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).
I Prop.
a 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. 964; 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.—
b To need , want , lack , to be in need of , with the thing needed.
α 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: medicinā, id. Lael. 3, 10: nullo, id. ib. 9, 30: consilio, opera nostra, id. ib. 14, 51 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.—
β 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.—
γ In the acc.: nec quicquam eges, Plaut. Men. 1, 2, 12; cf. the foll.—
δ Supplied by inf. pass. : clariores quam ut indicari egeant, Athenae, Mel. 2, 3, 4; cf. id. 2, 4, 1.
II Sometimes transf.
A (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. —*
B To do without , to bear the want of : si quid est, quod utar, utor; si non est, egeo, Cato ap. Gell. 13, 23, 1.—
C 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.
XII —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. 384; id. Phorm. 357; 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.