Lewis & Short

aufĕro, abstŭli, ablātum, auferre, v. a. [ab-fero; cf. ab init.], to take or bear off or away, to carry off, withdraw, remove (very freq. in prose and poetry; syn.: tollo, fero, rapio, eripio, diripio, adimo, averto).

  1. I. In gen.
  1. A.
    1. 1. Lit.: ab januā stercus, Plaut. As. 2, 4, 18: dona, id. Am. prol. 139: aurum atque ornamenta abs te, id. Mil. 4, 1, 36: abstulit eos a conspectu, Vulg. 4 Reg. 17, 18: auferas me de terrā hac, ib. Gen. 47, 30: vos istaec intro auferte, Ter. And. 1, 1, 1: Auferte ista hinc, Vulg. Joan. 2, 16: aether multos secum levis abstulit ignīs, Lucr. 5, 459; 3, 230; 3, 439; 3, 717; 5, 205; 5, 725; 6, 622; Turp. ap. Non. p. 422, 21: multa domum suam auferebat, Cic. Rosc. Am. 8 fin.: liberi per delectus alibi servituri auferuntur (a Romanis), are carried away, Tac. Agr. 31: quem vi abstulerant servi, Vulg. Gen. 21, 25.
      So of sick persons, or those unable to walk: auferere, non abibis, si ego fustem sumpsero, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 202 (cf. id. ib. 1, 1, 298: lumbifragium hinc auferes): asoti, qui in mensam vomant et qui de conviviis auferantur, Cic. Fin. 2, 8, 23.
      Auferre se, in colloquial lang., to remove one’s self, to withdraw, retire, go away: Te, obsecro hercle, aufer modo, Plaut. Rud. 4, 3, 93: aufer te domum, id. As. 2, 4, 63.
      1. 2. Of bodies that are borne away by wings, by the winds, waves, or any other quick motion, to bear or carry away, sweep away, etc. (mostly poet. or in post-Aug. prose): aliquem ad scopulum e tranquillo auferre, Ter. Phorm. 4, 4, 8: unda rates, Prop. 1, 8, 14: auferor in scopulos, Ov. M. 9, 593: auferet, id. ib. 15, 292 al.: in silvam pennis ablata refugit, Verg. A. 3, 258; 11, 867: ne te citus auferat axis, Ov. M. 2, 75: vento secundo vehementi satis profecti celeriter e conspectu terrae ablati sunt, Liv. 29, 27: (Bubo) volat numquam quo libuit, sed transversus aufertur, Plin. 10, 12, 16, § 35: (milites) pavore fugientium auferebantur, Tac. A. 4, 73.
    2. B. Trop., to carry away, mislead: te hortor, ut omnia gubernes prudentiā tuā, ne te auferant aliorum consilia, Cic. Fam. 2, 7: abstulerunt me velut de spatio Graecae res immixtae Romanis, i. e. have diverted, withdrawn me, from the subject, Liv. 35, 40: quae contemplatio aufert nos ad ipsorum animalium naturas, Plin. 27, 13, 120, § 145: auferre aliquem traversum, id. 28, 1, 1, § 1 Jan: ab intentione auferendus auditor, Quint. 4, 5, 6: somnus aufert, Hor. S. 1, 5, 83: auferimur cultu, i. e. decipimur, are deceived, duped, Ov. R. Am. 343.
  2. II. Esp.,
  1. A.
    1. 1. To take or snatch away; in a good, but more frequently in a bad sense, to take by force, to remove, withdraw, take away violently, rob, steal, etc.: aliquid eris, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 8: quod auri, quod argenti, quod ornamentorum in meis urbibus fuit, id mihi tu, C. Verres, eripuisti atque abstulisti, Cic. Div. in Caecil. 5, 19: ab hoc abaci vasa omnia abstuiit, id. Verr. 2, 4, 16; so, pecuniam de aerario, id. Att. 7, 21: pecuniam in ventre, to eat up, to squander, id. de Or. 2, 66, 265: auriculam mordicus, to bite off, id. ad Q. Fr. 3, 4: vestimentum, Vulg. Luc. 6, 29: hi ludi dies quindecim auferent, Cic. Verr. 1, 10, 31: imperium indignis, Liv. 3, 67: legionem, Tac. H. 4, 48: consulatum, censuram, id. ib. 1, 52: auferat omnia irrita oblivio si potest, Liv. 28, 29: spem, voluntatem defensionis, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 7: fervorem et audaciam, Liv. 3, 12: obsequia, Tac. H. 1, 80: misericordiam, id. ib. 3, 84: spem veniae, id. A. 14, 23: studium, Cat. 68, 19 sq.; and so Hor. C. 3, 12, 5: metus, to banish, Verg. A. 12, 316: curas, Hor. Ep. 1, 11, 26: somnos, id. C. 2, 16, 16; id. Epod. 5, 96: pudorem, Ov. M. 6, 617: fugam, to hinder, prevent, Flor. 3, 10, 3 al.
      1. 2. To take off or away, to destroy, consume, kill, slay, etc. (mostly poet. or in the Aug. histt.): Tam bellum mihi passerem abstulistis, Cat. 3, 15: abstulit clarum cita mors Achillem, Hor. C. 2, 16, 29; so id. Epod. 5, 66; id. S. 1, 9, 31: Auferat hora duos eadem, Ov. M. 8, 709; 15, 157: Labienum Varumque acies abstulit, Vell. 2, 55 fin.: Quidquid hinc aut illinc communis Mors belli aufert, Liv. 7, 8; Flor. 3, 17, 9 al.: Interea quodcumque fuit populabile flammae, Mulciber abstulerat, had consumed, Ov. M. 9, 263; 14, 575.
      2. 3. Of places, to separate, sever, divide: mare septem stadiorum intervallo Europam auferens Asiae, Plin. 4, 12, 24, § 75: Armenia Euphrate amne aufertur Cappadociae, id. 6, 9, 9, § 25.
    2. B. To lay aside some action, manner of speaking, etc.; to cease from, desist from, leave off: proinde istaec tua aufer terricula, Att. ap. Non. p. 227, 31: jurgium hinc auferas, Plaut. Pers. 5, 2, 19: aufer nugas, id. Truc. 4, 4, 8; id. Curc. 2, 1, 30: pollicitationes aufer, Ter. Phorm. 5, 6, 17: Ge. Id nosmet ipsos facere oportet, Phaedria. Ph. Aufer mi "oportet:" quin tu, quod faciam, impera, id. ib. 1, 4, 45 Ruhnk. (cf. Juv. 6, 170): Aufer abhinc lacrimas, Lucr. 3, 955: insolentiam, Phaedr. 3, 6, 8; so absol.: Insanis? Aufer! away! (where nugas may be supplied, as in Plaut. Truc. 4, 4, 8), Ter. Ad. 5, 8, 14.
      With inf. as object: aufer Me vultu terrere, Hor. S. 2, 7, 43.
    3. C. Meton., effect for cause, to corry off (as the fruit or result of one’s labor, exertions, errors, etc.), to obtain, get, receive, acquire: Ecquas viginti minas Paritas ut auferas a me? Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 71; 1, 5, 90; id. Curc. 5, 2, 21; id. Ep. 1, 2, 56; 2, 2, 9; id. Most. 4, 1, 32; Ter. Phorm. 5, 8, 62: id inultum numquam auferet, id. And. 3, 5, 4; id. Ad. 3, 4, 8 (cf. id. And. 1, 2, 4): paucos dies ab aliquo, to obtain a few days’ respite, Cic. Quinct. 5, 20: quis umquam ad arbitrum quantum petiit, tantum abstulit? id. Rosc. Com. 4, 12; so, responsum ab aliquo, id. de Or. 1, 56, 239: decretum, id. Att. 16, 16, A: diploma, id. Fam. 6, 12, 3: praemium, Suet. Gram. 17.
      Also with ut: ut in foro statuerent (statuas), abstulisti, you have carried the point that they etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 59 (so, adsequi, ut, Tac. G. 35).
      Trop., to carry away the knowledge of a thing, to learn, understand: quis est in populo Romano, qui hoc non ex priore actione abstulerit? has not learned, does not know, Cic Verr. 2, 1, 8.