deficio

Latin

Alternative forms

difficiō (Medieval Latin)

Etymology

From de- +‎ facio.

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) 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

(intransitive, ab + ablative or ad + accusative) to move away, leave, withdraw, break away
ab aliqua re deficere ― to break away from something
(intransitive) to be exhausted, run out, fail
(intransitive) to be discouraged, disappoint or let down
(intransitive) to finish up, die
(transitive) to forsake, desert or abandon
(passive voice, reflexive) to be lacking in, to fall short, have shortcomings, fail

Conjugation

Conjugation of dēficiō (third conjugation iō-variant)

indicative		singular				plural
indicative		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
subjunctive		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
imperative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	—	dēfice		—	—	dēficite		—
active	future	—	dēficitō		dēficitō	—	dēficitōte		dēficiuntō
passive	present	—	dēficere		—	—	dēficiminī		—
passive	future	—	dēficitor		dēficitor	—	—		dēficiuntor
non-finite forms		infinitive				participle
non-finite forms		active		passive		active		passive
present		dēficere		dēficī		dēficiēns		—
future		dēfectūrum esse		dēfectum īrī		dēfectūrus		dēficiendus, dēficiundus
perfect		dēfēcisse		dēfectum esse		—		dēfectus
future perfect		—		dēfectum fore		—		—
perfect potential		dēfectūrum fuisse		—		—		—
verbal nouns		gerund					supine
		genitive	dative		accusative	ablative	accusative		ablative
		dēficiendī	dēficiendō		dēficiendum	dēficiendō	dēfectum		dēfectū

¹At least one use of the Old Latin "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, abscēdō, 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

Descendants

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

References

deficio in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2025), 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