consequebatur

Consequebatur is the imperfect indicative passive form of the Latin deponent verb consequor, consequi, consecutus sum. Deponent verbs share passive morphology but carry active meaning, so consequebatur is translated as “he was following,” “he was pursuing,” or, in certain contexts, “he was attaining.” The verb’s sense covers both physical pursuit and the idea of coming up with or obtaining something.

The verb belongs to the third conjugation in its deponent voice. Its principal parts are consequor, consequi, consecutus sum. In the imperfect, the form is consequebatur, illustrating the characteristic deponent endings that look passive but mean active action. Other tenses and persons follow the same deponent paradigm, for example consequebaris, consequebantur, or the future consequar.

Usage and nuance: consequor conveys the idea of following after someone or something, often with the sense of catching up or reaching a goal. It can be used with a direct object in the accusative to indicate what is being followed or pursued, or it can express figurative attainment, such as following a plan, a line of argument, or a consequence. In translations, the imperfect consequebatur is typically rendered as “was following” or “was pursuing,” while the broader sense may include “was attaining” in appropriate contexts.

Etymologically, consequebatur derives from con- (together, with) and sequor (to follow), sharing a root with English words such as consequence and sequence. In Latin literature, consequor and its forms appear in both narrative and argumentative passages, conveying ongoing motion toward a person, object, or result.