Sufficere

Sufficere is a Latin verb meaning to suffice, be enough, or to supply. In use it conveys the sense that something meets a need or fulfills a requirement, and it can also mean to furnish or provide enough of something for a purpose. The verb is common in classical Latin and appears in phrases such as hoc mihi sufficit, “this is enough for me.”

Grammar and construction

Sufficere belongs to the third conjugation with -io in the present system, so its present active indicative forms follow the pattern sufficio, sufficis, sufficit, sufficimus, sufficitis, sufficiunt. The imperfect is sufficiebam, sufficiebas, sufficiebat, sufficiebamus, sufficiebatis, sufficiebant. The principal parts are typically listed as sufficio, sufficere, suffici, suffectum (the exact additional forms vary slightly by source). In typical usage, the verb takes a dative of the person for whom something suffices (e.g., mihi sufficit) or is used with a noun or clause to indicate what is sufficient for a purpose.

Relation to other forms

The Latin word gives rise to the English verb suffice and the noun sufficiency, both via the sense of being adequate. The verb can also appear in compound or extended constructions expressing adequacy for a goal, condition, or audience. In idiomatic phrases, sufficere pairs with ad or with a dative to specify for whom or for what the sufficiency applies.

Etymology

Sufficere is formed from a prefix similar to sub- combined with a root related to facere (to make/do), yielding a sense of bringing to an adequate level or meeting a need. It remains a standard example in Latin dictionaries for expressing sufficiency and adequacy.