praesidium

See also: Präsidium

English

Etymology

From Latin praesidium. Doublet of presidio and presidium.

Noun

praesidium (plural praesidia or praesidiums)

1. Alternative form of presidium

French

Noun

praesidium m (plural praesidiums)

1. Alternative spelling of présidium

Further reading

• “praesidium”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Latin

Etymology

From praeses (“guardian, defender”) +‎ -ium or praesideō (“to guard, defend”) +‎ -ium.

Noun

praesidium n (genitive praesidiī or praesidī); second declension

1. defence, protection, guardianship

   Synonyms: munitio, moles, mūnīmentum

2. help, aid, assistance

   Synonyms: adiūtus, ops, auxilium, subsidium, fidēs, adiumentum

   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 1.44:

     Amicitiam populi Romani sibi ornamento et praesidio, non detrimento esse oportere, atque se hac spe petisse.

     That the friendship of the Roman people ought to prove to him an ornament and a safeguard, not a detriment; and that he sought it with that expectation.

3. guard, garrison, convoy, escort
   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 1.8:

     Eo opere perfecto praesidia disponit, castella communit, quo facilius, si se invito transire conentur, prohibere possit.

     When that work was finished, he distributes garrisons, and closely fortifies redoubts, in order that he may the more easily intercept them, if they should attempt to cross over against his will.

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	praesidium	praesidia
Genitive	praesidiī praesidī1	praesidiōrum
Dative	praesidiō	praesidiīs
Accusative	praesidium	praesidia
Ablative	praesidiō	praesidiīs
Vocative	praesidium	praesidia

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Descendants

• Asturian: preséu
• Catalan: presidi, presídium
• French: présidium, praesidium, præsidium
• Italian: presidio
• Portuguese: presídio
• Romanian: prezidiu
• Spanish: presidio
  • → English: presidio
• → Russian: президиум (prezidium)
  • → English: presidium
• → Ukrainian: прези́дія (prezýdija)

References

• “praesidium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “praesidium”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• praesidium in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• praesidium in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to protect the troops in the rear: novissimis praesidio esse
    
  • to garrison a town: praesidiis firmare urbem
    
  • to garrison a town: praesidium collocare in urbe
    
  • to station posts, pickets, at intervals: praesidia, custodias disponere
    
  • to strengthen the camp by outposts: castra praesidiis firmare
    
  • to leave troops to guard the camp: praesidio castris milites relinquere
    
• “praesidium”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly
• “praesidium”, in Richard Stillwell et al., editor (1976), The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press