cōram, adv. and prep. [prob. kindred with ōs, ōris].
I Object., in the presence of, before the eyes of, in the face of, before (freq. and class.).
A Adv.: vereor coram in os te laudare amplius, Ter. Ad. 269: omnia quae tute dudum coram me incusaveras, id. Phorm. 914: coram potius me praesente dixissent, Cic. Agr. 3, 1, 1: Manlius quoque ad restituendam aciem se ipse coram offert, i. e. before the soldiers , Liv. 2, 47, 4: ut veni coram, singultim pauca locutus, Hor. S. 1, 6, 56 et saep.: lenissimum genus admonitionis fuit traditio coram pugillarium, in their presence, in their own hands , Suet. Aug. 39.—
b With gen. (very rare): coram noxae prehensus, in the very act , Ap. Met. 9, 21, 12.—So in coram with gen. in Ap. = coram: omnium, Ap. Met. 7, p. 197, 21 (not found) Oud.; so id. ib. 9, p. 221, 17 (not found); 9, p. 223, 32 (not found); 10, 9, 18.—
2 Esp., with verbs of command, in one's presence , i. e. on the spot, forthwith (post-Aug.; mostly in Suet.): clipeos et imagines ejus coram detrahi jubet, Suet. Dom. 23: Pinarium ... coram confodi imperavit, id. Aug. 27: essedum ... redimi concidique coram imperavit, id. Claud. 16 (al. explain coram in all these passages as = coram omnibus, i. e. publicly, openly; cf. palam).—Hence, coram deprehensus = ἐπʼ αὐτοφώρῳ, in the very act , Ap. Met. 3, 3, 30.—
B Prep with abl.
α Before the noun: coram genero meo quae dicere ausus es? Cic. Pis. 6, 12: coram frequentissimo legationum conventu, Nep. Epam. 6, 4; Quint. 6, 3, 47; Tac. A. 4, 75: coram judicibus, Suet. Aug. 56: coram ipso, id. Tib. 43; so id. ib. 62: coram populo, Hor. A. P. 185: coram latrone, Juv. 10, 22 al.—
β After the noun (freq. in Tac.): ipso Germanico coram, Tac. A. 3, 14; so id. ib. 3, 24; 4, 8; 13, 32; Suet. Ner. 33; id. Oth. 1: te coram, Hor. S. 1, 4, 95.—
II Subject. adv., present in one's own person or presence, personally (very freq. and class.): quia ted ipsus coram praesens praesentem videt, Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 43: istos rastros ... faoito coram ut tradas in manum, id. Merc. 2, 2, 7: sine me expurgem atque illum huc coram adducam, Ter. And. 900: velut si coram adesset, Caes. B. G. 1, 32; so, adesse, Verg. A. 1, 595: eadem fere, quae ex nuntiis litteris cognoverat, coram perspicit, Caes. B. G. 5, 11; so, opp. letters, Cic. Att. 1, 20, 1; 7, 3, 12; 12, 1, 2 al.; cf. with abl.: coram me tecum eadem haec agere saepe conantem deterruit pudor, quae nunc expromam absens audacius, by word of mouth , id. Fam. 5, 12. 1: coram cernere letum nati, Verg. A. 2, 538: quod coram etiam ex ipso audiebamus, Cic. Ac. 1, 4, 13: fidem nec dare nec accipere nisi cum ipso coram duce, Liv. 28, 17, 8; 28, 18, 7; 36, 11, 1; 43, 5, 6: rexque paterque Audisti coram, nec verbo parcius absens, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 38; Verg. A. 3, 173; Ov. M. 9, 560 et saep.