I. To set down; to set, place anywhere (ante-class. and freq. in Liv.; elsewh. rare): destituit omnes servos ad mensam ante se, Caecil. ap. Non. 280, 3: navem in alto ancoris, Naev. ib.: palum in foro, C. Gracchus ap. Gell. 10, 3, 3: “aliquem in convivio (sc. ludendi causa),” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 26 fin.: “armatos in medio,” Liv. 7, 10: “aliquem ante tribunal,” id. 2, 12; cf. id. 23, 10: “cohortes extra vallum,” id. 10, 4: “duo signa hic,” Plaut. Rud. 3, 5, 43 et saep.—Far more freq. and class.,
II. (Lit., to put away from one's self; hence) To leave alone, to forsake, abandon, desert (derelinquo, desero, q. v.): “T. Roscius novem homines honestissimos induxit, decepit, destituit, adversariis tradidit,” Cic. Rosc. Am. 40, 117: “destitutus ab aliquo,” id. Clu. 30 fin.; id. Off. 1, 10, 32; cf. id. Quint. 16: “funditores inermes,” Caes. B. C. 3, 93, 5: “aliquem in septemviratu,” Cic. Phil. 2, 38, 99; cf.: “defensores in ipso discrimine periculi,” Liv. 6, 17 et saep.: “inceptam fugam,” to desist from, Ov. Am. 3, 13, 20: “morando spem,” Liv. 1, 51: “spem vindemiae,” Col. 4, 24, 12: “consilium,” Suet. Caes. 9: “honorem,” id. Claud. 45: “conata ejus,” Vell. 2, 42: partem verborum, to pronounce indistinctly (with devorare), Quint. 11, 3, 33 Spald. et saep.—Poet., with acc. and abl.: ex quo destituit deos Mercede pactā Laomedon, i. e. defrauded of their stipulated reward, * Hor. Od. 3, 3, 21.—
(β).
Of inanimate and abstract subjects: “neque reperias, quos aut pronior fortuna comitata sit, aut, veluti fatigata, maturius destituerit, quam, etc.,” Vell. 2, 69 fin.: “cum primas spes fortuna destituit,” Curt. 4, 1, 5, § 29; cf. Suet. Aug. 65: “ventus aliquem,” Liv. 30, 24: “aliquem vadum,” id. 21, 28: “aliquem poplites,” Suet. Claud. 30; cf.: “aliquem memoria, mens,” Curt. 7, 1: “alveum fluitantem aqua,” Liv. 1, 4; cf.: freta destituent nudos in litore pisces, * Verg. E. 1, 61.—
(γ).
Part. perf. destitutus, constr. usu. ab aliquo, aliquā re, rarely ab aliquā re, freq. with ab, abandoned, forsaken by; robbed of, destitute of: “in divite ac paupere: propinquis, amicis, clientibus abundante, et his omnibus destituto,” Quint. 5, 10, 26: “alicujus consiliis, promissis, praeceptis destitutus,” Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 8: “scientiā juris,” Quint. 12, 3, 10: “lenociniis,” id. 12, 1, 30 et saep.; but with spe, a is more freq.: “destituti ab unica spe auxilii,” Liv. 40, 47: “a spe,” id. 31, 24; 36, 33, 3; Curt. 4, 3 (with spe, Curt. 8, 6): “a re familiari,” Suet. Ner. 10.—
(δ).
Absol.: “si is destituat, nihil satis tutum habebis,” Liv. 37, 7: “simul, si destituat spes, alia praesidia molitur,” Liv. 1, 41; so, “spes,” id. Tib. 1, 1, 9; Luc. 2, 728: “pietasque fidesque,” id. 5, 298: “ego,” Vulg. Isai. 49, 21.