# deficio
## Latin
### Alternative forms

* difficiō (Medieval Latin)

### Etymology

From de- +‎ facio.

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /deːˈfi.ki.oː/, [d̪eːˈfɪkioː]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /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

$^1$At 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

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

#### 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, 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