dēfuātis1		dēsint, dēsient, dēfuant1
	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		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		dēesse			—			—			—
future		dēfutūrum esse, dēfore			—			dēfutūrus			—
perfect		dēfuisse			—			—			—
perfect potential		dēfutūrum fuisse			—			—			—

¹Old Latin or in poetry.

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^[1], 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
    
• “dēsum” on page 529 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (1st ed., 1968–82)