must (v.) Copy link Outline 1. nĕcesse est (must needs)2. expr. by gerundive; the impersonal form being used with dat. of personal subject, in the case of verbs which do not govern an accusative; the personal in others (the ger. denotes usu. the compulsion of duty; whereas necesse est denotes absolute necessity)3. expr. by ŏpus est, ŏportet, dēbeo (of that which it is needful or proper to do)4. expr. by fut. imperat. (where must expresses an injunction) • must (v.): 1. nĕcesse est (must needs): usu. foll. by inf.: man m. die, homini n. est mori, Cic. Fat. 9, 17: also absol., to buy not what you want, but what you m., emere non quod opus est, sed quod n. est, Cato in Sen. Ep. 94, 28. 2. expr. by gerundive; the impersonal form being used with dat. of personal subject, in the case of verbs which do not govern an accusative; the personal in others (the ger. denotes usu. the compulsion of duty; whereas necesse est denotes absolute necessity): we m. resist old-age, resistendum est senectuti, Cic. Sen. 11, 35: you m. see to this, hoc vobis providendum est, Sall. Cat. 51, ad init.: we m. above all things avoid a dry teacher, in primis evitandus (est) magister aridus, Quint. 2, 4, 8: cf. L. G. §§ 534, sqq. 3. expr. by ŏpus est, ŏportet, dēbeo (of that which it is needful or proper to do): (he was in doubt) as to what m. be done, quid facto opus esset, Sall. Cat. 46 (the same phr. occurs, Liv. 3, 38, post init., quid opus facto sit): one m. use expedition, opus est mature facto, Sall. Cat. 1: v. need, ought. 4. expr. by fut. imperat. (where must expresses an injunction): you m. neither bury nor burn a corpse within the city, hominem mortuum in urbe ne sepelito, neve urito, Vet. Lex in Cic. Leg. 2, 23, 58: so ib. § 59, hoc plus ne facito, rogum ascia ne polito: when you come to the temple of Diana, you m. turn to the right, ubi ad Dianae veneris, ito ad dextram, Ter. Ad. 4, 2, 44: if you have no news, you must write whatever is uppermost, si rem nullam habebis, quod in buccam venerit scribito, Cic. Att, 1, 12, extr.: so in the familiar expr. (introducing a piece of intelligence), you m. know ..., scito (with acc. and inf.), ib. 2, 8, med. A negative injunction is often expr. by noli, with inf.: you m. not suppose that ..., noli putare, Cic. Br. 33, 125.