(v. n.P. a.) : ĕgĕo, ŭi, 2 (
* Part. fut. egitura, Tert. adv. Marc. 4, 24), v. n. cf. Gr. ἀχήν, poor; root αχ-, αγχ, in ἄχος, ἄγχω, etc.; Lat. angustus, angina, to be needy (for syn. cf.: indigeo, careo, vaco).
* Prop.
* Absol. (so usually in Plaut. and Ter.), to be needy, to be in want, to be poor: me in divitiis esse agrumque habere, egere illam autem,Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 57; cf. id. Most. 1, 3, 73; id. Truc. 2, 1, 12; 4, 2, 32; id. Trin. 2, 2, 49; id. Capt. 3, 4, 49; Ter. Heaut. 5, 2, 11; Cic. Rosc. Com. 8 (opp. locupletem esse); Hor. S. 2, 2, 103 (opp. dives); id. Ep. 1, 2, 56; 2, 1, 228 et saep.—Pass. impers.: amatur atque egetur acriter,Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 39.
* Sometimes transf.
* In the abl.: earum rerum, quibus egeremus, invectio,Cic. Off. 2, 3 fin.; cf. id. Rep. 2, 5; id. Fam. 10, 16, 2: omnibus necessariis rebus,Caes. B. C. 3, 32, 4: copiis,Cic. Off. 1, 16 fin.: oculis ad cernendum,id. N. D. 2, 57, 143: bibliothecis Graecis,id. Tusc. 2, 2, 6; cf. id. Div. 2, 2, 5: medicină,id. Lael. 3: nullo,id. ib. 9, 30: consilio, opera nostra,id. ib. 14 fin.: auxilio,id. Fam. 2, 17, 16: sapiens eget nulla re: egere enim necessitatis est,Sen. Ep. 9 med. (cf. I. a. supra).—Of inanimate subjects: opus eget exercitatione non parva,Cic. Lael. 5, 17; cf. Quint. 1, 6, 38; 1, 8, 4; 1, 10, 7 et saep.
* In the gen. (in Cic. dub., v.the foll.): si pudoris egeas,Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 187: tui, admonitricis,id. Truc. 2, 6, 20; cf. id. Mil. 4, 2, 42; Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 67: auxilii,Caes. B. G. 6, 11, 4: medicinae (al. medicina; cf. the preced.),Cic. Fam. 9, 3 fin.: medici, curatoris,Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 102; cf. custodis,id. S. 1, 4, 118: aeris (opp. locuples mancipiis),id. Ep. 1, 6, 39: nullius,id. ib. 1, 17, 22: nutricis,Ov. Tr. 6, 135: alienae facundiae,Tac. A. 13, 3 al.—Of inanimate subjects: nec prosum quicquam nostrae rationis egere,Lucr. 3, 44; Quint. 5, 14, 5; 2, 16, 13; 3, 8, 63 al.
* In the acc.: nec quicquam eges,Plaut. Men. 1, 2, 12; cf. the foll.
* Supplied by inf. pass.: clariores quam ut indicari egeant, Athenae,Mel. 2, 3, 4; cf. id. 2, 4, 1.
* (For the usual careo.) To be without, to be destitute of, not to have: C. Macer auctoritate semper eguit,Cic. Brut. 67, 238: donis tuis, somne,Stat. S. 5, 4, 2.—Of inanimate subjects: res proprio nomine,Lucr. 3, 134. —*
* To do without, to bear the want of: si quid est, quod utar, utor; si non est, egeo, Cato ap. Gell. 13, 23, 1.
* Like the Gr. δέομαι (cf. also the Engl. to want), to desire, wish for: tui amans abeuntis egeo,Plaut. As. 3, 3, 1: plausoris,Hor. A. P. 154: tantuli,id. S. 1, 1, 59; cf. in the abl.: pane,id. Ep. 1, 10, 11.—Hence, ĕgens, entis, P. a., needy, necessitous, in want, very poor (class.; cf.: egenus, indigens, indigus, inops, pauper, mendicus): quocirca (amici) et absentes assunt egentes abundant,Cic. Lael. 7; Plaut. Pers. 1, 1, 1; 2, 3, 4; id. Stich. 2, 2, 7; Ter. Ad. 3, 3, 30; id. Phorm. 2, 3, 10; Cic. Clu. 59, 163; id. Fl. 15, 35 et saep.; cf. opp. locuples,Caes. B. C. 3, 59, 2; Dig. 22, 5, 3; opp. abundans,Cic. Par. 6, 1, 43: delectus egentium ac perditorum,Caes. B. G. 7, 4, 2; cf. Sall. C. 31, 1; 18, 4.— Comp.: nihil rege egentius,Cic. Att. 6, 1, 4.—Sup.: egestates tot egentissimorum hominum,Cic. Att. 9, 7, 5; id. Sest. 52, 111; id. Rosc. Am. 8 fin.; opp. locuples,Liv. 1, 47.—Adv. does not occur.

s. TLL