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pessum

pessum, to the ground, to the bottom

pessum, adv. [prob. contr. from pedis-versum, πέζα, πέδον, towards the feet; like susum, sursum, from sub-versum; hence, in gen.], to the ground, to the bottom, down (mostly ante-class. and post-Aug.; esp. freq. in the connection pessum ire and pessum dare).
  • I Lit.: nunc eam (cistellulam) cum navi scilicet abisse pessum in altum, Plaut. Rud. 2, 3, 64 (394): quando abiit rete pessum, id. Truc. 1, 1, 15 (36); and: ne pessum abeat (ratis), id. Aul. 4, 1, 12 (598): multae per mare pessum Subsedere urbes, have gone to the bottom, been swallowed up, Lucr. 6, 589: ubi dulcem caseum demiseris in eam (muriam), si pessum ibit, etc. (opp. si innatabit), goes to the bottom, sinks, Col. 12, 6, 2 (cf. also the fig. taken from a ship, in II.): ut (lacus) folia non innatantia ferat, sed pessum et penitus accipiat, Mel. 3, 9, 2: sidentia pessum Corpora caesa tenent, Luc. 3, 674: quam celsa cacumina pessum Tellus victa dedit, sent to the bottom, id. 5, 616: pessum mergere pedes, Prud. praef. ap. Symm. 2, 36.—
  • II Trop.
    • A Pessum ire, and rarely pessum sidere, to fall to the ground, go to ruin; to sink, perish: quia miser non eo pessum, etc., Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 12 (214): pessum ituros fecundissimos Italiae campos, si, etc., Tac. A. 1, 79: pessum iere vitae pretia, Plin. H. N. 14 prooem. § 5: vitia civitatis degenerantis et pessum suā mole sidentis, Sen. Const. Sap. 2, 3.—
    • B Pessum dare (less correctly, in one word, pessumdare or pessundare), rarely pessum premere, agere, deicere, to send to the bottom, to sink, ruin, destroy, undo; to put out of the world, put an end to: pessum dare aliquem verbis, Cic. Fragm. ap. Quint. 8, 6, 47: pessum dedisti me blandimentis tuis, Plaut. Rud. 2, 6, 23 (507); id. Merc. 5, 2, 6 (847): exemplum pessumum pessum date, do away with, remove, id. Rud. 3, 2, 3 (617): quae res plerumque magnas civitates pessum dedit, Sall. J. 42, 4: quae, si non astu providentur, me aut erum pessum dabunt, Ter. And. 208: multos etiam bonos pessum dedit, Tac. A. 3, 66 fin.: ingentes hostium copias, Val. Max. 4, 4, 5: sin (animus) ad inertiam et voluptates corporis pessumdatus est, has sunk into indolence, Sall. J. 1, 4: aliquem pro suis factis pessumis pessum premere, Plaut. Most. 5, 2, 49 (1170): aetate pessum actā, i. e. brought to an end, Auct. ap. Lact. 1, 11: nec sum mulier, nisi eam pessum de tantis opibus dejecero, Ap. Met. 5, 10, 18; cf. id. ib. 5, 26, 20.
pessum, i, n. (collat. form pes-sus, i, m., Plin. Val. 1, 5 fin.; Theod. Prisc. 2, 5), = πεσσόν, πεσσός, in medic. lang.,
  • a pessary, App. Herb. 121; Theod. Prisc. 3, 5 (in Cels. 5, 21, written as Greek).

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