postquam (posquam, Att. ap. Non. 109, 26, acc. to Rib. Trag. Rel. v. 118; id. Verg. A. 3, 463; cf. Munro ad Lucr. 4, 1186; Rib. Prol. ad Verg. p. 442; also separately, post quam), conj.
- I. After that, after, as soon as, when (class., but rare in Cic., who commonly writes postea quam; v. postea); constr. usually with histor. pres., or perf. or imperf. indic., or subj.; rarely with pluperf. (v. Zumpt, § 507, b; cf. Weissenb. ad Liv. 22, 1, 1; Krebs, Antibarb. p. 889): abeo ab illis, postquam video, me sic ludificarier, Plaut. Capt. 3, 1, 27; id. Most. 3, 3, 22; Ter. Hec. 5, 3, 28: postquam res eorum satis prospera videbatur, Sall. C. 6, 3; cf. id. J. 13, 5 al.: eo postquam Caesar pervenit, obsides, arma poposcit, Caes. B. G. 1, 27: post quam armis disceptari coeptum est de jure publico, nihil esse actum cum dignitate, Cic. Fam. 4, 4, 3: postquam id difficilius visum est neque facultas perficiendi dabatur, transierunt, etc., Caes. B. C. 3, 60, 5: postquam divitiae honori esse coepere, et eas gloria sequebatur, Sall. C. 12, 1; cf. id. J. 70, 5: undecimo die postquam a te discesseram, Cic. Att. 12, 1, 1: quod post accidisset, quam dedissem ad te liberto litteras, id. ib. 6, 3, 1: quartum post annum, quam redierat, Nep. Dion, 10, 3.
With post: postquam comedit rem, post rationem putat, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 15.
- II. With an accessory idea of cause, since, because, inasmuch as (rare and mostly poet.): nunc ego illam me velim convenire, postquam inanis sum, Plaut. Bacch. 3, 6, 2; id. Most. 3, 3, 22: postquam poëta sensit, scripturam suam Ab iniquis observari, Ter. Ad. prol. 1 (postquam pro quoniam, Don.): postquam suas terras sedem belli esse viderent, verterunt, etc. (= cum), Liv. 22, 1, 1: sed periit, postquam cerdonibus esse timendus Coeperat; hoc nocuit, etc., Juv. 4, 153; Tac. A. 1, 68.