desum

Latin

Etymology

dē- +‎ sum

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈdeː.sum/, [ˈd̪eːs̠ʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈde.sum/, [ˈd̪ɛːs̬um]
• Note: The -ee- found in forms such as deesse, deest, deerunt generally scans in poetry as a single syllable, implying it was contracted in pronunciation to a single long -ē- sound (compare dēmō, dēbeō).

Verb

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

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.”)

   • 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

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^[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)