fessus, a, um, P. a. [cf. Sanscr. hā-, gahāmi, relinquo; Gr. χῖρος, χῆρα, χωρίς; Lat. ad-fatim, fatigo], wearied, tired, fatigued; worn out, weak, feeble, infirm (class.; esp. freq. in poets; syn.: fatigatus, defessus, lassus, languidus).
- I. Prop., of living beings: Romani quamquam itinere atque opere castrorum et proelio fessi lassique erant, tamen, etc., Sall. J. 53, 5: de via fessus, Cic. Ac. 1, 1, 1: fessum inedia fluctibusque recreare, id. Planc. 10, 26: Veientes bello fessi, id. Div. 1, 44, 100: militiā fessae cohortes, Hor. C. 3, 4, 38: plorando fessus sum, Cic. Att. 15, 9, 1: satiate videndi, Lucr. 2, 1038: curāque viāque, Ov. M. 11, 274: somno, Tib. 1, 3, 88: malis, Ov. M. 9, 293: aetate, Verg. A. 2, 596; cf. annis, Ov. M. 9, 440: valetudinibus, Tac. H. 3, 2: fessi vomere tauri, Hor. C. 3, 13, 11: elephanti fessi aegritudine, Plin. 8, 1, 1, § 3: exercito corpore fessus, Sall. J. 71, 1; 70, 2: cum tibi librum Sollicito damus aut fesso, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 221: inde Rubos fessi pervenimus, id. S. 1, 5, 94; so, viator, id. ib. 1, 5, 17: pastor, id. C. 3, 29, 22: Graii (sc. bello), id. ib. 2, 4, 11: boves, id. Epod. 2, 63.
- (β) With gen. (poet.): fessi rerum, exhausted with events, misfortunes, Verg. A. 1, 178: fessus bellique viaeque, Stat. Th. 3, 395: trepidi rerum fessique salutis, despairing of safety, Sil. 2, 234.
With acc.: agmina fessa gradum, Sil. 4, 40.
- II. Transf., of inanim. and abstr. things (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose): alter fessum vulnere, fessum cursu trahens corpus, Liv. 1, 25, 11; cf. Hor. C. 2, 7, 18; Lucr. 4, 848: (Phoebus) qui salutari levat arte fessos Corporis artus, i. e. sick, diseased, Hor. Carm. Sec. 63: vox fessa loquendo, Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 85: fessa aetas, i. e. the weakness of age, Tac. A. 14, 33: fessa aetate Galbae, id. H. 1, 12: domus aetatis spatio ne fessa vetusto Obruat, worn out, decayed, Lucr. 3, 774; cf. id. 5, 308: cardines fessi et turbati, Plin. 36, 15, 24, § 120: (amnes) In mare deducunt fessas erroribus undas, Ov. M. 1, 582: naves, Verg. A. 1, 168; 5, 29: puppes, Ov. M. 6, 519; Tib. 2, 5, 46: carinae, Ov. M. 11, 393; id. A. A. 3, 748: vela, Prop. 3 (4), 21, 19: fessa dies, spent, i. e. drawing to a close, Stat. S. 2, 2, 48: fessae res, critical, precarious, Plin. 2, 7, 5, § 18; also, misfortunes, calamities, Verg. A. 3, 145: rebus succurite fessis, id. ib. 11, 335: deligendum esse qui fessis rebus succurreret, Tac. A. 15, 50.