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prae-tendo , di, tum (
I.part. praetensus, Anthol. Lat. 3, 168, 5), 3, v. a., to stretch forth or forward, to extend (syn. obtendo).
I. Lit.: “praetenta Tela,” stretched forth, presented, Ov. M. 8, 341: propagines e vitibus altius praetentos, shooting forth, Fab. Pict. ap. Gell. 10, 15, 13: ubi visum in culice natura praetendit? set out, stationed (i. e. extendit, et posuit in anteriore oris parte), Plin. 11, 1, 2, § 2.—
B. Transf.
1. To spread before or in front: “membrana, quae praecordia appellant, quia cordi praetenditur,” Plin. 11, 37, 77, § 197; 9, 6, 5, § 15.—
2. To spread, draw, hold, or place a thing before another: “segeti praetendere saepem,” Verg. G. 1, 270: “vestem tumidis praetendit ocellis,” holds before, Ov. Am. 3, 6, 79: “ramum praetendit olivae,” holds out, Verg. A. 8, 116: “fumosque manu praetende sequaces,” id. G. 4, 230: “decreto sermonem,” to prefix, Liv. 3, 47: “quicquid castrorum Armeniis praetenditur,” Tac. H. 2, 6: “ut adnexa classis et pugnae parata conversā et minaci fronte praetenderetur,” id. ib. 2, 14.—
b. Of places: praetendi, to stretch out before or in front of, to lie over against or opposite to (poet. and post - Aug.; “once in Liv.): praetentaque Syrtibus arva,” Verg. A. 6, 60: “tenue litus praetentum,” Liv. 10, 2, 5: “Armeniae praetentus Iber,” Val. Fl. 5, 167: “gens nostris provinciis late praetenta,” Tac. A. 2, 56: “Baeticae latere septentrionali praetenditur Lusitania,” Plin. 3, 1, 2, § 6: a tergo praetendantur Aethiopes, id. 5, 9, 9, § 48; 6, 27, 31, § 134: “Dardanis laevo Triballi praetenduntur,” id. 4, 1, 1, § 3: “extremis legio praetenta Britannis, i. e. opposita custodiae causa,” Claud. B. Get. 416.—
II. Trop.
A. To hold out or bring forward as an excuse, to allege, pretend, simulate (syn.: “causor, praetexo): hominis doctissimi nomen tuis immanibus et barbaris moribus (soles) praetendere,” to allege in excuse for, Cic. Vatin. 6, 14: “praetendens culpae splendida verba tuae,” Ov. R. Am. 240: “legem postulationi suae praetendere,” Liv. 3, 45, 1: “quid honestum dictu saltem seditioni praetenditur muliebri?” id. 34, 3, 8: “meminisse, quem titulum praetenderitis adversus Philippum,” id. 37, 54, 13: “decem legatorum decretum calumniae inpudentissimae,” id. 39, 28, 11: vultum, et tristitiam, et dissentientem a ceteris habitum pessimis moribus praetendebant, Quint. prooem. § 15; Plin. Ep. 4, 16, 3: “ignorantia praetendi non potest,” Quint. 7, 1, 35: “haec a se factitari praetendebat,” Tac. A. 6, 18: “praetendere fessam aetatem et actos labores,” id. ib. 3, 59; Flor. 3, 5, 3: “plebeiam facie tenus praetendens humanitatem,” App. M. 10, 23, p. 250, 9.—
B. To put forward, hold out, allege, assert a thing: “nec conjugis umquam Praetendi taedas,” I never pretended to be your husband, Verg. A. 4, 338: “debitum,” to demand a debt, sue for payment of a debt, Dig. 2, 14, 9.
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.

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hide References (25 total)
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (25):
    • Cicero, Against Vatinius, 6.14
    • Ovid, Metamorphoses, 8.341
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 6.60
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 4.338
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 8.116
    • Vergil, Georgics, 1.270
    • Vergil, Georgics, 4.230
    • Tacitus, Annales, 6.18
    • Tacitus, Annales, 2.56
    • Tacitus, Historiae, 2.6
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 11.2
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 3.6
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 9.15
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 4.3
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 5.48
    • Pliny the Younger, Epistulae, 4.16.3
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 37, 54.13
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 3, 45.1
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 10, 2.5
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 34, 3.8
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 3, 47
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 39, 28
    • C. Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica, 5.167
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 7, 1.35
    • Gellius, Noctes Atticae, 10.15.13
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