egestas

ĕgestas, ātis, f. [egeo], indigence, extreme poverty, necessity, want (very freq. and class.;

for syn. cf.: indigentia, inopia, penuria, paupertas, mendicitas): ista paupertas, vel potius egestas ac mendicitas,

Cic. Parad. 6, 1, 45; Plaut. Ps. 2, 4, 2; id. Trin. 2, 2, 57; 77; 4, 2, 5 al.; Cic. Rosc. Am. 49 fin.; id. Cat. 2, 11 fin.; id. Inv. 1, 47, 88; * Caes. B. G. 6, 24, 4; Verg. G. 1, 146; 3, 319; id. A. 6, 276 et saep.; cf. in plur.:

egestates tot egentissimorum hominum,

Cic. Att. 9, 7, 5.—Of inanimate things:

patrii sermonis,

Lucr. 1, 832; 3, 260; cf.

linguae,

id. 1, 139; and:

animi,

Cic. Pis. 11. —With an object-genitive, want of something:

pabuli,

Sall. J. 44, 4; cf.

cibi,

Tac. A. 6, 23:

rei familiaris,

Suet. Vit. 7: rationis, want of knowledge, i. e. ignorance, Lucr. 5, 1211.