Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

dē-prĕhendo or dēprendo (v. prehendo; cf. Quint. 9, 4, 59), di, sum, 3, v. a.

  1. I. To take or snatch away, esp. any thing which is in motion; to seize upon, catch (freq. and class.
    For syn. cf.: invenio, reperio, nanciscor; offendo, aperio, patefacio, detego; incido, consequor, assequor, etc.).
    1. A. Lit.: deprehensus ex itinere Cn. Magius, Caes. B. C. 1, 24, 4: in ipso fluminis vado deprehensus, id. B. G. 5, 58, 6: in agris, id. ib. 6, 30: in ponte, Sall. C. 45: nuntiorum pars deprehensa, Caes. B. G. 5, 45; cf.: deprehensis internuntiis, id. B. C. 3, 112 fin.: tabellarios deprendere litterasque intercipere, Cassius ap. Cic. Fam. 12, 12; and: litterae deprehensae, intercepted, Liv. 2, 4: onerarias naves, to seize, take possession of, Caes. B. C. 1, 36, 2; so id. B. G. 7, 58, 4; id. B. C. 1, 26 al.: volucres jaculis, Sil. 16, 566: cursu deprendere telum, Stat. Th. 6, 568: subito deprehensus locutus est, taken by surprise, Sen. Ep. 11, 1.
    2. B. Transf. of inanimate subjects. So, esp. freq. of storms: deprensa navigia, caught, overtaken by, Lucr. 6, 429; cf. Catull. 25, 13; Verg. A. 5, 52; id. G. 4, 421; Ov. M. 11, 663; Curt. 7, 4 et saep.
  2. II. In a wider sense, to catch, overtake, surprise, apprehend, detect, find out, discover any one, esp. in doing any thing wrong.
    1. A. Lit.: deprehendi in aliquo manifesto scelere, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 43; so, in maximo scelere, Sall. C. 46, 2; 50, 4: in facinore manifesto, Cic. Brut. 68 fin.: in alio maleficio, id. Inv. 2, 4, 14: in adulterio, id. de Or. 2, 68, 275; Vulg. Johan. 8, 3 et saep.: dolis deprehensus, Plaut. Bac. 4, 9, 26: nocte ferro deprehensus, Quint. 7, 6, 8: sine duce et sine equitatu deprehensis hostibus, Caes. B. G. 7, 52, 2: (mulier) deprensa, caught in the act, Hor. S. 1, 2, 131; 134; 1, 4, 114: in mendacio, Quint. 5, 7, 30: aliquos flentes, id. ib. 7, 9, 11: agendi subita necessitate deprehensi, id. 1, 12, 4; 1, 8, 21: aliquem occisum, Suet, Caes. 35 et saep.
        1. b. Of inanimate objects: venenum, Cic. Clu. 7, 20; cf. id. ib. 16, 47 sq.; Liv. 42, 17: res furtiva in domo deprehensa, Quint. 5, 13, 49; cf. sacrilegium, id. 8, 6, 26.
    2. B. Trop.
      1. 1.
          1. (α) To comprehend, perceive, understand, detect, discover, discern, observe (chiefly post-Aug. in prose, esp. in Quint.): cujus ego facinora oculis prius quam opinione, manibus ante quam suspicione deprehendi, Cic. Cael. 6 fin.: quid si me stultior ipso deprenderis? Hor. S. 2, 7, 43: hominum erga se mentes, Suet. Calig. 60: falsas gemmas, Plin. 37, 13, 76, § 198: quam naturam ejus Pythagoras Samius primus deprehendit, id. 2, 8, 6, § 37; 2, 9, 6, § 43; 9, 28, 44, § 86; Cels. 3, 18; 7 praef.; Plin. Ep. 4, 20, 3: falsa facilius deprehendere et refellere, Quint. 12, 1, 34: quod vix a lectore deprehenditur, id. 4, 2, 59: in Livio Patavinitatem, id. 1, 5, 56; cf. id. 3, 8, 69; 5, 13, 23 et saep.
          2. (β) With acc. et inf.: species diversas esse facile est deprehendere, Quint. 9, 2, 44: quosdam mitti, Suet. Aug. 44: deprehenditur vitiose loqui, Quint. 1, 6, 7.
      2. 2. To overtake, equal, imitate: juvenemque puer deprehende parentem, Stat. S. 4, 4, 74.
      3. 3. To find, discover, come upon (always implying mental action, post-Aug.): extra carmen non deprendas, Quint. 1, 5, 18: quod in epistolis Augusti deprehenditur, id. 1, 7, 22; 8, 6, 71: apud Ciceronem mira figurarum mixtura deprehenditur, id. 9, 3, 40.
  3. III. With the predominant idea of restricting the free movement of an object, to impede, to check, to bring into a strait.
    1. A. Lit.: inter quas (latebras) deprehensus hostis, Curt. 7, 4, 4: in fovea, id. 5, 3, 19: flamina deprensa silvis, i. e. impeded, confined, Verg. A. 10, 98: viae deprensus in aggere serpens, id. ib. 5, 273; cf. id. ib. 8, 247; Quint. 12, 2, 14.
    2. B. Trop., to bring into a strait, to embarrass: deprehensum me plane video atque sentio, Cic. de Or. 1, 48; id. Verr. 2, 4, 12 fin.: deprensi pudorem explicant, Quint. 6, 3, 100: (testes) plus deprehensi nocent, quam firmi et interriti profuissent, id. 5, 7, 11 al.