I. To take or snatch away, esp. any thing which is in motion; to seize upon, catch (freq. and class.—For syn. cf.: invenio, reperio, nanciscor; offendo, aperio, patefacio, detego; incido, consequor, assequor, etc.).
A. Lit.: “deprehensus ex itinere Cn. Magius,” Caes. B. C. 1, 24, 4: “in ipso fluminis vado deprehensus,” id. B. G. 5, 58, 6: “in agris,” id. ib. 6, 30: “in ponte,” Sall. C. 45: “nuntiorum pars deprehensa,” Caes. B. G. 5, 45; cf.: “deprehensis internuntiis,” id. B. C. 3, 112 fin.: tabellarios deprendere litterasque intercipere, Cassius ap. Cic. Fam. 12, 12; and: “litterae deprehensae,” intercepted, Liv. 2, 4: “onerarias naves,” to seize, take possession of, Caes. B. C. 1, 36, 2; so id. B. G. 7, 58, 4; id. B. C. 1, 26 al.: “volucres jaculis,” Sil. 16, 566: “cursu deprendere telum,” Stat. Th. 6, 568: “subito deprehensus locutus est,” taken by surprise, Sen. Ep. 11, 1.—
B. Transf. of inanimate subjects. So, esp. freq. of storms: “deprensa navigia,” caught, overtaken by, Lucr. 6, 429; cf. Catull. 25, 13; Verg. A. 5, 52; id. G. 4, 421; Ov. M. 11, 663; Curt. 7, 4 et saep.—
II. In a wider sense, to catch, overtake, surprise, apprehend, detect, find out, discover any one, esp. in doing any thing wrong.
A. Lit.: “deprehendi in aliquo manifesto scelere,” Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 43; so, “in maximo scelere,” Sall. C. 46, 2; 50, 4: “in facinore manifesto,” Cic. Brut. 68 fin.: “in alio maleficio,” id. Inv. 2, 4, 14: “in adulterio,” id. de Or. 2, 68, 275; Vulg. Johan. 8, 3 et saep.: “dolis deprehensus,” Plaut. Bac. 4, 9, 26: “nocte ferro deprehensus,” Quint. 7, 6, 8: “sine duce et sine equitatu deprehensis hostibus,” Caes. B. G. 7, 52, 2: “(mulier) deprensa,” caught in the act, Hor. S. 1, 2, 131; 134; 1, 4, 114: “in mendacio,” Quint. 5, 7, 30: “aliquos flentes,” id. ib. 7, 9, 11: agendi subita necessitate deprehensi, id. 1, 12, 4; 1, 8, 21: “aliquem occisum, Suet,” Caes. 35 et saep.—
b. Of inanimate objects: “venenum,” Cic. Clu. 7, 20; cf. id. ib. 16, 47 sq.; Liv. 42, 17: “res furtiva in domo deprehensa,” Quint. 5, 13, 49; cf. “sacrilegium,” id. 8, 6, 26.—
B. Trop.
1.
(α).
To comprehend, perceive, understand, detect, discover, discern, observe (chiefly post-Aug. in prose, esp. in Quint.): “cujus ego facinora oculis prius quam opinione, manibus ante quam suspicione deprehendi,” Cic. Cael. 6 fin.: “quid si me stultior ipso deprenderis?” Hor. S. 2, 7, 43: “hominum erga se mentes,” Suet. Calig. 60: “falsas gemmas,” Plin. 37, 13, 76, § 198: “quam naturam ejus Pythagoras Samius primus deprehendit,” id. 2, 8, 6, § 37; 2, 9, 6, § 43; 9, 28, 44, § 86; Cels. 3, 18; 7 praef.; Plin. Ep. 4, 20, 3: “falsa facilius deprehendere et refellere,” Quint. 12, 1, 34: “quod vix a lectore deprehenditur,” id. 4, 2, 59: “in Livio Patavinitatem,” id. 1, 5, 56; cf. id. 3, 8, 69; 5, 13, 23 et saep.—
(β).
With acc. et inf.: “species diversas esse facile est deprehendere,” Quint. 9, 2, 44: “quosdam mitti,” Suet. Aug. 44: “deprehenditur vitiose loqui,” Quint. 1, 6, 7.—
2. To overtake, equal, imitate: “juvenemque puer deprehende parentem,” Stat. S. 4, 4, 74.—
3. To find, discover, come upon (always implying mental action, post-Aug.): “extra carmen non deprendas,” Quint. 1, 5, 18: “quod in epistolis Augusti deprehenditur,” id. 1, 7, 22; 8, 6, 71: “apud Ciceronem mira figurarum mixtura deprehenditur,” id. 9, 3, 40.—
III. With the predominant idea of restricting the free movement of an object, to impede, to check, to bring into a strait.
A. Lit.: “inter quas (latebras) deprehensus hostis,” Curt. 7, 4, 4: “in fovea,” id. 5, 3, 19: “flamina deprensa silvis,” i. e. impeded, confined, Verg. A. 10, 98: “viae deprensus in aggere serpens,” id. ib. 5, 273; cf. id. ib. 8, 247; Quint. 12, 2, 14. —
B. Trop., to bring into a strait, to embarrass: “deprehensum me plane video atque sentio,” Cic. de Or. 1, 48; Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 12 fin.: “deprensi pudorem explicant,” Quint. 6, 3, 100: “(testes) plus deprehensi nocent, quam firmi et interriti profuissent,” id. 5, 7, 11 al.