figere

Figere is a Latin verb meaning to fix, fasten, or attach something to a surface or place; to insert, drive in, or pierce; and, in a figurative sense, to fix or establish something in position, time, or memory. It is a third‑conjugation verb. Its principal parts are figo, figere, fixi, fixum, from which the standard third‑conjugation paradigm is formed.

In ordinary transitive use, figere takes a direct object and expresses securing or placing a thing in contact with a surface, or inserting it into something else. Figurative uses include fixing an idea, rule, or decision in place, or fixing one’s attention or gaze. The sense extends to securing or establishing something in a non-physical sense, such as fixing a time, a price, or a plan.

The verb has a range of derived forms and participates in common compound formations. The participle perfect is fixus, and the supine is fixum, forms that feed into English derivatives such as fix, fixation, and fixture. Latin also yields related compounds such as configere (to fashion or fasten together), infigere (to fasten into), and transfigere (to pierce through), which broaden and nuance the core meaning of figere in specialized contexts.