linquere

Linquere is a Latin verb meaning to leave, abandon, or forsake. It is categorized as a third-conjugation verb, with the infinitive form linquere. In standard Latin morphology, it forms the present active indicative as linquō (I leave), linquis (you leave), linquit (he/she leaves), linquimus (we leave), linquitis (you all leave), linquunt (they leave). Like other third-conjugation verbs, its tenses follow predictable patterns, with the present passive infinitive being linquī and the supine typically appearing as līctum or a closely related form in the participial paradigm. The perfect and pluperfect tenses use the usual periphrastic and suffixal patterns of the conjugation, yielding forms such as līquī and accompanying participles in the passive voice.

Usage in Latin texts spans literal leaving (departing from a place or person) and figurative senses (abandoning a plan, friendship, or principle). It commonly takes a direct object in the accusative to indicate what is left behind, e.g., amicum linquere “to abandon a friend.” It can also appear with prepositional phrases to express departure from locations or relationships, and it interacts with subjunctive and imperative mood forms in dependent clauses and commands.

Etymology traces linquere to the classical Latin lexicon and it is related in meaning to other verbs that denote leaving or relinquishing. In English-language scholarship, linquere appears primarily in discussions of Latin grammar, morphology, and classical authors.

See also: relīnquo (to abandon in a related sense), relinquere (to leave behind, often with a stronger sense of withdrawal), and other Latin verbs of leaving. For full paradigms and detailed usage, Latin grammars and dictionaries such as Lewis and Short provide comprehensive treatment.