Perditum

Perditum is a Latin term that functions as the neuter singular form of the perfect passive participle of perdere, meaning “to lose” or “to ruin.” As an adjective, it conveys the sense “lost” or “ruined” and agrees with neuter nouns; its masculine and feminine counterparts are perditus and perdita. In addition to its adjectival use, perditum can occur as a predicate participle in neuter constructions, notably with the neuter pronoun id, as in id perditum est “it has been lost.”

Formation and grammar: Perdere forms the participle with the suffix -tus, yielding perditus (masc.), perdita (fem.), perditum (neut.). The participle functions like an adjective and can be used attributively (neuter nouns) or predicatively after a linking verb. The neuter singular perditum is common in phrases where the thing or idea itself is described as having been lost.

Usage and nuance: Perditum indicates the completed result of the act of losing or destroying. It can describe physical objects (e.g., a lost relic) or more abstract situations (e.g., a ruined prospect). The complementary abstract noun for the concept is perdita or perdita? The standard noun for the loss or ruin itself is perdita or, more precisely, perdita is a feminine substantive form derived from the same root, while the abstract noun most often used is perditio.

Related forms and context: The verb perdere and its participles appear across classical and later Latin texts, with perditum serving as the neuter form in many predicative or substantive contexts. In Neo-Latin and ecclesiastical Latin, the same paradigm remains, continuing to express loss, ruin, or something that has been lost.