I.to undo or sever one's connection with another; hence, with esp. reference to the latter, to leave, forsake, abandon, desert, give up (cf. derelinquere; more restricted in signif. than relinquere, which denotes, in general, to depart from, to leave any one. Deserere, orig. in milit. lang., implies a cowardly running away; frequently used with prodere; also in the flg. phrase: deserere vitam; and later, absol. in the sense of to desert, etc.; cf. also: linquere, destituere, deficere, discedere—freq. and class.).
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: “ut jurent omnes, se exercitum ducesque non deserturos neque prodituros,” Caes. B. C. 1, 76, 2; cf. id. ib. 2, 32, 7: “deseritur a suis Varus,” id. ib. 1, 13, 3; cf. id. ib. 1, 15, 3; id. B. G. 5, 3, 6 al.: “pignus,” Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 75 et saep.: “te amantem non deseram,” id. Ps. 1, 1, 101; cf. id. Mil. 4, 8, 53 et saep.: “cum amici partim deseruerint me, partim etiam prodiderint,” Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 5: “me deseruisti ac dereliquisti,” id. Planc. 5, 13; cf. Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 51, and v. the foll.: “Avaricum,” Caes. B. G. 7, 30, 2; cf.: “cunctis oppidis castellisque desertis,” id. ib. 2, 29: “fratrem ne desere frater,” Verg. A. 10, 600: “thalamos ne desere pactos,” id. ib. 10, 649: “bellum,” Just. 5, 2, 10: “victoriam,” id. 14, 3, 6: “milites insepultos,” Curt. 5, 13, 3: “metu locum,” Tac. A. 1, 65 et saep.—
B. Absol., in milit. lang., to desert, Nep. Eum. 5, 1; Sen. de Ira, 2, 10, 1; Tac. A. 13, 35; Quint. 9, 2, 85; Amm. Marc. 31, 7, 4; Dig. 49, 16, 3, § 7 sq. al.—
II. Trop., to leave, desert, abandon: “Petreius non deserit sese, armat familiam, etc.,” Caes. B. C. 1, 75, 2: “suum jus,” Cic. Caecin. 35 fin.; cf.: “desertarum derelictarumque rerum patrocinium suscipere,” id. N. D. 1, 5, 11: “preces, promissa, spem, obsecrationem et fideles litteras alicujus,” id. Att. 3, 19, 2: “causam,” id. Sull. 20, 58; cf.: “desertam ac proditam causam queri,” Liv. 2, 54: “ullam officii partem,” Cic. Fin. 1, 7, 24; cf. “officium (with praetermittere defensionem),” id. Off. 1, 9: susceptum officium, Caes. B. C. 3, 18: “vitam,” Cic. Sest. 22 fin.; cf. id. de Sen. 20, 72: “deditionem,” Sall. J. 70, 1: “studia sapientiae,” Quint. 12, 2, 8: “viam virtutis,” Hor. Od. 3, 24, 44: “vestigia Graeca,” id. A. P. 287: “fastidiosam copiam,” id. Od. 3, 29, 9.—
2. Esp., leg. t. t.: “vadimonia deserere,” to forfeit recognizance, fail to appear, Cic. Cat. 2, 3, 5; id. Quint. 23, 75 et saep.—So absol.: “deserui, tempestatibus impeditus,” Quint. 3, 6, 78.—
B. Of subjects not personal, to fail, forsake, etc.: “genua hunc cursorem deserunt,” Plaut. Merc. 1, 2, 13; cf.: “aliquem corpus, vires,” Tac. A. 6, 50: “donec te deseret aetas,” Hor. Ep. 1, 20, 10: “me lucerna,” Cic. Att. 7, 7 fin.: “fama Curium Fabricium,” id. Tusc. 1, 46, § 110; cf.: “nec facundia deseret hunc nec lucidus ordo,” Hor. A. P. 41 et saep.— Poet.: “mensa deserit toros,” is removed from, Ov. H. 12, 52.—Pass.: “deseremur potius a re familiari, quam a republica,” Cic. Att. 16, 3; cf. Caes. B. G. 5, 34, 2; Cic. Att. 3, 15: “a tribunitia voce,” id. Clu. 40, 110; Vell. 2, 80; Just. 2, 4, 29 al.; and poet. with simple abl.: “deseror conjuge,” Ov. H. 12, 161; Prop. 2, 7, 17: “desertus viribus leo,” Phaedr. 1, 21, 3; Stat. Th. 4, 707; cf. “suis,” Tac. A. 3, 20 fin.; Suet. Cal. 12.— With gen.: “deserta natorum,” Stat. Th. 5, 608.—Hence, dēsertus , a, um, P. a., deserted; esp. of places, desert, solitary, waste.
A. Adj. (cf.: “vastus, inanis, solitarius): in locis desertis,” Caes. B. G. 5, 53, 4: “urbes dirutae ac pene desertae,” Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 8: “deserta via et inculta,” id. Cael. 18: “frequens an desertus locus,” Quint. 5, 10, 37: “terra,” Vulg. Lev. 26, 33 et saep.—Of objects in solitary places: “stipes,” Tib. 1, 1, 12 (21 M.): “arbores,” Prop. 1, 20, 36.—Subst.: dē-serta , ae, f., the abandoned wife: “multi filii desertae,” Vulg. Gal. 4, 27.—Comp.: “reditus desertior,” Cic. Pis. 23, 55: “nihil turpius ac desertius,” id. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 5.—Sup.: “orae desertissimae,” id. Sest. 22, 50: “solitudo,” Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 67 al.—
B. Since the Aug. per. subst.: dēserta , ōrum, n., desert places, deserts, wastes, Verg. E. 6, 81; id. G. 3, 342; Plin. 5, 4, 4, § 26 al.—With gen.: “Libyae deserta,” Verg. A. 1, 384; so id. G. 3, 291; Front. Strat. 1, 7, 7; Vulg. Isa. 52, 9 al.—In sing.: dēsertum , i, n. (eccl. Lat.): “in deserto,” Prud. Apoth. 774; Hier. Ep. 125, 2; Vulg. Num. 1, 1; Luc. 3, 2 et saep.