dē-prāvo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [pravus], to pervert, distort, disfigure (opp. dirigere, corrigere; good prose).
- I. Lit.: depravata corrigere crura, Varr. L. L. 9, § 11 Müll.; cf. opp. corrigere, Cic. Fin. 1, 6; id. Div. 2, 46: (oculi) uni animalium homini depravantur, unde cognomina Strabonum et Paetorum, Plin. 11, 37, 55, § 150.
- II. Trop., to pervert, seduce, corrupt, deprave (for syn. cf.: corrumpo, vitio, adultero, perdo, pessum do, illicere, pellicere, adducere): nihil est quin male narrando possit depravarier, Ter. Ph. 4, 4, 17: jureconsultorum ingeniis pleraque corrupta ac depravata, Cic. Mur. 12, 27; cf. so with corrumpere, id. Arch. 4, 8: (Campanos) nimiae rerum omnium copiae depravabant, id. Agr. 2, 35 fin.: puer indulgentia nostra depravatus, id. Att. 10, 4, 5: ferarum natura malā disciplinā, id. Fin. 2, 11; cf.: mores hac dulcedine corruptelaque depravati, id. Leg. 2, 15, 38; and: consuetudo depravata (opp. recta), Varr. L. L. 9, § 18 Müll.: institutum hominis, Amm. Marc. 29, 1, 19: inania verba in hos modos, Quint. 9, 3, 100; cf. id. 6, 3, 6 et saep.: seductus ac depravatus ab aliquo, *Caes. B. C. 1, 7; cf.: magna pars gratiā depravata, *Sall. J. 15, 2; and: plebem consiliis, Liv. 45, 23: corruptos depravatosque mores parens noster reformet atque corriget, Plin. Pan. 53, 1: depravatum est cor per mulieres, Vulg. 3 Reg. 11, 4.
Absol.: solent domestici depravare nonnumquam, Cic. Phil. 1, 13 fin.
Hence,