I. Adv., before, in front.
A. Lit. (ante-class.): “abi prae, Sosia, Jam ego sequar,” go before, go in advance, Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 45: “i prae, sequar,” Ter. And. 1, 1, 144; id. Eun. 5, 2, 69: i tu prae, virgo; “non queo, quod pone me est, servare,” Plaut. Curc. 4, 2, 1: “age, age nunc tu, i prae,” id. Pers. 4, 4, 56.—
B. Trop., as a particle of comparison, with ut, quam, or quod (also written in one word, praeut and praequam; cf. Wagner ad Plaut. Aul. 503), in comparison with, compared with (ante- and post-class. and colloq.): “parum etiam, praeut futurum est praedicas,” Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 218; id. Bacch. 4, 9, 5: “immo noster nunc quidem est de verbis, prae ut dudum fuit,” id. Men. 5, 5, 33; 2, 3, 25: “nihil hercle quidem hoc, Prae ut alia dicam,” id. Mil. 1, 1, 20; id. Merc. 2, 4, 2: “ludum dices fuisse, praeut hujus rabies quae dabit,” Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 9: “satin' parva res est voluptatum in vitā atque in aetate agundā, praequam quod molestum'st?” in comparison with the trouble, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 2: “nihil hoc est, triginta minae, prae quam alios dapsilis sumptus facit,” id. Most. 4, 2, 62 Lorenz ad loc.: “jam minoris omnia facio prae quam quibus modis Me ludificatus est,” id. ib. 5, 2, 25: “sed hoc etiam pulcrum'st praequam sumptus ubi petunt,” id. Aul. 3, 5, 33; id. Merc. prol. 23: “quae etsi longioribus verbis comprehensa est praequam illud Graecum, etc.,” Gell. 16, 1, 3: “immo res omnis relictas habeo prae quod tu velis,” Plaut. Stich. 2, 2, 38.—
II. Prep. with abl. (with acc.: “prae cornua, prae litteras,” Petr. 39, 12; 46, 1), before, in front of, in advance of.
A. Lit.: “cavendum erit, ut (villa) a tergo potius quam prae se flumen habeat,” before it, Col. 1, 5, 4: limina alia prae aliis erant, App. de Mundo, p. 69, 22.—Esp. freq.: prae se ferre, agere, mittere, to bear, carry, drive, or send before one's self: “ille qui stillantem prae se pugionem tulit,” Cic. Phil. 2, 12, 30: “argenti prae se in aerarium tulit quattuordecim milia pondo,” Liv. 28, 38, 5: “prae se ferens Darium puerum,” Suet. Calig. 19: “prae se armentum agens,” Liv. 1, 7, 4: “singulos prae se inermes mittere,” Sall. J. 94, 2: prae manu, and, less freq., prae manibus, at hand, on hand (ante- and postclass.): “patri reddidi omne aurum, quod fuit prae manu,” Plaut. Bacch. 4, 3, 9; Ter. Ad. 5, 9, 23: “cum prae manu debitor (pecuniam) non haberet,” Dig. 13, 7, 27: “si Caesaris liber prae manibus est, promi jubeas,” Gell. 19, 8, 6: “aes si forte prae manu non fuerit,” App. M. 6, p. 180, 30.—
B. Trop.
1. In gen.: prae se ferre, less freq., prae se gerere, declarare, etc., prop. to carry before one's self. as if to show it; hence, to show, exhibit, manifest, reveal, make known, betray, discover, indicate (freq. and class.), Cic. Agr. 2, 2, 4: “fortasse ceteri tectiores: ego semper me didicisse, prae me tuli,” id. Or. 42, 146: “nec vero cum venit, prae se fert, aut qui sit aut unde veniat,” id. Rep. 2, 3, 6: “scelus et facinus prae se ferens et confitens,” id. Mil. 16, 43: “ceteris prae se fert et ostentat,” id. Att. 2, 23, 3: “beata vita glorianda et praedicanda et prae se ferenda est: nihil est enim aliud quod praedicandum et prae se ferendum sit,” id. Tusc. 5, 17, 50: conjecturam prae se gerere. id. Inv. 2, 9, 30: “animum altum et erectum prae se gerebat, Auct. B. Afr. 10: prae se declarant gaudia vultu,” Cat. 64, 34: “prae se maximam speciem ostentare,” App. Flor. p. 342, 10.—
2. In partic., in comparisons, in comparison with, compared with (mostly in comparisons which imply a contrast of kind; while praeter refers to a contrast of degree only: dives prae ceteris, in contrast with the others, who are poor: dives praeter ceteros, richer than the other rich ones; cf. Krebs, Antibarb. p. 894).
(α).
With positive adj. (class.; v. infra): “omnia prae meo commodo,” Ter. Ad. 2, 3, 9: omnium unguentum odor prae tuo nautea est, Plaut. Curc. 1, 2, 5; id. Men. 1, 2, 67: “Gallis prae magnitudine corporum suorum brevitas nostra contemptui est,” Caes. B. G. 2, 30: “prae divitiis,” Liv. 3, 26: “videbant omnes prae illo parvi futuros,” Nep. Eum. 10, 4; Cic. Agr. 2, 35, 96: “veros illos Atticos prae se paene agrestes putat,” id. Brut. 83, 286: “ab isto prae lucro praedāque nec vectigalium nec posteritatis habitam esse rationem,” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 55, § 128: “non tu quidem vacuus molestiis, sed prae nobis beatus,” id. Fam. 4, 4, 2; Hor. Ep. 1, 11, 4: “(stultitia) prae ceteris parit immensas cupiditates,” Auct. Her. 2, 22, 34.—
(β).
So with comp. for quam (ante- and post-class.): “atque me minoris facio prae illo,” Plaut. Ep. 3, 4, 85: “id prae illo, quod honestum nobis est, fit plenius,” Gell. 1, 3, 25; Front. Ep. ad M. Caes. 1, 2; Hier. in Psa. 44, 3; Aug. c. Acad. 1, 22.—
3. In giving the cause, which, as it were, goes before, for, because of, by reason of, on account of (class. only of a hinderance; with an express or implied negation; or with vix, v. Zumpt, § 310): Ulixi cor frixit prae pavore, Liv. Andron. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 1, 92: “prae laetitiā lacrumae praesiliunt mihi,” Plaut. Stich. 3, 2, 13: “prae lassitudine opus est ut lavem,” id. Truc. 2, 3, 7; Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 71: “prae gaudio ubi sim nescio,” id. ib. 2, 3, 67: “vivere non quit Prae macie,” Lucr. 4, 1167: “nec loqui prae maerore potuit,” Cic. Planc. 41, 99: “quorum ille nomen prae metu ferre non poterat,” id. Phil. 13, 9, 20: “solem prae jaculorum multitudine non videbitis,” id. Tusc. 1, 42, 101: “prae irā,” Liv. 31, 24 fin.: “vix sibimet ipsi prae nec opinato gaudio credentes,” id. 39, 49.—In composition, prae usually denotes,
a. Before: praedico, praebibo, praecaveo, etc.; so too, praeceps, headforemost, headlong.—In time: praecanus, gray before one's time.—
b. Enhancing the main idea, qs. in advance of others: praealtus, extremely high: praeclarus, very celebrated; praevalidus, very strong, etc.
