I.a., to be hopeless; to have no hope of, to despair of, to give up (freq. and class.).—Constr. most freq. with de, the acc., or acc. and inf.; less freq. with the dat. or absol.
(α).
With de (in Cic. rarely): “de sua virtute aut de ipsius diligentia,” Caes. B. G. 1, 40, 4: “de pugna,” id. ib. 1, 40, 8: “de officio imperatoris,” id. ib. 1, 40, 10,: “de expugnatione,” id. ib. 7, 36: “de salute,” id. ib. 7, 85, 3: “de republica,” Cic. Att. 8, 11, D, § “6: de summa rerum,” Liv. 26, 41: de se, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 21, 3; Cic. Fam. 7, 3, 2; 9, 15, 5; Lact. 6, 24, 1; Sen. Tranq. An. 5, 2.—
(β).
With acc. (in Caes. only in the part. perf.): “honores,” Cic. Cat. 2, 9: “honorem,” id. Mur. 21, 43: “rempublicam,” id. Fam. 12, 14, 3: “pacem,” id. Att. 8, 15, 3: “voluntariam deditionem,” Liv. 23, 14: “membra invicti Glyconis,” Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 30; Sen. Ep. 29, 3; 104, 12.—In the pass.: “sive restituimur, sive desperamur,” Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 7; Quint. 1, 10, 8: “hujus salus desperanda est,” Cic. Lael. 24, 90; cf.: “nil desperandum Teucro duce,” Hor. Od. 1, 7, 27: “desperatis nostris rebus,” Caes. B. G. 2, 24, 4; cf. id. ib. 3, 26, 5: “desperata salute,” id. ib. 3, 3, 3 et saep.: “desperato improviso tumultu,” Liv. 10, 14 et saep.— Middle: desperatis hominibus, who gave themselves up, i. e. were desperately resolved, desperate, Caes. B. G. 7, 3.—
(γ).
With acc. and inf.: “ego non despero fore aliquem aliquando, qui, etc.,” Cic. de Or. 1, 21, 95; id. Div. 2, 21, 48; Quint. 5, 12, 3; Hor. A. P. 150; Ov. M. 9, 724 et saep.—
(δ).
With dat.: “saluti,” Cic. Clu. 25, 68: “oppido,” id. Pis. 34 fin.: “rebus tuis,” id. ib. 36, 89: “suis fortunis,” Caes. B. G. 3, 12, 3: “sibi,” id. ib. 7, 50, 4; Cic. Mur. 21 fin.: “saluti suae,” id. Clu. 25.—（ε) Absol.: “sive habes aliquam spem de republica sive desperas,” Cic. Fam. 2, 5; id. Off. 1, 21 fin.; Quint. 2, 4, 10; 12 prooem. § 2; Ov. M. 10, 371 et saep.: “spem habere a tribuno plebis, a senatu desperasse,” Cic. Pis. 6.—Hence, *
2. dēspērātus , a, um, P. a., given up, despaired of, irremediable, desperate (most freq. in Cic.): “exercitum collectum ex senibus desperatis,” Cic. Cat. 2, 3: “remedium aegrotae ac prope desperatae reipublicae,” id. Div. in Caecil. 21, 70; cf.: “reipublicae morbi,” id. Sull. 27 fin.: “collegium,” id. Leg. 3, 10, 24: “desperatas pecunias exigere,” id. Mur. 20 fin. et saep.: “desperatos vocant, quia corpori suo minime parcunt (of the Christians),” Lact. 5, 9, 12. —Prov.: “desperatis Hippocrates vetat adhibere medicinam,” Cic. Att. 16, 15, 5.— Comp.: “haec nunc multo desperatiora,” Cic. Fam. 7, 22.—Sup.: “perfugium,” Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 41 fin.: spes, Balb. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 7, B, § 2.—* Adv., dēspērātē , desperately: “non desperate sollicitus,” Aug. Ep. ad Celer. 237.
