aufĕro, abstŭli, ablātum, auferre, v. a. [ab-fero; cf. ab init.], to take or bear off or away, to carry off, withdraw, remove (very freq. in prose and poetry; syn.: tollo, fero, rapio, eripio, diripio, adimo, averto).
I In gen.
A.1 Lit.: ab januā stercus, Plaut. As. 2, 4, 18: dona, id. Am. prol. 139: aurum atque ornamenta abs te, id. Mil. 4, 1, 36: abstulit eos a conspectu, Vulg. 4 Reg. 17, 18: auferas me de terrā hac, ib. Gen. 47, 30: vos istaec intro auferte, Ter. And. 28: Auferte ista hinc, Vulg. Joan. 2, 16: aether multos secum levis abstulit ignīs, Lucr. 5, 459; 3, 230; 3, 439; 3, 717; 5, 205; 5, 725; 6, 622; Turp. ap. Non. p. 422, 21: multa domum suam auferebat, Cic. Rosc. Am. 8 fin. : liberi per delectus alibi servituri auferuntur (a Romanis), are carried away , Tac. Agr. 31: quem vi abstulerant servi, Vulg. Gen. 21, 25.—So of sick persons, or those unable to walk: auferere, non abibis, si ego fustem sumpsero, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 202 (cf. id. ib. 1, 1, 298: lumbifragium hinc auferes): asoti, qui in mensam vomant et qui de conviviis auferantur, Cic. Fin. 2, 8, 23. —Auferre se, in colloquial lang., to remove one’s self , to withdraw , retire , go away : Te, obsecro hercle, aufer modo, Plaut. Rud. 4, 3, 93: aufer te domum, id. As. 2, 4, 63.—
2 Of bodies that are borne away by wings, by the winds, waves, or any other quick motion, to bear or carry away , sweep away , etc. (mostly poet. or in post-Aug. prose): aliquem ad scopulum e tranquillo auferre, Ter. Phorm. 689: unda rates, Prop. 1, 8, 14: auferor in scopulos, Ov. M. 9, 593: auferet, id. ib. 15, 292 al.: in silvam pennis ablata refugit, Verg. A. 3, 258; 11, 867: ne te citus auferat axis, Ov. M. 2, 75: vento secundo vehementi satis profecti celeriter e conspectu terrae ablati sunt, Liv. 29, 27: (Bubo) volat numquam quo libuit, sed transversus aufertur, Plin. 10, 12, 16, § 35: (milites) pavore fugientium auferebantur, Tac. A. 4, 73.—
B Trop., to carry away , mislead : te hortor, ut omnia gubernes prudentiā tuā, ne te auferant aliorum consilia, Cic. Fam. 2, 7: abstulerunt me velut de spatio Graecae res immixtae Romanis, i. e. have diverted , withdrawn me , from the subject , Liv. 35, 40: quae contemplatio aufert nos ad ipsorum animalium naturas, Plin. 27, 13, 120, § 145: auferre aliquem traversum, id. 28, 1, 1, § 1 Jan: ab intentione auferendus auditor, Quint. 4, 5, 6: somnus aufert, Hor. S. 1, 5, 83: auferimur cultu, i. e. decipimur, are deceived , duped , Ov. R. Am. 343.—
II Esp.,
A.1 To take or snatch away; in a good, but more frequently in a bad sense, to take by force , to remove , withdraw , take away violently , rob , steal , etc.: aliquid eris, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 8: quod auri, quod argenti, quod ornamentorum in meis urbibus fuit, id mihi tu, C. Verres, eripuisti atque abstulisti, Cic. Div. in Caecil. 5, 19: ab hoc abaci vasa omnia abstuiit, id. Verr. 2, 4, 16; so, pecuniam de aerario, id. Att. 7, 21: pecuniam in ventre, to eat up , to squander , id. de Or. 2, 66, 265: auriculam mordicus, to bite off , id. ad Q. Fr. 3, 4: vestimentum, Vulg. Luc. 6, 29: hi ludi dies quindecim auferent, Cic. Verr. 1, 10, 31: imperium indignis, Liv. 3, 67: legionem, Tac. H. 4, 48: consulatum, censuram, id. ib. 1, 52: auferat omnia irrita oblivio si potest, Liv. 28, 29: spem, voluntatem defensionis, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 7: fervorem et audaciam, Liv. 3, 12: obsequia, Tac. H. 1, 80: misericordiam, id. ib. 3, 84: spem veniae, id. A. 14, 23: studium, Cat. 68, 19 sq.; and so Hor. C. 3, 12, 5: metus, to banish , Verg. A. 12, 316: curas, Hor. Ep. 1, 11, 26: somnos, id. C. 2, 16, 16; id. Epod. 5, 96: pudorem, Ov. M. 6, 617: fugam, to hinder , prevent , Flor. 3, 10, 3 al.—
2 To take off or away , to destroy , consume , kill , slay , etc. (mostly poet. or in the Aug. histt.): Tam bellum mihi passerem abstulistis, Cat. 3, 15: abstulit clarum cita mors Achillem, Hor. C. 2, 16, 29; so id. Epod. 5, 66; id. S. 1, 9, 31: Auferat hora duos eadem, Ov. M. 8, 709; 15, 157: Labienum Varumque acies abstulit, Vell. 2, 55 fin. : Quidquid hinc aut illinc communis Mors belli aufert, Liv. 7, 8; Flor. 3, 17, 9 al.: Interea quodcumque fuit populabile flammae, Mulciber abstulerat, had consumed , Ov. M. 9, 263; 14, 575.—
3 Of places, to separate , sever , divide : mare septem stadiorum intervallo Europam auferens Asiae, Plin. 4, 12, 24, § 75: Armenia Euphrate amne aufertur Cappadociae, id. 6, 9, 9, § 25. —
B To lay aside some action , manner of speaking , etc.; to cease from , desist from , leave off : proinde istaec tua aufer terricula, Att. ap. Non. p. 227, 31: jurgium hinc auferas, Plaut. Pers. 5, 2, 19: aufer nugas, id. Truc. 4, 4, 8; id. Curc. 2, 1, 30: pollicitationes aufer, Ter. Phorm. 857: Ge. Id nosmet ipsos facere oportet, Phaedria. Ph. Aufer mi "oportet:" quin tu, quod faciam, impera, id. ib. 223 Ruhnk. (cf. Juv. 6, 170): Aufer abhinc lacrimas, Lucr. 3, 955: insolentiam, Phaedr. 3, 6, 8; so absol. : Insanis? Aufer! away! (where nugas may be supplied, as in Plaut. Truc. 4, 4, 8), Ter. Ad. 937.—With inf. as object: aufer Me vultu terrere, Hor. S. 2, 7, 43.—
C Meton., effect for cause, to carry off ( as the fruit or result of one’s labor , exertions , errors , etc.), to obtain , get , receive , acquire : Ecquas viginti minas Paritas ut auferas a me? Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 71; 1, 5, 90; id. Curc. 5, 2, 21; id. Ep. 1, 2, 56; 2, 2, 9; id. Most. 4, 1, 32; Ter. Phorm. 955: id inultum numquam auferet, id. And. 610; id. Ad. 454 (cf. id. And. 175): paucos dies ab aliquo, to obtain a few days’ respite , Cic. Quinct. 5, 20: quis umquam ad arbitrum quantum petiit, tantum abstulit? id. Rosc. Com. 4, 12; so, responsum ab aliquo, id. de Or. 1, 56, 239: decretum, id. Att. 16, 16, A: diploma, id. Fam. 6, 12, 3: praemium, Suet. Gram. 17. —Also with ut : ut in foro statuerent (statuas), abstulisti, you have carried the point that they etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 59, 145 (so, adsequi, ut, Tac. G. 35).—Trop., to carry away the knowledge of a thing , to learn , understand : quis est in populo Romano, qui hoc non ex priore actione abstulerit? has not learned , does not know , Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 8.