previous next
prae-ĕo (sometimes written in inscrr. with one e, PRAERAT, etc.), īvi and ĭi, ĭtum, īre, v. n. and
I.a., to go before, lead the way, precede (syn.: praegredior, antecedo).
I. Lit.
(α). Neutr.: “ut consulibus lictores praeirent,” Cic. Rep. 2, 31, 55: “domino praeire,” Stat. Th. 6, 519: “Laevinus Romam praeivit,” Liv. 26, 27 fin.: “praetor dictus, qui praeiret jure et exercitu,” Varr. L. L. 5, § 80 Müll.; cf.: “in re militari praetor dictus, qui praeiret exercitui,” id. ib. 5, 16, § “87 ib.: praeeunte carinā,” Verg. A. 5, 186; Ov. F. 1, 81.—
(β). Act.: “per avia ac derupta praeibat eum,” Tac. A. 6, 21: “ludos Circenses eburna effigies (Germanici) praeiret,” id. ib. 2, 83.—
II. Trop.
A. In gen., to go before, precede (rare but class.).
(α). Neutr.: “naturā praeeunte,” Cic. Fin. 5, 21, 58.—
(β). Act.: “acto raptim agmine, ut famam sui praeiret,” to outstrip, Tac. A. 15, 4.—
B. In partic., a relig. and publicist's t. t., to precede one in reciting a formula (as of prayer, consecration, an oath, etc.), i. e. to repeat first, to dictate any thing (the predom. signif. of the word); constr. most freq. with aliquid (alicui), and less freq. with verbis, voce, or absol.
(α). Aliquid (alicui): “praei verba, quibus me pro legionibus devoveam,” Liv. 8, 9, 4: “aedem Concordiae dedicavit, coactusque pontifex maximus verba praeire,” to dictate the formula of consecration, id. 9, 46, 6; cf. id. 4, 21, 5; 5, 41, 3; 10, 28, 14: “praeeuntibus exsecrabile carmen sacerdotibus,” id. 31, 17: “sacramentum,” Tac. H. 1, 36; 2, 74: “obsecrationem,” Suet. Claud. 22: “cum scriba ex publicis tabulis sollemne ei praecationis carmen praeiret,” Val. Max. 4, 1, 10.—
(β). Praeire verbis: “praei verbis quid vis,” Plaut. Rud. 5, 2, 48.—
(γ). Absol., with dat. of the person: “praeivimus commilitonibus jusjurandum more sollemni praestantibus,” Plin. Ep. 10,52 (60): “de scripto praeire,” to read before, Plin. 28, 2, 3, § 12: “ades, Luculle, Servili, dum dedico domum Ciceronis, ut mihi praeeatis,” Cic. Dom. 52, 133.—
2. Transf., apart from technical lang., to recite, read, sing, or play before one (rare but class.): “ut vobis voce praeirent, quid judicaretis,” Cic. Mil. 2, 3: “si legentibus singulis praeire semper ipsi velint,” wish to read before, Quint. 2, 5, 3; 1, 2, 12; and: “praeeunte aliquā jucundā voce,” id. 1, 10, 16: “tibiam Caio Graccho cum populo agenti praeisse ac praemonstrasse modulos ferunt,” Gell. 1, 11, 10.—
b. In partic., to lead the way, by orders, directions, precepts: “omnia, uti decemviri praeierunt, facta,” Liv. 43, 13 fin. (cf. praefor): “si de omni quoque officio judicis praeire tibi me vis,” Gell. 14, 2, 12.— Hence, praeiens , Part., going before; as subst.: praeiens , euntis, m., he who precedes another, as a precentor or leader: “lectio non omnis nec semper praeeunte eget,” Quint. 1, 2, 12.
A Latin Dictionary. Founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary. revised, enlarged, and in great part rewritten by. Charlton T. Lewis, Ph.D. and. Charles Short, LL.D. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1879.

The National Endowment for the Humanities provided support for entering this text.

hide Dictionary Entry Lookup
Use this tool to search for dictionary entries in all lexica.
Search for in
hide References (27 total)
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (27):
    • Cicero, On his House, 52.133
    • Cicero, For Milo, 2.3
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 9, 46
    • Plautus, Rudens, 5.2
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 5.186
    • Tacitus, Annales, 6.21
    • Tacitus, Annales, 15.4
    • Tacitus, Historiae, 1.36
    • Suetonius, Divus Claudius, 22
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 28.12
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 43, 13
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 8, 9
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 5, 41.3
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 10, 28.14
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 26, 27
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 4, 21.5
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 31, 17
    • Cicero, De Republica, 2.31
    • Cicero, de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum, 5.21
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 1, 2.12
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 1, 10.16
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 2, 5.3
    • Gellius, Noctes Atticae, 14.2.12
    • Gellius, Noctes Atticae, 1.11.10
    • Statius, Thebias, 6
    • Ovid, Fasti, 1
    • Valerius Maximus, Facta et Dicta Memorabilia, 4.1.10
hide Display Preferences
Greek Display:
Arabic Display:
View by Default:
Browse Bar: