§373. Dative of Possession

The Dative is used with esse and similar words to denote Possession:—

• est mihi domī pater (Ecl. 3.33), I have a father at home (there is to me).
• hominī cum deō similitūdō est (Legg. 1.25), man has a likeness to God.
• quibus opēs nūllae sunt (Sall. Cat. 37), [those] who have no wealth.

a. With nōmen est, and similar expressions, the name is often put in the Dative by a kind of apposition with the person; but the Nominative is also common:—

• (1) cui āfricānō fuit cōgnōmen (Liv. 25.2), whose (to whom) surname was Africanus.
• puerō ab inopiā Egeriō inditum nōmen (id. 1.34), the name Egerius was given the boy from his poverty.
• (2) puerō nōmen est Mārcus, the boy's name is Marcus (to the boy is, etc.).
• cui nōmen Arethūsa (Verr. 4.118), [a fount] called Arethusa.

b. Dēsum takes the dative; so occasionally absum (which regularly has the ablative):—

• hōc ūnum Caesarī dēfuit (B.G. 4.26), this only was lacking to Cæsar.
• quid huic abesse poterit (De Or. 1.48), what can be wanting to him?