ŏb — Lewis & Short
ŏb (old form obs, v. III.), prep. with
acc. (in late Lat. also with the abl.:I
OB PERPETVO EIVS ERGA SE AMORE,Inscr. Orell. 106) [Osc. op; kindr. with Sanscr. api; Gr. e)pi/].
I Lit.
A With verbs of motion, towards, to (only ante-class.): IS TERTHS DIEBVS OB PORTVM OBVAGVLATVM ITO, let him go before his house to summon him, Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Paul. ex Fest. s. v. portum, p. 233 Müll.: ob Romam legiones ducere, Enn. ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 179 Müll. (Ann. v. 295 Vahl.); cf.:
ob Troiam duxit,id. ib. p. 178 Müll. (Incert. libr. v. 5 Vahl.): cujus ob os Grai ora obvertebant sua, Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 18, 39; and ap. Cic. Fam. 9, 26, 2 (Trag. Rel. p. 211 Rib.).—
B With verbs of rest, about, before, in front of, over (in Cic.):
follem sibi obstringit ob gulam,Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 23:
lanam ob oculum habere,id. Mil. 5, 37:
ob oculos mihi caliginem obstitisse,before my eyes, id. ib. 2, 4, 51:
mors ob oculos saepe versata est,Cic. Rab. Post. 14, 39; id. Sest. 21, 47:
ignis qui est ob os offusus,id. Univ. 14.—
II Transf., to indicate the object or cause, on account of, for, because of, by reason of, etc.
A In gen. (freq. and class.):
etiam ob stultitiam tuam te tueris?do you still defend yourself with regard to your folly? Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 82:
pretium ob stultitiam fero,Ter. And. 3, 5, 4; id. Phorm. 2, 3, 23:
ob eam rem iratus,on that account, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 33:
neu quid ob eam rem succenseat,id. ib. 4, 4, 39; Ter. Ad. 5, 6, 7: Mi. Ob eam rem? De. Ob eam, id. ib. 5. 9, 20:
ob rem nullam,id. Hec. 5, 3, 2:
hanc Epicurus rationem induxit ob eam rem, quod veritus est, ne, etc.,Cic. Fat. 10, 23:
ob eam causam, quod, etc.,id. Rep. 1, 7, 12: quam ob causam venerant, id. de Or. 1, 7, 26:
non solum ob eam causam fieri volui, quod, etc.,id. Rep. 1, 21, 34:
ob hanc causam, quod,id. ib. 2, 1, 3:
nec ob aliam causam ullam, etc.,id. Lael. 20, 74:
ob meas injurias,Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 85; cf.:
quodnam ob facinus?id. ib. 5, 2, 3: ob peccatum hoc. id. ib. v. 37:
ob malefacta haec,id. Ad. 2, 1, 46:
ob illam injuriam,Cic. Rep. 2, 25, 46:
ob aliquod emolumentum suum,id. Font. 8, 17: (eum) ac Troiam misi ob defendendam Graeciam, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 13, 28 (Trag. v. 362 Vahl.):
ob rem judicandam pecuniam adcipere,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 32, § 78; id. Att. 1, 17, 8; id. Mur. 1, 1; Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 48, § 119; Sall. J. 89, 2; Quint. 5, 10, 87:
nec meliores ob eam scientiam nec beatiores esse possumus,on account of, for that knowledge, Cic. Rep. 1, 19, 32:
ob eam (amicitiam) summā fide servatam,id. Lael. 7, 25:
is igitur dicitur ab Amulio ob labefactandi regni timorem, ad Tiberim exponi jussus esse,id. Rep. 2, 2, 4:
unius ob iram Prodimur,Verg. A. 1, 251; cf.:
saevae memorem Junonis ob iram,id. ib. 1, 4; cf.
also: aut ob avaritiam aut miserā ambitione laborat,Hor. S. 1, 4, 26:
barbarus eum quidam palam ob iram interfecti ab eo domini obtruncat,Liv. 21, 2, 6:
non noxā neque ob metum,Tac. H. 2, 49:
Germanicum mortem ob rem publicam obiisse,for the republic, id. A. 2, 83:
cum quibus ob rem pecuniariam disceptabat,id. ib. 6, 5.—
B In partic.
1 In consideration of, in return for, instead of (mostly ante-class.):
ob asinos ferre argentum,Plaut. As. 2, 2, 80; id. Ep. 5, 2, 38:
quin arrhabonem a me accepisti ob mulierem?id. Rud. 3, 6, 23:
ager oppositus est pignori Ob decem minas,Ter. Phorm. 4, 3, 56: talentum magnum ob unam fabulam datum esse, C. Gracch. ap. Gell. 11, 10 fin.:
pecuniam ob absolvendum accipere,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 32, § 78:
pecuniam ob delicta dare,Tac. A. 14, 14.—
2 Ob rem, like ex re (opp. frustra), to the purpose, with advantage, profitably, usefully (very rare): An. Non pudet Vanitatis? Do. Minime, dum ob rem, Ter Phorm. 3, 2, 41:
verum id frustra an ob rem faciam, in vostrā manu situm est,Sall. J. 31, 5.—
3 Ob industriam, on purpose, intentionally, Plaut. Cas. 4, 3, 6; 2, 3, 58 (id. ib. 2, 3, 60, de industriā); cf. id. Men. 1, 2, 14.—
4 Quam ob rem, also written in one word, quamobrem, on which account, wherefore, therefore, hence, accordingly; a very freq. particle of transition, esp. in Cic.:
quam ob rem id primum videamus, quatenus, etc.,Cic. Lael. 11, 36:
quam ob rem utrique nostrūm gratum admodum feceris,id. ib. 4, 16; 2, 10; 3, 12; 4, 15; id. Rep. 1, 5, 9; 1, 19, 32 et saep.—
5 Ob id, ob hoc, ob haec, ob ea, ob quae, on that account, therefore (not ante-Aug.).
a Ob id:
ignaris hostibus et ob id quietis,Liv. 25, 35; 28, 2; Tac. A. 2, 66; 3, 75; 13, 5:
ob id ipsum,Curt. 4, 16, 23.—
b Ob hoc:
ob hoc cum omnia neglecta apud hostes essent,Liv. 25, 37; Sen. Q. N. 7, 14, 4; Col. 7, 3, 21; cf.:
ob hoc miserior,Sen. Ep. 98, 5. —
c Ob haec:
ob haec cum legatos mitti placuisset,Liv. 8, 23; 21, 50; 38, 34; Cels. 1 praef.—
d Ob ea:
ob ea consul Albinus senatum de foedere consulebat,Sall. J. 39, 2.—
e Ob quae:
ob quae posterum diem reus petivit,Tac. A. 2, 30 fin.; Suet. Ner. 13.—
III In composition, the b of ob remains unchanged before vowels and most consonants; only before p, f, c, g, is assimilation more common: oppeto, offero, occido, ogganio, etc.—An ancient form obs, analogous to abs, is implied in obs-olesco and os-tendo.—In signification, that of direction towards, or of existence at or before a thing is predominant, although it likewise gives to the simple verb the accessory notion of against: obicere, opponere, obrogare.