Lewis & Short

prae-fĕro, tŭli, lātum, ferre, v. a., to bear before, to carry in front, to hold forth.

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen. (class.): dextrā ardentem facem praeferebat, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 34, § 74; cf.: alicui facem ad libidinem, id. Cat. 1, 6, 13: in fascibus insignia laureae, Caes. B. C. 3, 71: fasces praetoribus, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 9, § 22; Ov. F. 2, 336: claram facem praeferre pudendis, Juv. 8, 139.
      1. 2. Pass. with mid. force: praelatus, riding by, hurrying past: praelatus equo, Tac. A. 6, 35: praelatos hostes adoriri, Liv. 2, 14 fin.: praeter castra sua fugā praelati, id. 7, 24; cf. id. 33, 27.
        With acc.: castra sua praelati, hurrying past the camp, Liv. 5, 26.
    2. B. In partic., to carry in front, to bear along in public, and esp. in religious and triumphal processions: signa militaria praelata, Liv. 3, 29; 31, 49: Pontico triumpho trium verborum praetulit titulum: veni, vidi, vici, Suet. Caes. 37: statuam Circensi pompā, id. Tit. 2.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen., to carry before, to place or set before, to offer, present (very rare): clarissimum lumen praetulistis menti meae, Cic. Sull. 14, 40: suam vitam, ut legem, praefert suis legibus, to carry one’s life before, let it shine before as a guiding law (the image is borrowed from the bearing of torches before a thing), id. Rep. 1, 34, 52 Mos.: apud consulem causam atque excusationem, to offer as a cause, as an excuse, Sisenn. ap. Non. 58, 17.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. To place a person or thing before another in esteem, to prefer (very freq.): quem cui nostrum non saepe praetulit? Cic. Att. 9, 13, 8; so, aliquem alicui, id. Brut. 26, 101: se alicui, id. de Or. 2, 84, 342; Caes. B. G. 2, 27, 2; cf.: virtute belli praeferri omnibus nationibus, id. ib. 5, 54, 5: pecuniam amicitiae, Cic. Lael. 17, 63: jus majestatis atque imperii ipsi naturae patrioque amori, id Fin. 1, 7, 23: vestram voluntatem meis omnibus commodis et rationibus, id. Imp. Pomp. 24, 71: ergo ille … ipsis est praeferendus doctoribus … Equidem quemadmodum urbes magnas viculis et castellis praeferendas puto, sic, etc., id. Rep. 1, 2, 3: Brutus cuilibet ducum praeferendus, Vell. 2, 69, 3: puellam puellis, Ov. M. 4, 56; Plin. 15, 23, 25, § 94: hoc pueris patriaeque, Juv. 6, 111: animam praeferre pudori, id. 8, 83.
        With an object-clause, to choose rather, prefer: cur alter fratrum cessare et ludere et ungi Praeferat Herodis palmetis pinguibus, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 184: ut multi praetulerint carere Penatibus, Col. 1, 3.
      2. 2. With ref. to time, to take beforehand, to anticipate (very rare; not in Cic.): diem triumphi, Liv. 39, 5, 12: nec bonus Eurytion praelato invidit honori, Verg. A. 5, 541; cf.: praelato die, Form. Praet. ap. Dig. 2, 13, 1; 48, 10, 28; cf. opem, to bring beforehand, Stat. Th. 6, 476.
      3. 3. To show, display, exhibit, discover, manifest, expose, reveal, betray, etc. (rare but class.): cum praeferremus sensus aperte, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 8, 4: avaritiam praefers, Cic. Rosc. Am. 31, 87: amorem, Ov. H. 17, 36: fons Calirrhoë aquarum gloriam ipso nomine praeferens, Plin. 5, 16, 15, § 72: aures in equis animi indicia praeferunt, id. 11, 37, 50, § 137: duae aquilae omen duplicis imperii praeferentes, Just. 12, 16: modestiam praeferre et lasciviā uti, Tac. A. 13, 45 (but in id. H. 5, 1, praelatis is corrupted; the correct read. is privatis): dolorem animi vultu, Curt. 6, 9, 1: sapientiae studium habitu corporis, Plin. Ep. 1, 22, 6.