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.

1. praefātus, a, um, v. praefor fin.

2. praefātus, ūs, m. [praefor], a saying beforehand, a prediction (post-class.), Symm. Ep. 10, 22.

prae-for, fātus, 1 (old imper. praefato, Cato, R. R. 134. 1: praefamino, id. ib. 141, 2; cf. Müll. ad Fest. p. 87, 10), v. dep. n. and a.

  1. I. In gen., to say or utter beforehand, to premise, preface: in parte operis mei licet mihi praefari, quod, etc., Liv. 21, 1, 1; Col. 10, praef. 5; 12, 50, 7; Cels. 3, 1: praefatus, de summā se republicā acturum, having first announced by edict that, etc., Suet. Caes. 28: quae de deorum naturā praefati sumus, etc., Cic. Univ. 10 fin.: cum praefatus fuero, quae, etc., Col. 1 prooem. fin.; Gell. 9, 15, 4: sibi Asiam sufficere praefatus, Just. 11, 5, 5: arcana se et silenda afferre praefatus, Curt. 6, 7, 3: is cum praefatus esset, scire, etc., id. 7, 4, 9; Liv. 43, 7, 7.
  2. II. Esp.
    1. A. In a relig. sense, to utter a preliminary prayer, to address in prayer beforehand: majores nostri omnibus rebus agendis Quod bonum, faustum, felix fortunatumque esset, praefabantur, Cic. Div. 1, 45, 102: pontifice maximo praefante carmen, Liv. 5, 41, 3: decemviri carminibus (abl.) praefarentur, should say beforehand ( = praeirent), id. 22, 1, 16 (v. Weissenb. ad h. l.): priusquam hasce fruges condantur … ture, vino Jano, Jovi, Junoni praefato, offering wine and incense, say a prayer to Janus, etc., Cato, R. R. 134, 1.
      With the obj.-acc. of the deity: Janum Jovemque vino praefamino, id. ib. 141, 2: divos, Verg. A. 11, 301.
    2. B. Si dicimus, Ille patrem strangulavit, honorem non praefamur: sin de Aureliā aliquid aut Lolliā, honos praefandus est, we do not preface it by saying, with permission, with respect be it spoken, Cic. Fam. 9, 22, 4: veniam, to ask leave before speaking, App. M. 1 init.; id. Flor. init.
    3. C. To name or cite beforehand: Aristoteles, quem in iis magnā secuturus ex parte praefandum reor, to mention or name as an authority in advance, Plin. 8, 16, 17, § 43.
  3. III. To foretell, predict, prophesy (very rare), Cat. 64, 383.
    Hence,
    1. A. praefātus, a, um, in pass. signif., mentioned or stated before (post-class.): condemnatus ex praefatis causis, Dig. 20, 4, 12: jura, ib. 10, 3, 19: sic etiam nostro praefatus habebere libro, named at the beginning, Aus. praef. 2 fin.: sine honoribus praefatis appellare aliquid, without saying, By your leave, Arn. 5, 176: vir praefatā reverentiā nominandus, Vop. Aur. 1.
      Hence, subst.: praefātum, i, n., for praefatio, a preface: praefato opus est, Symm. Ep. 6, 3.
    2. B. praefandus, a, um, P. a., for which must be asked permission or indulgence; that requires apology: praefandi umoris e corpore effluvium, Plin. 7, 51, 52, § 171.
      Hence, subst.: praefanda, ōrum, n., foul expressions: in praefanda videmur incidere, Quint. 8, 3, 45.