dē-prĕcor — Lewis & Short
dē-prĕcor, ātus, 1,
I v. dep. a.
I To avert, ward off (from one's self or others) by earnest prayer; to deprecate; also to pray, to intercede for the averting of any evil, or to obtain pardon for any transgression (cf. Gell. 6, 16, 3).
A In gen. (for syn. cf.: averto, averrunco, avoco, revoco —freq. and class.), constr. with the acc. (rei v. personae), the inf., the acc. and inf., ne, quominus, quin, and absol.
(a) With acc. rei:
ullam ab sese calamitatem,Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 60 fin.; cf.:
ut a me quandam prope justam patriae querimoniam detester ac deprecer,id. Cat. 1, 11: quibus servitutem mea miseria deprecor? Enn. ap. Gell. 6, 16, 9; cf.:
ego meae cum vitae parcam, letum inimico deprecer?id. ib. §
10: qui nullum genus supplicii deprecatus est neque recusavit,Cic. Tusc. 2, 22, 52:
mortem,Caes. B. G. 7, 40, 6; cf.:
non jam mortem neque aerumnas, tantummodo inimici imperium et cruciatus corporis deprecor,Sall. J. 24, 10:
periculum,Caes. B. C. 1, 5; Asin. Pollio ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 31, 3 (with refugere), Liv. 3, 58:
poenam,id. 40, 15:
ignominiam,id. 27, 20 fin.:
iram senatus,id. 39, 35:
praecipiendi munus,Quint. 2, 12, 12 et saep.—Of abstract subjects:
Claudii invidiam Gracchi caritas deprecabatur,averted, Cic. Rep. 6, 2 (ap. Gell. 6, 16, 11; and Non. 290, 17).—
(b) With acc. pers., usually in the sense of praying:
quem deprecarentur, cum omnes essent sordidati?Cic. Sest. 12: in hoc te deprecor, ne, etc., Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 1:
Patres, ne festinarent decernere, etc.,Liv. 34, 59:
senatum litteris deprecatus est, ne, etc.,Suet. Caes. 29:
dispensatorem deprecati sumus, ut, etc.,Petr. 30, 9:
deos mala (opp. bona rogare),Sen. Q. N. 2, 33; cf.:
hoc superos, hoc te quoque deprecor,Val. Fl. 8, 53:
numina versu,Petr. 133, 2: Dominum, Vulg. Esth. 14, 3 et saep.—Less freq. in the sense of averting:
lecto te solum, lecto te deprecor uno,Prop. 2, 34, 17 (3, 32, 7 M.).—
(g) With inf.:
umbram accipere,Stat. Th. 8, 116; Luc. 9, 213.—*
(d) With acc. and inf., to plead in excuse:
postquam errasse regem et Jugurthae scelere lapsum deprecati sunt,Sall. J. 104, 4.—(e) With ne:
primum deprecor, ne me, etc.,Cic. Fin. 2, 1:
unum petere ac deprecari ... ne se armis despoliaret,Caes. B. G. 2, 31, 4:
spem ne nostram fieri patiare caducam, deprecor,Ov. H. 15 (16), 170; cf. no., b; so,
opp. to postulo ut,Liv. 40, 15, 8.—And with the dat. of the person for whom one entreats: deprecari alicui ne vapulet, Plaut. As. grex 5.—(z) With quominus:
neque illum se deprecari, quominus pergat,Liv. 3, 9, 10 (but non precarere is the true reading in Cic. Fin. 2, 24, 79 fin.).—So very rarely (h) with quin:
quin gravedinem ipsi ferat frigus,Cat. 44, 18.—(q) With ut (rarely):
deprecatus esse dicitur, ut se tertium in amicitiam reciperent,Lact. 5, 17, 23; cf.
supra,Petr. 30, 9.—(i) Absol.:
pro amico, pro republica deprecari,Cic. Sest. 12 fin.; cf. Suet. Claud. 21; id. Vit. 14:
arma deponat, roget, deprecetur,Cic. Phil. 5, 1, 3; id. Or. 40, 138; Caes. B. G. 4, 7, 3; Quint. 5, 13, 2; *Verg. A. 12, 931 al.—
B In relig. lang., to imprecate: diras devotiones in eum deprecata, Ap. M. 9, p. 227.—
2 Transf.:
quasi non totidem mox deprecor illi Assidue,execrate, Cat. 92, 3 (dictum est quasi detestor vel exsecror vel depello vel abominor, Gell. 6, 16, 5).—
II To pray for, intercede in behalf of (that which is in danger):
vitam alicujus ab aliquo,Cic. Sull. 26; cf. vitam sibi, Auct. B. Afr. 89, 3;
paucos dies exsolvendo donativo deprecatum,Tac. H. 1, 41:
quos senatus non ad pacem deprecandam, sed ad denuntiandum bellum miserat,Cic. Fam. 12, 24. Also with personal objects:
a vobis deprecor custodem salutis meae,Cic. Planc. 42, 102:
nullae sunt imagines, quae me a vobis deprecentur,id. Agr. 2, 36 fin.:
te assiduae lacrimae C. Marcelli deprecantur,id. Fam. 4, 7 fin.—Sometimes, by zeugma, deprecor is used in both senses, I. and II., with different objects: non mortem sed dilationem mortis deprecantur, Justin. 11, 9, 14; Gronov. ad loc.!*? dēprĕcātus, in pass. signif.:
deprecatum bellum,Just. 8, 5, 4: deprecato summo numine, Ap. M. 11, p. 270.