Chapter 410Allen and Greenough's Latin GrammarDickinson CollegeChristopher Francese
Publication information
Information about the source
The deponents
ūtor
,
fruor
,
fungor
,
potior
,
vescor
, with several of their compounds,
These are
abūtor
,
deūtor
(very rare),
dēfungor
,
dēfruor
,
perfruor
,
perfungor
.
govern the Ablative:—
ūtar vestrā
benīgnitāte(Arch. 18)
,
I will avail myself of your kindness.
ita mihi salvā
rē pūblicā
vōbīscum perfruī liceat
(Cat. 4.11)
,
so may I enjoy with you the state secure and prosperous.
fungī inānī
mūnere(Aen. 6.885)
,
to perform an idle service.aurō
hērōs potitur
(Ov. M. 7.156)
,
the hero takes the gold.lacte
et ferīnā
carne
vescēbantur
(Iug. 89)
,
they fed on milk and game.
This is properly an Ablative of Means (
instrumental
) and the verbs are really in the middle voice (§
156
.
a
). Thus
ūtor
with the ablative signifies
I employ myself
(or
avail myself
) by
means
of, etc. But these earlier meanings disappeared from the language, leaving the construction as we find it.
Potior
sometimes takes the Genitive, as always in the phrase
potīri rērum
,
to get control
or
be master of affairs
(§
357
.
a
):—
tōtīus
Galliae
sēsē potīrī posse spērant
(B. G. 1.3)
,
they hope they can get possession of the whole of Gaul.
In early Latin, these verbs are sometimes transitive and take the accusative:—
fūnctus est
officium(Ter. Ph. 281)
,
he performed the part
, etc.
ille patria potitur
commoda(Ter. Ad. 871)
,
he enjoys his ancestral estate.
The Gerundive of these verbs is used personally in the passive as if the verb were transitive (but cf. §
500
. 3): as,
—Hēracliō omnia
ūtenda
ac possidenda trādiderat
(Verr. 2.46)
,
he had given over everything to Heraclius for his use and possession
(to be used and possessed).