occumbo (obc-), cŭbui, cŭbĭtum, 3, v. n. [ob-cumbo, cubo], to fall or sink down (cf.: occido, obeo, oppeto); hence,
I To go down , to set , of the heavenly bodies (postclass.): cometes cum oriretur occumberetque, Just. 37, 2, 3: cum sol occumberet, Vulg. Gen. 15, 12; id. 3 Reg. 22, 36.—
II To fall dying, to die (the class. signif. of the word); constr. absol. or with mortem , morte , or morti.
α Absol. : cum veter occubuit Priamus, fell , Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 607 P. (Ann. v. 17 Vahl.): aut occubuissem honeste, aut victores hodie viveremus, Cic. Att. 3, 15, 4: pro libertate cos occubuisse, Suet. Aug. 12 fin. : circa se dimicans occubuerat, id. Tit. 4: fertur et ante annos occubuisse suos, Ov. A. A. 3, 18: dederat ne ferro occumbere posset, id. M. 12, 207: acie, Suet. Ner. 2.—
β With mortem or morte (the vacillation of MSS. between these two forms makes it difficult to ascertain which was the prevailing one; cf. Zumpt, Gr. § 387; Krebs, Antibarb. p. 790): pro patriā mortem (al. morte) occumbere, Cic. Tusc. 1, 42, 102 (Kühner, Moser, Orelli, and Baiter have mortem, Klotz and Fischer morte): quod liberata patria ... mortem occubuisset, Liv. 2, 7, 8; 3, 50, 8; 26, 25, 14: qui pugnantes mortem occubuissent, id. 31, 18, 6. —So, too, letum, Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 725 P. (Ann. v. 390 Vahl.): necem voluntariam, Suet. Aug. 13 (al., with inferior MSS., nece voluntariā): ictus clavā morte occubuit, Liv. 1, 7, 7 Weissenb. ad loc.: morte occumbentis, id. 8, 10, 4: ambo pro republicā morte occubuisse, id. 38, 58.—
γ With morti (perh. only poet.): pro vostrā vitā morti occumbant obviam. Enn. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 2, 62 (Trag. v. 176 Vahl.); so, certae morti, Verg. A. l. l.: neci, Ov. M. 15, 499.—
δ To succumb to , fall by the hand of one (poet.).—With dat.: Rullo ditissimus agri Occumbis, Sil. 5, 260; Claud. B. Get. 74.—With per : per te vidit Vulcani occumbere prolem, Ov. M. 7, 437. —*
III Like accumbere, to lie at table , Afran. ap. Non. 97, 29.