pessum

1.

pessum, adv. [prob. contr. from pedis-versum, pexa, pedon, towards the feet; like susum, sursum, from sub-versum; hence, in gen.], to the ground, to the bottom, down (mostly ante-class. and postAug.; esp. freq. in the connection pessum ire and pessum dare).

I.

Lit.:

nunc eam (cistellulam) cum navi scilicet abisse pessum in altum,

Plaut. Rud. 2, 3, 64:

quando abiit rete pessum,

id. Truc. 1, 1, 15; and:

ne pessum abeat (ratis),

id. Aul. 4, 1, 12:

multae per mare pessum Subsedere urbes,

have gone to the bottom, been swallowed up, Lucr. 6, 589:

ubi dulcem caseum demiseris in eam (muriam), si pessum ibit, etc. (opp. si innatabit),

goes to the bottom, sinks, Col. 12, 6, 2 (cf. also the fig. taken from a ship, in II.):

ut (lacus) folia non innatantia ferat, sed pessum et penitus accipiat,

Mel. 3, 9, 2:

sidentia pessum Corpora caesa tenent,

Luc. 3, 674:

quam celsa cacumina pessum Tellus victa dedit,

sent to the bottom, id. 5, 616: pessum mergere pedes, Prud. praef. ap. Symm. 2, 36.—

II.

Trop.

A.

Pessum ire, and rarely pessum sidere, to fall to the ground, go to ruin; to sink, perish:

quia miser non eo pessum, etc.,

Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 12:

pessum ituros fecundissimos Italiae campos, si, etc.,

Tac. A. 1, 79:

pessum iere vitae pretia,

Plin. H. N. 14 prooem. §

5: vitia civitatis degenerantis et pessum suā mole sidentis,

Sen. Const. Sap. 2, 3.—

B.

Pessum dare (less correctly, in one word, pessumdare or pessundare), rarely pessum premere, agere, deicere, to send to the bottom, to sink, ruin, destroy, undo; to put out of the world, put an end to: pessum dare aliquem verbis, Cic. Fragm. ap. Quint. 8, 6, 47:

pessum dedisti me blandimentis tuis,

Plaut. Rud. 2, 6, 23; id. Merc. 5, 2, 6:

exemplum pessumum pessum date,

do away with, remove, id. Rud. 3, 2, 3:

quae res plerumque magnas civitates pessum dedit,

Sall. J. 42, 4:

quae, si non astu providentur, me aut erum pessum dabunt,

Ter. And. 1, 3, 3:

multos etiam bonos pessum dedit,

Tac. A. 3, 66 fin.:

ingentes hostium copias,

Val. Max. 4, 4, 5:

sin (animus) ad inertiam et voluptates corporis pessumdatus est,

has sunk into indolence, Sall. J. 1, 4:

aliquem pro suis factis pessumis pessum premere,

Plaut. Most. 5, 2, 49: aetate pessum actā, i. e. brought to an end, Auct. ap. Lact. 1, 11:

nec sum mulier, nisi eam pessum de tantis opibus dejecero,

App. M. 5, p. 161, 22; cf. id. ib. 5, p. 163, 22.

2.

pessum, i, n. (collat. form pes-sus, i, m., Plin. Val. 1, 5 fin.; Theod. Prisc. 2, 5), = pesson, pessos, in medic. lang., a pessary, App. Herb. 121; Theod. Prisc. 3, 5 (in Cels. 5, 21, written as Greek).