precor

Latin > English (Lewis & Short)

prĕcor: ātus (
I gen. plur. precantūm, Ov. M. 12, 33; Plaut. Rud. 1, 5, 2), 1, v. dep. n. and a. root Sanscr. pracch- prask-, to ask; Germ. fragen; v. posco.
I To ask, beg, entreat, pray, supplicate, request, invoke, call upon, beseech; to sue, say, or speak as a suppliant (class.; syn.: oro, rogo, supplico).
   (a)    With acc. of the person addressed: qui ne precari quidem Jovem optimum maximum possit, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 32, § 71; id. Balb. 24, 55: deos colere, precari, venerarique, id. N. D. 1, 42, 119: quid veneramur, quid precamur deos, id. ib. 1, 44, 122; id. Cat. 2, 13, 29: deos tacite malumus et intra nos ipsos precari, Sen. Ben. 2, 1, 4: Nyctelium patrem precare, Ov. A. A. 1, 567.—
   (b)    With dat. of person in whose behalf: bona omnia populo Romano, Liv. 24, 16, 10: longum Augusto precare diem, Prop. 3, 9, 49 (4, 10, 50).—
   (g)    With pro and abl. of person prayed for: ut jure sacerdotii precari deos pro te publice possim, quos nunc precor pietate privatā, Plin. Ep. 10, 13 (8) fin.: pro necessario ac propinquo suo, Curt. 5, 3, 14: pro nobis mitte precari, Ov. M. 3, 614: pro te, Front. Ep. ad Anton. 1, 1; Aug. Ep. 175, 5.—
   (d)    With acc. of thing prayed for: haec precatus sum, Cic. Pis. 20, 46: hortatur pater veniam precari, Verg. A. 3, 144: tibi di, quaecunque preceris commoda dent, Hor. S. 2, 8, 75: date quae precamur, id. C. S. 3: vitam, Vell. 2, 79, 5; 2, 85, 5: saepe precor mortem, Ov. P. 1, 2, 59.—So with two acc.: quod precarer deos, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 9: ut quod deos precati eritis, Liv. 40, 46, 9: quid habeo aliud deos immortales precari, quam ut, etc., Suet. Aug. 58 fin.—（ε) With ut, ne, quominus, or (poet.) subj. alone: ut fas sit vidisse, tacitus precatur, Sen. Ep. 115, 4: deosque precetur et oret, ut, Hor. A. P. 200; Cic. Dom. 57, 144; Curt. 7, 2, 31; Liv. 24, 5, 5; 25, 25, 6; 26, 25, 13: pro se quisque precari coepere, ne festinatione periculum augeret, Curt. 3, 5, 14: precare ne jubeant, etc., Ov. A. A. 1, 568: si id non probares, quominus ambo unā necaremini non precarere, Cic. Fin. 2, 24, 79: hoc quoque, dux operis, moneas, precor, Ov. F. 4, 247: det solum miserae mite, precare, fuge, id. P. 2, 2, 68: tandem venias precamur, Hor. C. 1, 2, 30: reddas incolumem precor, id. ib. 1, 3, 7; id. Epod. 3, 20.—（ξ) With ab and abl. of person addressed: precor ab iis ut, etc., Cic. Rab. Perd. 2, 5: hoc a diis immortalibus precari, ut, etc., Nep. Timol. 5, 2: quae precatus a diis sum, ut, etc., Cic. Mur. 1, 1: ab indigno, id. Lael. 16, 57: esse stultitiam, a quibus bona precaremur, ab iis dantibus nolle sumere, id. N. D. 3, 34, 84.—（η) With acc. of the prayer: te bonas preces precor, uti sies volens propitius mihi, Cato, R. R. 139; cf. id. ib. 132, 2.—（θ) With object-clause: sibi et vicinis serere se, Plin. 18, 13, 35, § 131: numquam placidas esse precarer aquas, Ov. H. 19, 82.—（ι) With ad: di, ad quos precentur ac supplicent, make supplications, Liv. 38, 43.—（κ) Absol.: fata deūm flecti precando, Verg. A. 6, 376; so freq. in part. pres.: mitis precanti, Stat. Th. 1, 189: verba precantia, Ov. M. 7, 590: manum precantem Protendere, Verg. A. 12, 930: oliva, Stat. Th. 2, 478: eum sororem dedisse Prusiae precanti, Liv. 42, 12, 4; and parenthetically: gnatique patrisque, Alma, precor, miserere, Verg. A. 6, 117: parce, precor, Hor. C. 4, 1, 2; Ov. H. 16, 11; id. Am. 3, 9, 67: per hoc decus, precor, Hor. Epod. 5, 7.—
II In partic., to wish well or ill to any one, to hail, salute, or address one with a wish, alicui aliquid (class.).
   1    Of good wishes: sic exire e patriā, ut omnes sui cives salutem, incolumitatem, reditum precentur, Cic. Pis. 14, 33: cape, Roma, triumphum, Et longum Augusto salva precare diem, Prop. 3, 11 (4, 10), 50: nos perpetuam felicitatem reipublicae precari, Suet. Aug. 58: sibi et suis εὐθανασίαν similem precabatur, id. ib. 97: alicui immortalitatem, Curt. 8, 5, 16: permittamus vela ventis et oram solventibus bene precemur, Quint. Ep. ad Tryph. 3.—
   2    Of evil wishes, imprecations; with mala, male, etc., to curse, invoke evil upon: neque, si umquam vobis mala precarer, morbum aut mortem aut cruciatum precarer, Cic. Pis. 19, 43: quod tibi evenit, ut omnes male precarentur, id. ib. 14, 33: (Ajax) mala multa precatus Atridis, Hor. S. 2, 3, 203: male precari, Plaut. Merc. 2, 1, 11: pergin' precari pessimo, id. As. 2, 4, 71; cf.: audisti quae malo principi precamur, Plin. Pan. 94, 2.—（Act. form prĕco, āre, Prisc. p. 779 P.; partic. precatus, as passive, Juvenc. 3, 85; cf. Varr. ap. Non. 480, 27.)>