deficio

Latin

Alternative forms

• difficiō (Medieval Latin)

Etymology

From de- +‎ facio.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /deːˈfi.ki.oː/, [d̪eːˈfɪkioː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /deˈfi.t͡ʃi.o/, [d̪eˈfiːt͡ʃio]

Verb

dēficiō (present infinitive dēficere, perfect active dēfēcī, supine dēfectum); third conjugation iō-variant

1. (intransitive, ab + ablative or ad + accusative) to move away, leave, withdraw, break away

   ab aliqua re deficere ― to break away from something

2. (intransitive) to be exhausted, run out, fail
3. (intransitive) to be discouraged, disappoint or let down
4. (intransitive) to finish up, die
5. (transitive) to forsake, desert or abandon
6. (passive voice, reflexive) to be lacking in, to fall short, have shortcomings, fail

Conjugation

Conjugation of dēficiō (third conjugation iō-variant)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	dēficiō	dēficis	dēficit	dēficimus	dēficitis	dēficiunt
	imperfect	dēficiēbam	dēficiēbās	dēficiēbat	dēficiēbāmus	dēficiēbātis	dēficiēbant
	future	dēficiam	dēficiēs	dēficiet	dēficiēmus	dēficiētis	dēficient
	perfect	dēfēcī	dēfēcistī	dēfēcit	dēfēcimus	dēfēcistis	dēfēcērunt, dēfēcēre
	pluperfect	dēfēceram	dēfēcerās	dēfēcerat	dēfēcerāmus	dēfēcerātis	dēfēcerant
	future perfect	dēfēcerō	dēfēceris	dēfēcerit	dēfēcerimus	dēfēceritis	dēfēcerint
	sigmatic future1	dēfexō	dēfexis	dēfexit	dēfeximus	dēfexitis	dēfexint
passive	present	dēficior	dēficeris, dēficere	dēficitur	dēficimur	dēficiminī	dēficiuntur
	imperfect	dēficiēbar	dēficiēbāris, dēficiēbāre	dēficiēbātur	dēficiēbāmur	dēficiēbāminī	dēficiēbantur
	future	dēficiar	dēficiēris, dēficiēre	dēficiētur	dēficiēmur	dēficiēminī	dēficientur
	perfect	dēfectus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	dēfectus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	dēfectus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	dēficiam	dēficiās	dēficiat	dēficiāmus	dēficiātis	dēficiant
	imperfect	dēficerem	dēficerēs	dēficeret	dēficerēmus	dēficerētis	dēficerent
	perfect	dēfēcerim	dēfēcerīs	dēfēcerit	dēfēcerīmus	dēfēcerītis	dēfēcerint
	pluperfect	dēfēcissem	dēfēcissēs	dēfēcisset	dēfēcissēmus	dēfēcissētis	dēfēcissent
	sigmatic aorist1	dēfexim	dēfexīs	dēfexīt	dēfexīmus	dēfexītis	dēfexint
passive	present	dēficiar	dēficiāris, dēficiāre	dēficiātur	dēficiāmur	dēficiāminī	dēficiantur
	imperfect	dēficerer	dēficerēris, dēficerēre	dēficerētur	dēficerēmur	dēficerēminī	dēficerentur
	perfect	dēfectus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	dēfectus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	dēfice	—	—	dēficite	—
	future	—	dēficitō	dēficitō	—	dēficitōte	dēficiuntō
passive	present	—	dēficere	—	—	dēficiminī	—
	future	—	dēficitor	dēficitor	—	—	dēficiuntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		dēficere	dēfēcisse	dēfectūrum esse	dēficī	dēfectum esse	dēfectum īrī
participles		dēficiēns	—	dēfectūrus	—	dēfectus	dēficiendus, dēficiundus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		dēficiendī	dēficiendō	dēficiendum	dēficiendō	dēfectum	dēfectū

¹At least one use of the archaic "sigmatic future" and "sigmatic aorist" tenses is attested, which are used by Old Latin writers; most notably Plautus and Terence. The sigmatic future is generally ascribed a future or future perfect meaning, while the sigmatic aorist expresses a possible desire ("might want to").

Quotations

• 526–527, Priscianus Caesariensis, Institutiones Grammaticae, De Dictione

  vides ergo per se ipsam syllabam deficere praedictorum ratione nec aliter posse examussim tractari, nisi posita sit in dictione.

  (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• 845, the same as it appears in the St. Gall Priscian Glosses

  uidesgͦ p̛se ipsam syllabã difficere p͞dictor̄ ratione, necalit̄ posse examosim tractari n͗ posita indictione sit.

  So you see that in and of itself the syllable is insufficient because of the aforementioned, and cannot otherwise exactly be used unless it is placed in a word.

Synonyms

• (die): pereō, morior, intereo, exspiro, defungor, decedo, aboleo, occumbō, cadō, excēdō, discedo
• (retire): facessō, dēcēdō, discēdō, cēdō, concēdō, excēdō, regredior, subtrahō, subdūcō, inclīnō, recēdō, recipiō, āmoveō, referō, vertō
• (move away): evado, exeo, discedo, facesso, decedo, cedo
• (abandon): dēserō, relinquō, omittō, dēdō, concēdō, dēcēdō, linquō, dēsinō, reddō, remittō, dēstituō, oblīvīscor, cēdō, permittō, dissimulō, trādō, addīcō, praetereō, neglegō, pōnō, tribuō
• (lacking): egeō, indigeō, delinquō, careō, dēsum, cessō, perdō
• (discourage): profligō, dēfatīgō
• (fail): cadō, dēsum, discēdō, dēlinquō

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of "lacking"): flōreō, niteō, abundō, affluō
• (antonym(s) of "discourage"): firmō, cōnfirmō
• (antonym(s) of "retire"): prōgredior, prōdeō, prōcēdō, prōficiō, aggredior, ēvehō, incēdō, accēdō, adeō

Derived terms

• dēfector

Related terms

• afficiō
• cōnficiō
• efficiō
• faciō
• interficiō
• officiō
• perficiō
• praeficiō
• prōficiō
• reficiō
• sufficiō
• īnficiō

 

Descendants

• Galician: devecer
• → English: defect
• → Dutch: defecteren
• → German: defektieren
• → Portuguese: défice
• → Swedish: defektera

References

• deficio in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2024), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
• “deficio”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “deficio”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• deficio in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • the sun, moon, is eclipsed: sol (luna) deficit, obscuratur
    
  • to lose strength: vires aliquem deficiunt
    
  • to lose courage; to despair: animo cadere, deficere
    
  • to deviate from the path of virtue: a virtute discedere or deficere
    
  • a man's credit begins to go down: fides aliquem deficere coepit
    
  • to betray the interests of the state: a re publica deficere