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.

prĕco, are, v. precor fin.

prĕcor, ātus (gen. plur. precantūm, Ov. M. 12, 33; Plaut. Rud. 1, 5, 2), 1, v. dep. n. and a. [root Sanscr. pracch- prask-, to ask; Germ. fragen; v. posco].

  1. I. To ask, beg, entreat, pray, supplicate, request, invoke, call upon, beseech; to sue, say, or speak as a suppliant (class.; syn.: oro, rogo, supplico).
          1. (α) With acc. of the person addressed: qui ne precari quidem Jovem optimum maximum possit, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 32, § 71; id. Balb. 24, 55: deos colere, precari, venerarique, id. N. D. 1, 42, 119: quid veneramur, quid precamur deos, id. ib. 1, 44, 122; id. Cat. 2, 13, 29: deos tacite malumus et intra nos ipsos precari, Sen. Ben. 2, 1, 4: Nyctelium patrem precare, Ov. A. A. 1, 567.
          2. (β) With dat. of person in whose behalf: bona omnia populo Romano, Liv. 24, 16, 10: longum Augusto precare diem, Prop. 3, 9, 49 (4, 10, 50).
          3. (γ) With pro and abl. of person prayed for: ut jure sacerdotii precari deos pro te publice possim, quos nunc precor pietate privatā, Plin. Ep. 10, 13 (8) fin.: pro necessario ac propinquo suo, Curt. 5, 3, 14: pro nobis mitte precari, Ov. M. 3, 614: pro te, Front. Ep. ad Anton. 1, 1; Aug. Ep. 175, 5.
          4. (δ) With acc. of thing prayed for: haec precatus sum, Cic. Pis. 20, 46: hortatur pater veniam precari, Verg. A. 3, 144: tibi di, quaecunque preceris commoda dent, Hor. S. 2, 8, 75: date quae precamur, id. C. S. 3: vitam, Vell. 2, 79, 5; 2, 85, 5: saepe precor mortem, Ov. P. 1, 2, 59.
            So with two acc.: quod precarer deos, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 9: ut quod deos precati eritis, Liv. 40, 46, 9: quid habeo aliud deos immortales precari, quam ut, etc., Suet. Aug. 58 fin.
            (ε) With ut, ne, quominus, or (poet.) subj. alone: ut fas sit vidisse, tacitus precatur, Sen. Ep. 115, 4: deosque precetur et oret, ut, Hor. A. P. 200; Cic. Dom. 57, 144; Curt. 7, 2, 31; Liv. 24, 5, 5; 25, 25, 6; 26, 25, 13: pro se quisque precari coepere, ne festinatione periculum augeret, Curt. 3, 5, 14: precare ne jubeant, etc., Ov. A. A. 1, 568: si id non probares, quominus ambo unā necaremini non precarere, Cic. Fin. 2, 24, 79: hoc quoque, dux operis, moneas, precor, Ov. F. 4, 247: det solum miserae mite, precare, fuge, id. P. 2, 2, 68: tandem venias precamur, Hor. C. 1, 2, 30: reddas incolumem precor, id. ib. 1, 3, 7; id. Epod. 3, 20.
            (ξ) With ab and abl. of person addressed: precor ab iis ut, etc., Cic. Rab. Perd. 2, 5: hoc a diis immortalibus precari, ut, etc., Nep. Timol. 5, 2: quae precatus a diis sum, ut, etc., Cic. Mur. 1, 1: ab indigno, id. Lael. 16, 57: esse stultitiam, a quibus bona precaremur, ab iis dantibus nolle sumere, id. N. D. 3, 34, 84.
            (η) With acc. of the prayer: te bonas preces precor, uti sies volens propitius mihi, Cato, R. R. 139; cf. id. ib. 132, 2.
            (θ) With object-clause: sibi et vicinis serere se, Plin. 18, 13, 35, § 131: numquam placidas esse precarer aquas, Ov. H. 19, 82.
            (ι) With ad: di, ad quos precentur ac supplicent, make supplications, Liv. 38, 43.
            (κ) Absol.: fata deūm flecti precando, Verg. A. 6, 376; so freq. in part. pres.: mitis precanti, Stat. Th. 1, 189: verba precantia, Ov. M. 7, 590: manum precantem Protendere, Verg. A. 12, 930: oliva, Stat. Th. 2, 478: eum sororem dedisse Prusiae precanti, Liv. 42, 12, 4; and parenthetically: gnatique patrisque, Alma, precor, miserere, Verg. A. 6, 117: parce, precor, Hor. C. 4, 1, 2; Ov. H. 16, 11; id. Am. 3, 9, 67: per hoc decus, precor, Hor. Epod. 5, 7.
  2. II. In partic., to wish well or ill to any one, to hail, salute, or address one with a wish, alicui aliquid (class.).
      1. 1. Of good wishes: sic exire e patriā, ut omnes sui cives salutem, incolumitatem, reditum precentur, Cic. Pis. 14, 33: cape, Roma, triumphum, Et longum Augusto salva precare diem, Prop. 3, 11 (4, 10), 50: nos perpetuam felicitatem reipublicae precari, Suet. Aug. 58: sibi et suis εὐθανασίαν similem precabatur, id. ib. 97: alicui immortalitatem, Curt. 8, 5, 16: permittamus vela ventis et oram solventibus bene precemur, Quint. Ep. ad Tryph. 3.
      2. 2. Of evil wishes, imprecations; with mala, male, etc., to curse, invoke evil upon: neque, si umquam vobis mala precarer, morbum aut mortem aut cruciatum precarer, Cic. Pis. 19, 43: quod tibi evenit, ut omnes male precarentur, id. ib. 14, 33: (Ajax) mala multa precatus Atridis, Hor. S. 2, 3, 203: male precari, Plaut. Merc. 2, 1, 11: pergin’ precari pessimo, id. As. 2, 4, 71; cf.: audisti quae malo principi precamur, Plin. Pan. 94, 2.
        (Act. form prĕco, āre, Prisc. p. 779 P.; partic. precatus, as passive, Juvenc. 3, 85; cf. Varr. ap. Non. 480, 27.)

prex, prĕcis (nom. and gen. sing. not in use; dat. and acc. sing. only ante-class.; most freq. in plur.), f. [precor], a prayer, request, entreaty (class.).

  1. I. In gen.: nunc te oro per precem, Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 47: nihil est preci loci relictum, Ter. And. 3, 4, 22: prece te oro, Hor. S. 2, 6, 13: multā prece prosequi aliquem, id. C. 4, 5, 33: cum magnā prece ad aliquem scribere, Cic. Att. 11, 15, 2: prece et obsecratione humili ac supplici uti, id. Inv. 1, 16, 22: nec prece, nec pretio, nec gratiā, nec simultate a rectā viā deduci, Auct. Her. 3, 3, 4: omnibus precibus te oro et obtestor, ut, etc., Cic. Att. 9, 11, A, § 3: omnibus precibus petere, ut, etc., Caes. B. G. 5, 6; Liv. 28, 2: fatigare aliquem precibus, id. 1, 11: precibus flecti, Verg. A. 2, 689: moveri, Ov. H. 7, 3: vinci, id. M. 9, 401: adduci, Caes. B. G. 1, 16: ad miseras preces Decurrere, Hor. C. 3, 29, 59.
  2. II. In partic.
    1. A. A prayer to a deity: in prece totus eram, Ov. F. 6, 251: eorum preces et vota exaudiens, Cic. Planc. 41, 97: vota et preces repudiare, id. Clu. 70, 201: tribuunt ei successus petitionum a potestatibus, et a diis etiam precum, Plin. 29, 4, 19, § 66.
    2. B. A good wish, friendly greeting: tuis Kalendis damus alternas accipimusque preces, exchange good wishes, Ov. F. 1, 176.
    3. C. A curse, imprecation: omnibus precibus detestatus Ambiorigem, Caes. B. G. 6, 30: misit Thyesteas preces, Hor. Epod. 5, 86: hostili caput prece detestari, Ov. M. 15, 505.
    4. D. An intercession (poet.): jam prece Pollucis, jam Castoris imploratā, Cat. 68, 65.