middle+c

middle, the middle of, central, midst.

mĕdĭus, a, um, adj. [Sanscr. madhya, the same; Gr. mesos; Angl. - Sax. midd; Germ. Mitte; cf. dimidius, meridies (medi-), etc.], that is in the middle or midst, mid, middle (class.).

Adj.

Lit.:

terra complexa medium mundi locum,

Cic. Rep. 6, 18, 18; cf. id. ib. 6, 17, 17:

medium mundi locum petere,

id. Tusc. 5, 24, 69:

versus aeque prima, et media, et extrema pars attenditur,

id. de Or. 3, 50, 192:

ultimum, proximum, medium tempus,

id. Prov. Cons. 18, 43:

in foro medio,

in the midst of the forum, Plaut. Curc. 4, 1, 14; Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 3, 6; cf.:

medio foro,

in the open forum, Suet. Claud. 18 al.:

in solio medius consedit,

sat in the middle, Ov. F. 3, 359; Verg. A. 7, 169:

considit scopulo medius,

id. G. 4, 436:

concilio medius sedebat,

Ov. M. 10, 144:

ignes,

Verg. A. 12, 201:

medio tempore,

in the meantime, meanwhile, Suet. Caes. 76: vinum novum, vetus, medium, i. e. neither old nor new, Varr. ap. Gell. 13, 31, 14:

cum plenus fluctu medius foret alveus,

full to the middle, Juv. 12, 30.—With dat.:

Peloponnesii Megaram, mediam Corintho Athenisque urbem, condidere,

midway between Corinth and Athens, Vell. 1, 2, 4.—With abl.:

si medius Polluce et Castore ponar,

between, Ov. Am. 2, 16, 13.—With inter:

cum inter bellum et pacem medium nihil sit,

there is no medium, no middle course between, Cic. Phil. 8, 1, 4:

inter quos numeros duo medii inveniuntur (sc. numeri),

Mart. Cap. 7, § 737.—With gen.:

locus medius regionum earum,

half-way between, Caes. B. G. 4, 19:

locus medius juguli summique lacerti,

between, Ov. M. 6, 409; 5, 564:

et medius juvenum ibat,

id. F. 5, 67:

medius silentūm,

Stat. Th. 4, 683.—With ex:

medius ex tribus,

Sall. J. 11, 3:

medium arripere aliquem,

to seize one by the middle, around the body, Ter. Ad. 3, 2, 18:

juvenem medium complectitur,

Liv. 23, 9, 9:

Alcides medium tenuit,

held him fast by the middle, Luc. 4, 652:

medium ostendere unguem,

to point with the middle finger, Juv. 10, 53.—

Transf., half (ante- and postclass.):

hieme demunt cibum medium,

half their food, Varr. R. R. 3, 7, 9:

scrupulum croci,

Pall. Jan. 18: aurum... Italicis totum, medium provincialibus reddidit, Capitol. Anton. Pius, 4 fin. —

Trop., of the middle, not very great or small, middling, medial, moderate.

Of age:

aetatis mediae vir,

of middle age, Phaedr. 2, 2, 3.—

Of plans, purposes, etc.:

nihil medium, nec spem nec curam, sed immensa omnia volventes animo,

Liv. 2, 49, 5:

medium quiddam tenere,

Plin. Ep. 4, 9, 9.—

Of intellect:

eloquentiā medius,

middling, tolerable, Vell. 2, 29, 2:

ingenium,

moderate, Tac. H. 1, 49.—

Undetermined, undecided:

medios esse,

i. e. neutral, Cic. Att. 10, 8, 4:

medium se gerere,

Liv. 2, 27:

se dubium mediumque partibus praestitit,

Vell. 2, 21, 1; cf.:

responsum,

indefinite, ambiguous, Liv. 39, 39: vocabula, that can be taken in a good or bad sense, ambiguous, Gell. 12, 9, 1. —

Indifferent, not imperative: officium, a duty which is not distinctly enjoined by the moral law, but is sustained by preponderant reasoning:

medium officium id esse dicunt (Graeci) quod cur factum sit, ratio probabilis reddi possit,

Cic. Off. 1, 3, 8; cf.:

ex quo intellegitur, officium medium quiddam esse, quod neque in bonis ponatur neque in contrariis,

id. Fin. 3, 17, 58; cf.

sqq. and Madv. ad loc.: artes,

which in themselves are neither good nor bad, indifferent, Quint. 2, 20, 1.—

Intermediate:

medium erat in Anco ingenium, et Numae et Romuli memor,

of a middle kind, resembling each in some degree, Liv. 1, 32, 4:

nihil habet ista res (actoris) medium, sed aut lacrimas meretur aut risum,

Quint. 6, 1, 45:

ille jam paene medius adfectus est ex amoribus et desideriis amicorum,

Quint. 6, 2, 17.—Hence, as subst.: mĕdĭus, i, m., one who stands or comes between, a mediator:

medium sese offert,

as a mediator, Verg. A. 7, 536:

pacator mediusque Syphax,

Sil. 16, 222:

pacis eras mediusque belli,

arbiter, Hor. C. 2, 19, 28; cf.:

nunc mediis subeant irrita verba deis,

oaths in which the gods were called upon to be mediators, Ov. R. Am. 678.—

Central, with ex or in:

ex factione media consul,

fully committed to it, Sall. H. 3, 61, 8;

so (nearly = intimus), viros fortīs et magnanimos eosdem bonos et simplicīs... esse volumus: quae sunt ex media laude justititiae,

these qualities are clearly among those which make uprightness praiseworthy, Cic. Off. 1, 19, 63:

partitiones oratoriae, quae e media illa nostra Academia effloruerunt,

id. Part. Or. 40, 139:

ingressio e media philosophia repetita est,

id. Or. 3, 11; id. Leg. 2, 21, 53:

in medio maerore et dolore,

id. Tusc. 4, 29, 63; id. Q. Fr. 2, 15, 1:

in media dimicatione,

the hottest of the fight, Suet. Aug. 10; cf.:

in medio ardore certaminis,

Curt. 8, 4, 27:

in media solitudine,

the most profound, Sen. Brev. Vit. 12, 2:

in mediis divitiis,

in abundant wealth, id. Vit. Beat. 26, 1:

in medio robore virium,

Liv. 28, 35, 6:

in medio ardore belli,

id. 24, 45, 4:

in media reipublicae luce,

the full blaze of public life, Quint. 1, 2, 18:

media inter pocula,

Juv. 8, 217.—Hence,

Subst.: mĕdĭum, ii, n., the middle, midst.

Lit.

Of space (very rare in Cic.):

in medio aedium sedens,

Liv. 1, 57, 9:

maris,

id. 31, 45, 11; for which, without in, medio aedium eburneis sellis sedere, id. 5, 41, 2:

medio viae ponere,

id. 37, 13, 10:

in agmine in primis modo, modo in postremis, saepe in medio adesse,

Sall. J. 45, 2; for which, without in, medio sextam legionem constituit, Tac. A. 13, 38:

medio montium porrigitur planities,

id. ib. 1, 64:

medio stans hostia ad aras,

Verg. G. 3, 486:

medio tutissimus ibis,

Ov. M. 2, 137:

in medium geminos immani pondere caestus Projecit,

Verg. A. 5, 401:

in medium sarcinas coniciunt,

Liv. 10, 36, 1; 13:

equitatus consulem in medium acceptum, armis protegens, in castra reduxit,

id. 21, 46, 9.— Trop.:

tamquam arbiter honorarius medium ferire voluisse,

to cut through the middle, Cic. Fat. 17, 39:

intacta invidiā media sunt, ad summa ferme tendit,

Liv. 45, 35.—

Of time:

diei,

Liv. 27, 48:

medio temporis,

in the meantime, meanwhile, Tac. A. 13, 28; cf.:

nec longum in medio tempus, cum,

the interval, Verg. A. 9, 395; Ov. M. 4, 167; Plin. Ep. 7, 27, 13.—

Transf.

The midst of all, the presence of all, the public, the community (class.):

in medio omnibus palma est posita, qui artem tractant musicam,

lies open to all, Ter. Phorm. prol. 16:

tabulae sunt in medio,

Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 42, § 104:

rem totam in medio ponere,

publicly, id. ib. 2, 1, 11, §

29: ponam in medio sententias philosophorum,

id. N. D. 1, 6, 13:

dicendi ratio in medio posita,

lies open to all, id. de Or. 1, 3, 12:

rem in medium proferre,

to publish, make known, id. Fam. 15, 27, 6: vocare in medium, before the public, before a public tribunal:

rem in medium vocare coeperunt,

id. Clu. 28, 77:

in medio relinquere,

to leave it to the public, leave it undecided, id. Cael. 20, 48; Sall. C. 19, 16: pellere e medio, to expel, reject, Enn. ap. Cic. Mur. 14, 30 (Ann. v. 272 Vahl.); Cic. Off. 3, 8, 37:

cum jacentia verba sustulimus e medio,

adopt words from the people, common words, id. de Or. 3, 45, 177; cf.: munda sed e medio consuetaque verba puellae Scribite, Ov. A. A. 3, 479: tollere de medio, to do away with, abolish:

litteras,

Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 71, § 176: tollere de medio, to put out of the way, cut off, destroy:

hominem,

id. Rosc. Am. 7, 20:

de medio removere,

to put out of sight, id. ib. 8, 23: e medio excedere or abire, to leave the world, to die:

e medio excessit,

she is dead, Ter. Phorm. 5, 7, 74:

ea mortem obiit, e medio abiit,

id. ib. 5, 8, 30:

tollite lumen e medio,

Juv. 9, 106: recedere de medio, to go away, retire, withdraw:

cur te mihi offers? recede de medio,

Cic. Rosc. Am. 38, 112:

in medio esse,

to be present, Ter. Ad. 3, 5, 32:

in medium venire or procedere,

to appear, come forward, show one's self in public, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 71, § 175: in medium, before the public, for the public, for the community:

communes utilitates in medium afferre,

id. Off. 1, 7, 22:

consulere in medium,

to care for the public good, for the good of all, Verg. A. 11, 335;

so opp. separantem suas res a publicis,

Liv. 24, 22, 14 sq.; 26, 12, 7:

quaerere,

to make acquisitions for the use of all, Verg. G. 1, 127: cedere, to fall or devolve to the community, Tac. H. 4, 64:

conferre laudem,

i. e. so that all may have a share of it, Liv. 6, 6:

dare,

to communicate for the use of all, Ov. M. 15, 66:

in medium conferre, in gaming,

to put down, put in the pool, Suet. Aug. 71: in medio, for sub dio, in the open air:

scorpios fugari posse, si aliqui ex eis urantur in medio,

Pall. 1, 35, 12.—

A half (ante-class. and post-Aug.):

scillae medium conterunt cum aqua,

Varr. R. R. 2, 7:

scrobem ad medium completo,

Col. Arb. 4, 5.—Hence,

Adv.: mĕdĭē, in the middle, in a middling degree, moderately, tolerably (except once in Tac. only post-class.):

qui noluerant medie,

kept quiet, remained neutral, Tac. H. 1, 19:

nec plane optimi, nec oppido deterrimi sunt, sed quasi medie morati,

App. Dogm. Plat. 2, p. 22, 23; Eutr. 7, 13; Lact. 6, 15 fin.:

ortus medie humilis,

Aur. Vict. Caes. 20.—

Indefinitely, Ambros. in Luc. 8, 17, 34.

* * *

* * *

dē-fĭcĭo, fēci, fectum, 3 ( perf. subj.: defexit, an old formula in Liv. 1, 24 fin., see below, no. III. fin. In the pass., besides the regular form deficior, ante- and postclass., once in Verg., Propert., and Livy, like fīo, eri: defit, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 19; Plaut. Mil. 4, 6, 46; Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 12; Lucr. 2, 1142; Verg. E. 2, 22; Prop. 1, 1, 34:

deflunt,

Gell. 20, 8, 5:

defiat,

Plaut. Men. 1, 4, 3; id. Rud. 4, 4, 63:

defiet,

Liv. 9, 11:

defieri,

Ter. Hec. 5, 2, 2; cf. conficio init.), v. a. and n. [facio], orig., to loosen, set free, remove from; but it passed over at a very early period into the middle sense, to loosen from one's self, to remove one's self, to break loose from; and then gradually assumed the character of a new verb. act., with the meaning to leave, desert, [p. 530] depart from something, or absol., to depart, cease, fail. (For syn. cf.: desum, absum, descisco, negligo.)

Act. in the middle sense, to remove one's self, separate one's self, to withdraw (cf. the Greek aphistanai).—Hence, to forsake, desert, abandon, revolt.

Lit.:

ab amicitia P. R.,

Caes. B. G. 5, 3, 3; 7, 39, 3:

ab Aeduis,

id. ib. 2, 14, 3:

ab rege,

Sall. J. 56, 3; cf. ib. 66:

(consules) a senatu, a republica, a bonis omnibus defecerant,

Cic. Planc. 35; cf.:

a republica,

id. Cat. 11, 28; id. Fam. 12, 10; id. Sull. 12, 35:

ab imperio ac nomine nostro,

id. Verr. 2, 1, 31 et saep.:

a patribus ad plebem,

to go over, Liv. 6, 20:

ad se,

Sall. J. 61; cf.:

ad Poenos,

Liv. 22, 61.— Absol.:

civitates quae defecerant,

Caes. B. G. 3, 17, 2; 5, 25, 4; 7, 10 al.—

Trop.:

si a virtute defeceris,

forsake, Cic. Lael. 11, 37:

si utilitas ab amicitia defecerit,

id. Fin. 2, 24, 79:

ut a me ipse deficerem,

id. Fam. 2, 16.—Hence,

As a verb. act., to leave a person or thing, to desert, to fail, forsake, be wanting to (of things;

very rarely of personal subjects): quem jam sanguis viresque deficiunt,

Caes. B. G. 7, 50 fin.; so,

vires,

id. B. C. 3, 99 fin.; Cic. de Or. 1, 45, 199:

me Leontina civitas,

id. Verr. 2, 3, 46, § 110; id. ib. 2, 5, 28 fin.; Hor. S. 2, 1, 13 et saep.:

res eos jam pridem, fides deficere nuper coepit,

Cic. Cat. 2, 5, 10:

me dies, vox, latera deficiant, si, etc.,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 21 (imitated word for word, Plin. Ep. 3, 9, 9); cf.:

ne te de republica disserentem deficiat oratio,

Cic. Rep. 1, 23; and:

tempus te citius quam oratio deficeret,

id. Rosc. Am. 32:

animus si te non deficit aequus,

Hor. Ep. 1, 11, 30:

somnus sollicitas domus,

Tib. 3, 4, 20: genitor Phaethontis orbem, i. e. is eclipsed (cf. III. B. infra), Ov. M. 2, 382.— Poet. with a subject-clause: nec me deficiet nautas rogitare citatos, i. e. I will not cease, etc. Prop. 1, 8, 23 Kuin.—

Pass.:

cum aquilifer jam viribus deficeretur,

Caes. B. C. 3, 64, 3; cf.:

mulier a menstruis defecta,

Cels. 2, 8 fin.:

mulier abundat audacia, consilio et ratione deficitur,

Cic. Clu. 65, 184:

aqua ciboque defecti,

Quint. 3, 8, 23; Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 25:

sanguine defecti artus,

Ov. M. 5, 96 et saep.:

si qui dotem promisit defectus sit facultatibus,

i. e. unable to pay, Dig. 23, 3, 33; cf.:

te defecta nomina,

ib. 22, 1, 11 fin. —

Middle or neuter, to run out, be wanting, fail, cease, disappear.

Middle (mostly ante-class. and poet.).

With dat.: mihi fortuna magis nunc defit, quam genus, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 19; Ter. Hec. 5, 2, 2:

lac mihi non aestate novum, non frigore defit,

Verg. E. 2, 22.—

Absol.:

neque opsonium defiat neque supersit,

Plaut. Men. 1, 4, 3;

so opp. superesse,

Ter. Ph. 1, 3, 10:

ut defiat dies,

Plaut. Rud. 4, 4, 63: id. Mil. 4, 6, 46:

numquamne causa defiet, cur? etc.,

Liv. 9, 11.— Trop.:

defectis (sc. animo) defensoribus,

disheartened, Caes. B. C. 3, 40, 3:

sed non usque eo defectum Germanicum,

weakened, Tac. A. 2, 70; cf. in the foll. no. B. b.—

Neuter.

With dat. (so rarely; mostly poet.):

cum non solum vires, sed etiam tela nostris deficerent,

Caes. B. G. 3, 5, 1;

so perh.: vires nostris,

id. B. C. 2, 41, 7 (al. nostros); Sil. 8, 661 Oud. N. cr.; cf. id. 10, 10, 193; and Stat. Ach. 1, 445.—

Absol. (freq. in all periods and kinds of composition):

non frumentum deficere poterat,

Caes. B. C. 2, 37 fin.; cf.:

fructus ex arboribus,

id. ib. 3, 58 fin.:

ejus generis copia,

id. B. G. 6, 16 fin.:

tempus anni ad bellum gerendum,

id. ib. 4, 20, 2:

vereor, ne mihi crimina non suppeterent, ne oratio deesset, ne vox viresque deficerent,

Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 11:

nisi memoria forte defecerit,

id. Fin. 2, 14, 44; id. Rep. 1, 3:

non deficiente crumena,

Hor. Ep. 1, 4, 11 et saep.; Juv. 11, 38:

quod plena luna defecisset,

was eclipsed, Cic. Rep. 1, 15; cf.:

solem lunae oppositum solere deficere,

id. ib. 1, 16 al.; also simply to set:

qua venit exoriens, qua deficit,

Prop. 4, 4, 27: lunā deficiente, waning (opp. crescente), Gell. 20, 8, 5; of fire and light, to go out, expire, become extinct:

ignis,

Verg. G. 352:

lumen,

Petr. 111, 4:

progenies Caesarum in Nerone deficit,

becomes extinct, dies out, Suet. Galb. 1; cf. Plin. Pan. 39, 6; Just. 7, 2, 4; Sen. Suas. 2, 22;

but deficit ignis,

does not extend, Verg. A. 2, 505:

in hac voce defecit,

he departed, expired, Suet. Aug. 99; Quint. 6 prooem. § 11: deficit omne quod nascitur, comes to an end, Quint. 5, 10, 79; cf.:

mundum deficere,

id. ib.:

deficit vita,

Plaut. Asin. 3, 3, 19;

quod multi Gallicis tot bellis defecerant,

had been lost, Caes. B. C. 3, 2 fin.:

ultima jam passi comites bello Deficiunt,

grow faint, Ov. M. 14, 483:

deficit Matho,

fails, becomes bankrupt, Juv. 7, 129:

debitores,

Dig. 49, 14, 3, § 8:

munimenta defecerant,

yielded, surrendered, Curt. 4, 4, 19.— Trop.:

ne negotio desisteret neu animo deficeret,

nor be disheartened, Caes. B. C. 3, 112 fin.; so,

animo,

id. B. G. 7, 30; id. B. C. 1, 19; 2, 43; Cic. Rosc. Am. 4, 10;

for which, ne deficiant (apes) animum,

Varr. R. R. 3, 16, 34; and in a like sense absol.:

ne una plaga accepta patres conscripti conciderent, ne deficerent,

Cic. Att. 1, 16, 9; so Caes. B. C. 2, 31 fin.; Sall. J. 51, 4:

deficit ars,

Ov. M. 11, 537: illis legibus populus Romanus prior non deficiet: si prior defexit publico consilio dolo malo, tu illo die, Juppiter, etc., to depart from, violate the conditions of a treaty, an old formula used in taking an oath, Liv. 1, 24 fin.:

pugnando deficere,

i. e. to be deficient, wanting, Caes. B. C. 2, 6, 3; cf. poet. with foll. inf.:

suppeditare Materies,

Lucr. 1, 1039; Sil. 3, 112; Tib. 4, 1, 191.— Hence, dēfectus, a, um, P. a. (acc. to no. III.), weak, weakened, worn out, enfeebled (not ante-Aug.):

quod sibi defectis illa tulisset opem,

Ov. F. 3, 674:

defectus annis et desertus viribus,

Phaedr. 1, 21, 3; cf.:

defectissimus annis et viribus,

Col. 1 prooem. §

12: senio (arbor),

id. 5, 6, 37:

laboribus,

Val. Fl. 2, 285:

vadit incerto pede, jam viribus defecta,

Sen. Hippol. 374:

defectae senectutis homine,

Dig. 7, 1, 12, § 3:

in tumidis et globosis (speculis) omnia defectiora (corresp. with paria and auctiora),

smaller, App. Mag. p. 283.— Plur. subst.: dēfecti, ōrum, m.:

sidera obscura attributa defectis,

the weak, Plin. 2, 8, 6, § 28.

dē-fĭcĭo, fēci, fectum, 3 ( perf. subj.: defexit, an old formula in Liv. 1, 24 fin., see below, no. III. fin. In the pass., besides the regular form deficior, ante- and postclass., once in Verg., Propert., and Livy, like fīo, eri: defit, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 19; Plaut. Mil. 4, 6, 46; Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 12; Lucr. 2, 1142; Verg. E. 2, 22; Prop. 1, 1, 34:

deflunt,

Gell. 20, 8, 5:

defiat,

Plaut. Men. 1, 4, 3; id. Rud. 4, 4, 63:

defiet,

Liv. 9, 11:

defieri,

Ter. Hec. 5, 2, 2; cf. conficio init.), v. a. and n. [facio], orig., to loosen, set free, remove from; but it passed over at a very early period into the middle sense, to loosen from one's self, to remove one's self, to break loose from; and then gradually assumed the character of a new verb. act., with the meaning to leave, desert, [p. 530] depart from something, or absol., to depart, cease, fail. (For syn. cf.: desum, absum, descisco, negligo.)

Act. in the middle sense, to remove one's self, separate one's self, to withdraw (cf. the Greek aphistanai).—Hence, to forsake, desert, abandon, revolt.

Lit.:

ab amicitia P. R.,

Caes. B. G. 5, 3, 3; 7, 39, 3:

ab Aeduis,

id. ib. 2, 14, 3:

ab rege,

Sall. J. 56, 3; cf. ib. 66:

(consules) a senatu, a republica, a bonis omnibus defecerant,

Cic. Planc. 35; cf.:

a republica,

id. Cat. 11, 28; id. Fam. 12, 10; id. Sull. 12, 35:

ab imperio ac nomine nostro,

id. Verr. 2, 1, 31 et saep.:

a patribus ad plebem,

to go over, Liv. 6, 20:

ad se,

Sall. J. 61; cf.:

ad Poenos,

Liv. 22, 61.— Absol.:

civitates quae defecerant,

Caes. B. G. 3, 17, 2; 5, 25, 4; 7, 10 al.—

Trop.:

si a virtute defeceris,

forsake, Cic. Lael. 11, 37:

si utilitas ab amicitia defecerit,

id. Fin. 2, 24, 79:

ut a me ipse deficerem,

id. Fam. 2, 16.—Hence,

As a verb. act., to leave a person or thing, to desert, to fail, forsake, be wanting to (of things;

very rarely of personal subjects): quem jam sanguis viresque deficiunt,

Caes. B. G. 7, 50 fin.; so,

vires,

id. B. C. 3, 99 fin.; Cic. de Or. 1, 45, 199:

me Leontina civitas,

id. Verr. 2, 3, 46, § 110; id. ib. 2, 5, 28 fin.; Hor. S. 2, 1, 13 et saep.:

res eos jam pridem, fides deficere nuper coepit,

Cic. Cat. 2, 5, 10:

me dies, vox, latera deficiant, si, etc.,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 21 (imitated word for word, Plin. Ep. 3, 9, 9); cf.:

ne te de republica disserentem deficiat oratio,

Cic. Rep. 1, 23; and:

tempus te citius quam oratio deficeret,

id. Rosc. Am. 32:

animus si te non deficit aequus,

Hor. Ep. 1, 11, 30:

somnus sollicitas domus,

Tib. 3, 4, 20: genitor Phaethontis orbem, i. e. is eclipsed (cf. III. B. infra), Ov. M. 2, 382.— Poet. with a subject-clause: nec me deficiet nautas rogitare citatos, i. e. I will not cease, etc. Prop. 1, 8, 23 Kuin.—

Pass.:

cum aquilifer jam viribus deficeretur,

Caes. B. C. 3, 64, 3; cf.:

mulier a menstruis defecta,

Cels. 2, 8 fin.:

mulier abundat audacia, consilio et ratione deficitur,

Cic. Clu. 65, 184:

aqua ciboque defecti,

Quint. 3, 8, 23; Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 25:

sanguine defecti artus,

Ov. M. 5, 96 et saep.:

si qui dotem promisit defectus sit facultatibus,

i. e. unable to pay, Dig. 23, 3, 33; cf.:

te defecta nomina,

ib. 22, 1, 11 fin. —

Middle or neuter, to run out, be wanting, fail, cease, disappear.

Middle (mostly ante-class. and poet.).

With dat.: mihi fortuna magis nunc defit, quam genus, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 19; Ter. Hec. 5, 2, 2:

lac mihi non aestate novum, non frigore defit,

Verg. E. 2, 22.—

Absol.:

neque opsonium defiat neque supersit,

Plaut. Men. 1, 4, 3;

so opp. superesse,

Ter. Ph. 1, 3, 10:

ut defiat dies,

Plaut. Rud. 4, 4, 63: id. Mil. 4, 6, 46:

numquamne causa defiet, cur? etc.,

Liv. 9, 11.— Trop.:

defectis (sc. animo) defensoribus,

disheartened, Caes. B. C. 3, 40, 3:

sed non usque eo defectum Germanicum,

weakened, Tac. A. 2, 70; cf. in the foll. no. B. b.—

Neuter.

With dat. (so rarely; mostly poet.):

cum non solum vires, sed etiam tela nostris deficerent,

Caes. B. G. 3, 5, 1;

so perh.: vires nostris,

id. B. C. 2, 41, 7 (al. nostros); Sil. 8, 661 Oud. N. cr.; cf. id. 10, 10, 193; and Stat. Ach. 1, 445.—

Absol. (freq. in all periods and kinds of composition):

non frumentum deficere poterat,

Caes. B. C. 2, 37 fin.; cf.:

fructus ex arboribus,

id. ib. 3, 58 fin.:

ejus generis copia,

id. B. G. 6, 16 fin.:

tempus anni ad bellum gerendum,

id. ib. 4, 20, 2:

vereor, ne mihi crimina non suppeterent, ne oratio deesset, ne vox viresque deficerent,

Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 11:

nisi memoria forte defecerit,

id. Fin. 2, 14, 44; id. Rep. 1, 3:

non deficiente crumena,

Hor. Ep. 1, 4, 11 et saep.; Juv. 11, 38:

quod plena luna defecisset,

was eclipsed, Cic. Rep. 1, 15; cf.:

solem lunae oppositum solere deficere,

id. ib. 1, 16 al.; also simply to set:

qua venit exoriens, qua deficit,

Prop. 4, 4, 27: lunā deficiente, waning (opp. crescente), Gell. 20, 8, 5; of fire and light, to go out, expire, become extinct:

ignis,

Verg. G. 352:

lumen,

Petr. 111, 4:

progenies Caesarum in Nerone deficit,

becomes extinct, dies out, Suet. Galb. 1; cf. Plin. Pan. 39, 6; Just. 7, 2, 4; Sen. Suas. 2, 22;

but deficit ignis,

does not extend, Verg. A. 2, 505:

in hac voce defecit,

he departed, expired, Suet. Aug. 99; Quint. 6 prooem. § 11: deficit omne quod nascitur, comes to an end, Quint. 5, 10, 79; cf.:

mundum deficere,

id. ib.:

deficit vita,

Plaut. Asin. 3, 3, 19;

quod multi Gallicis tot bellis defecerant,

had been lost, Caes. B. C. 3, 2 fin.:

ultima jam passi comites bello Deficiunt,

grow faint, Ov. M. 14, 483:

deficit Matho,

fails, becomes bankrupt, Juv. 7, 129:

debitores,

Dig. 49, 14, 3, § 8:

munimenta defecerant,

yielded, surrendered, Curt. 4, 4, 19.— Trop.:

ne negotio desisteret neu animo deficeret,

nor be disheartened, Caes. B. C. 3, 112 fin.; so,

animo,

id. B. G. 7, 30; id. B. C. 1, 19; 2, 43; Cic. Rosc. Am. 4, 10;

for which, ne deficiant (apes) animum,

Varr. R. R. 3, 16, 34; and in a like sense absol.:

ne una plaga accepta patres conscripti conciderent, ne deficerent,

Cic. Att. 1, 16, 9; so Caes. B. C. 2, 31 fin.; Sall. J. 51, 4:

deficit ars,

Ov. M. 11, 537: illis legibus populus Romanus prior non deficiet: si prior defexit publico consilio dolo malo, tu illo die, Juppiter, etc., to depart from, violate the conditions of a treaty, an old formula used in taking an oath, Liv. 1, 24 fin.:

pugnando deficere,

i. e. to be deficient, wanting, Caes. B. C. 2, 6, 3; cf. poet. with foll. inf.:

suppeditare Materies,

Lucr. 1, 1039; Sil. 3, 112; Tib. 4, 1, 191.— Hence, dēfectus, a, um, P. a. (acc. to no. III.), weak, weakened, worn out, enfeebled (not ante-Aug.):

quod sibi defectis illa tulisset opem,

Ov. F. 3, 674:

defectus annis et desertus viribus,

Phaedr. 1, 21, 3; cf.:

defectissimus annis et viribus,

Col. 1 prooem. §

12: senio (arbor),

id. 5, 6, 37:

laboribus,

Val. Fl. 2, 285:

vadit incerto pede, jam viribus defecta,

Sen. Hippol. 374:

defectae senectutis homine,

Dig. 7, 1, 12, § 3:

in tumidis et globosis (speculis) omnia defectiora (corresp. with paria and auctiora),

smaller, App. Mag. p. 283.— Plur. subst.: dēfecti, ōrum, m.:

sidera obscura attributa defectis,

the weak, Plin. 2, 8, 6, § 28.

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mĕdĭĕtas, ātis, f. [medius], the middle, place in the middle, midst (in Cic. only as transl. of the Gr. mesotês; elsewhere postclass.).

Lit.: vix audeo dicere medietates, quas Graeci mesotêtas appellant, Cic. Univ. 7, 20:

narium,

Lact. 10, 19:

totius loci,

App. M. 2, p. 116, 6:

sic feliciore loco medietatis est positus (sc. homo),

App. Asclep. 6, p. 79:

in mediatate distinctis aquis,

Tert. de Bapt. 3.—

Transf., a half, moiety (syn. dimidium):

decoquere aliquid usque ad medietatem,

Pall. Mart. 10, 10 and 30:

sulcum usque ad medietatem replere,

id. Mai. 3: debiti, Cod. Th. 4, 19, 1.—

Trop., a middle course, medium:

medietatem quandam sequi,

Dig. 5, 4, 3 fin.; Arn. 2, 65:

ejusmodi medietates inter virtutes et vitia intercedere,

App. Dogm. Plat. p. 14, 3.

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