I. Orig., to take away; hence, to diminish by taking away. Of things, to consume, to annihilate; of persons, orig. to ruin, to corrupt; later, in a phys. sense, to kill. Thus Hercules, in the transl. of the Trachiniae, complains: sic corpus clade horribili absumptum extabuit, consumed, ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 8, 20; so Philoctetes in a piece of Attius: jam jam absumor: conficit animam vis vulneris, Att. ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 7, 19 (Trag. Rel. p. 209 Rib.): “jam ista quidem absumpta res erit: diesque noctesque estur, bibitur, etc.,” Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 78: “absumpti sumus, pater tuus venit,” we are lost, undone! id. ib. 2, 1, 18; id. Am. 5, 1, 6: “nisi quid tibi in tete auxili est, absumptus es,” you are ruined, id. Ep. 1, 1, 76: “dum te fidelem facere ero voluisti, absumptu's paene,” id. Mil. 2, 4, 55: “pytisando modo mihi quid vini absumpsit!” has consumed, Ter. Heaut. 3, 1, 48; so, “absumet heres Caecuba dignior,” Hor. C. 2, 14, 25: “mensas malis,” Verg. A. 3, 257; cf. id. G. 3, 268; and: “absumptis frugum alimentis,” Liv. 23, 30, 3: “urbem flammis,” to consume, destroy, Liv. 30, 7, 9; cf. Vell. 2, 130; Plin. Ep. 10, 42: “plures fame quam ferro absumpti,” Liv. 22, 39, 14; cf.: “quos non oppresserat ignis, ferro absumpti,” killed, id. 30, 6, 6; and: “multi ibi mortales ferro ignique absumpti sunt,” id. 5, 7, 3; so, “nisi mors eum absumpsisset,” id. 23, 30 fin.; and: “animam leto,” Verg. A. 3, 654.—Absumi, to be killed: “ubi nuper Epiri rex Alexander absumptus erat,” Liv. 9, 17 fin.—Absumi in aliquid, to be used for any thing, to be changed into: “dentes in cornua absumi,” Plin. 11, 37, 45 fin.—
II. Fig., to ruin: “cum ille et curā et sumptu absumitur,” Ter. Phorm. 2, 2, 26: “satietatem amoris,” to consume, id. ib. 5, 5, 6.—Often of time: “ne dicendo tempus absumam,” spend, pass, Cic. Quint. 10; so, “quattuor horas dicendo,” Liv. 45, 37, 6: “diem,” Ov. Tr. 4, 10, 114: “biduum inter cogitationes,” Curt. 3, 6, 8: “magnam partem aetatis in hoc,” Quint. 12, 11, 15.
