abeo

Latin

Alternative forms

• habeō (post-classical, Vulgar Latin, proscribed)

Etymology

From ab- (“from, away”) +‎ eō (“go”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈa.be.oː/, [ˈäbeoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈa.be.o/, [ˈäːbeo]

Verb

abeō (present infinitive abīre, perfect active abiī or abīvī, supine abitum); irregular conjugation, irregular, impersonal in the passive

1. to depart, go away, go off, exit

   Synonyms: dīgredior, dēcēdō, facessō, dēficiō, discēdō, cēdō, ēgredior, exeō, ēvādō, eiciō

   Antonyms: adeō, ingredior, aggredior, adorior, prōcēdō, prōdeō, ineo, intrō, introeō, accēdō, immigrō

   • c. 270 BCE – c. 201 BCE, Gnaeus Naevius, Bellum Punicum 5–7:

     Ambōrum uxōrēs
     noctū Troiād exībant capitibus opertīs,
     flentēs ambae abeuntēs lacrimīs cum multīs.

     The wives of both
     were leaving Troy at night with covered heads,
     both weeping while departing with many tears.

   • c. 190 BCE – 185 BCE, Plautus, Amphitryon 1.3.45–46:

     MERCURIUS. Eāmus, Amphitruō. Lūcēscit hoc iam. IUPPITER. Abī prae, Sōsiā;
     iam egō sequar.

     MERCURY. Let's go, Amphitryo. Day's breaking already. JUPITER. Go ahead, Sosia;
     I'll follow in a moment.

   • 353 CE – 431 CE, Paulinus of Nola, Poems 13.1 in Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum (volume 30), Wilhelm von Hartel (editor), Vienna 1866, page 67:

     Tempora temporibus subeunt, abit et venit aetās.

     Times give way to times, age comes and goes.

   1. (with qualifiers) to pass away
      • c. 45 BCE, Cicero, Tusculan Disputations 1.30.74:

        Catō autem sīc abiit ē vītā, ut causam moriendī nactum sē esse gaudēret.

        But Cato did pass away such that he was happy to have found a reason to die.

   2. to retire from office
      • c. 177 CE, Aulus Gellius, Noctes Atticae 7.7.4:

        Praeterea sī quadrāgintā annōs nāta sacerdōtiō abīre ac nūbere voluisset, iūs eī potestāsque exaugurandī atque nūbendī facta est mūnificentiae et beneficiī grātiā, quod campum Tiberīnum sīve Mārtium populō condōnāsset.

        Then, if at the age of forty she wishes to retire from the [‌Vestal] priesthood and marry, the right and power to withdraw is given to her for the sake of the kindness and service of presenting the Campus Tiberinus or Campus Martius to the people.

   3. (astronomy) to set
      • 4 CE, Germanicus (translator), Phaenomena 667-668 (original author: Aratus):

        Illa abit Ōceanō, tōtīus serta Corōnae
        in caelum redeunt, […]

        She (Cassiopeia) sets in the Ocean, the wreaths of the entire Corona
        return to the heavens, […]

2. (with in) to change one's nature
   • 59 BC–AD 17, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita libri 1.32.2:

     Inde et cīvibus ōtiī cupidīs et fīnītimīs cīvitātibus facta spēs in avī mōrēs atque īnstitūta rēgem abitūrum.

     Hence to the citizens eager for peace and to the neighbouring cities came hope that the king may change to the character and institutions of his grandfather.

   1. (poetic) to be transformed, metamorphosed
      • 8 CE, Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.236–237:

        In villōs abeunt vestēs, in crūra lacertī.

        Clothes turn to fur, arms to legs.

3. (Late Latin, Grecism) Synonym of eō [c. 230 CE]
   • c. 250 CE, Commodian, Carmen Apologeticum 1053–1055 in Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum (volume 15), Bernhard Dombard (editor), Vienna 1887, page 187:

     Et sī nōn crēdiderint, in umbrā mortis abībunt.

     And should they not believe, they shall walk in the shadow of death.

   • 4th C. CE, Saint Jerome, Vulgate, Psalms 1:1:

     Beātus vir quī nōn abiit in cōnsiliō impiōrum, et in viā peccātōrum nōn stetit, et in cathedrā pestilentiae nōn sēdit.

     Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence.

Conjugation

Irregular conjugation, but similar to fourth conjugation. The third principal part is, unlike other derivates of eō, never found as **abīvī. In forms where the letter I appears consecutively, the syllable is often contracted to a long Ī in every period of the Latin language.

Conjugation of abeō (irregular, impersonal in passive)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	abeō	abīs	abit	abīmus	abītis	abeunt
	imperfect	abībam	abībās	abībat	abībāmus	abībātis	abībant
	future	abībō	abībis	abībit	abībimus	abībitis	abībunt
	perfect	abiī, abīvī	abīstī, abīvistī	abiit, abīvit	abiimus	abīstis	abiērunt, abiēre
	pluperfect	abieram	abierās	abierat	abierāmus	abierātis	abierant
	future perfect	abierō	abieris	abierit	abierimus	abieritis	abierint
passive	present	—	—	abītur	—	—	—
	imperfect	—	—	abībātur	—	—	—
	future	—	—	abībitur	—	—	—
	perfect	—	—	abitum est	—	—	—
	pluperfect	—	—	abitum erat	—	—	—
	future perfect	—	—	abitum erit	—	—	—
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	abeam	abeās	abeat	abeāmus	abeātis	abeant
	imperfect	abīrem	abīrēs	abīret	abīrēmus	abīrētis	abīrent
	perfect	abierim	abierīs	abierit	abierīmus	abierītis	abierint
	pluperfect	abīssem	abīssēs	abīsset	abīssēmus	abīssētis	abīssent
passive	present	—	—	abeātur	—	—	—
	imperfect	—	—	abīrētur	—	—	—
	perfect	—	—	abitum sit	—	—	—
	pluperfect	—	—	abitum esset, abitum foret	—	—	—
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	abī	—	—	abīte	—
	future	—	abītō	abītō	—	abītōte	abeuntō
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		abīre	abīsse	abitūrum esse	abīrī	abitum esse	—
participles		abiēns	—	abitūrus	—	abitum	abeundum
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		abeundī	abeundō	abeundum	abeundō	abitum	abitū

Derived terms

• ē mediō abeō

References

• “abeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “abeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• abeo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • they disperse in different directions: in diversas partes or simply diversi abeunt, discedunt
    
  • to fly aloft; to be carried into the sky: sublimem or sublime (not in sublime or sublimiter) ferri, abire
    
  • to go out of sight, disappear: abire ex oculis, e conspectu alicuius
    
  • to depart this life: (ex) vita excedere, ex vita abire
    
  • to be a subject for gossip: in ora vulgi abire
    
  • the recollection of a thing has been entirely lost: memoria alicuius rei excidit, abiit, abolevit
    
  • to go into exile: exsulatum ire or abire
    
  • to give up, lay down office (usually at the end of one's term of office): abire magistratu