Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

perfŭga, ae, m. [perfugio], a deserter to the enemy (class.): perfugam Gallus Aelius ait, qui liber aut servus aut hostis suā voluntate ad hostes transierit: qui idem dicitur transfuga. Quamquam sunt, qui credant, perfugam esse, non tam qui alios fugiat, quam qui ob spem commodorum ad quempiam perfugiat, Fest. p. 214 Müll.: iste, qui initio proditor fuit, deinde perfuga, Cic. Rosc. Am. 40, 117; Crass. ap. Cic. Or. 66, 223; Caes. B. G. 3, 18: perfuga ab eo (Pyrrho) venit in castra Fabricii, Cic. Off. 3, 22, 86: de perfugis gravius, quam de fugitivis consultum, Liv. 30, 43 fin.; 22, 13; Vulg. 4 Reg. 25, 11.

per-fŭgĭo, fūgi, 3, v. n., to flee to a place for refuge.

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen. (rare; ap. Cic. Pis. 36, 89, profugisti is the correct reading.; cf. confugio): ad aliquem, Liv. 2, 9: Corinthum, Nep. Dion. 5, 1: Bactra, Curt. 6, 6, 22: ad tribunal, Tac. A. 1, 32: in Capitolium, id. ib. 3, 36.
    2. B. In partic., to go over or desert to the enemy (class.): nemo a Caesare ad Pompeium transierat, cum paene cotidie a Pompeio ad Caesarem perfugerent, Caes. B. C. 3, 61; Cic. Balb. 9, 24: servos, qui ad eos perfugissent (al. profugissent), poposcit, Caes. B. G. 1, 27, 3.
  2. II. Trop., to take refuge in any thing (post-class.): qui cum in culpā et in maleficio revicti sunt, perfugiunt ad fati necessitatem, Gell. 6, 2, 13: in fidem alicujus, Liv. 28, 7.