prae-verto or -vorto, ti, 3, v. a., and (only in present tense) praevertor or -vortor (inf. pass. paragog. praevortier, Plaut. Am. 3, 2, 39), 3, v. dep.
I To prefer : ne me uxorem praevertisse dicant prae republicā, Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 29: si vacas animo, neque habes aliquid, quod huic sermoni praevertendum putes, Cic. Div. 1, 6, 10; Gell. 4, 3, 2.—
II To go before , precede , outstrip , outrun.
A Lit. (poet.): cursu pedum ventos, Verg. A. 7, 807: equo ventos, id. ib. 12, 345: volucremque fugā praevertitur Eurum, id. ib. 1, 317: vestigia cervae, Cat. 64, 341; Stat. Th. 5, 691.—
B Trop.
1 To be beforehand with , to anticipate; with acc., to prevent , make useless : nostra omnis lis est: pulcre praevortar viros, will anticipate , be beforehand with them (cf. praevenio), Plaut. Cas. 2, 8, 75: aggerem et vineas egit, turresque admovit: quorum usum forte oblata opportunitas praevertit, has rendered useless , Liv. 8, 16: praevertunt, inquit, me fata, prevent me , Ov. M. 2, 657: celeri praevertit tristia leto, Luc. 8, 29: quae absolvi, quoniam mors praeverterat, nequiverunt, Gell. 17, 10, 6.—
2 To take possession of beforehand , to preoccupy , prepossess : vivo tentat praevertere amore Jampridem resides animos, to prepossess , Verg. A. 1, 722; cf.: neque praevorto poculum, take before my turn , Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 59.—
3 To surpass in worth, outweigh , exceed , to be preferable , of more importance : erilis praevertit metus, Plaut. Am. 5, 1, 16: quoniam pietatem amori tuo video praevortere, outweigh , exceed , id. Ps. 1, 3, 59: nec posse, cum hostes prope ad portas essent, bello praevertisse quicquam, Liv. 2, 24.—
4 To turn one's attention first or principally to , to do first or in preference to any thing else, to despatch first; used esp. in the dep.
α With dat.: rei mandatae omnes sapientes primum praevorti decet, to apply themselves principally to it , to despatch it first , Plaut. Merc. 2, 3, 40: ei rei primum praevorti volo, id. Capt. 2, 3, 100: stultitia est, cui bene esse licet, cum praevorti litibus, to occupy one's self with contentions , id. Pers. 5, 2, 20: cave, pigritiae praevorteris, do not give yourself up to indolence , id. Merc. 1, 2, 3: etsi ab hoste discedere detrimentosum esse existimabat, tamen huic rei praevertendum existimavit, Caes. B. G. 7, 33.—
β With acc., to do or attend to in preference : hoc praevortar principio, Plaut. Ps. 2, 2, 8: si quid dictum est per jocum, non aequom est, id te serio praevortier, to take it in earnest , id. Am. 3, 2, 39; Liv. 8, 13: aliud in praesentia praevertendum sibi esse dixit, that must be attended to first , id. 35, 33.— Pass. : praevorti hoc certum est rebus aliis omnibus, Plaut. Cist. 5, 1, 8. —
γ With ad , to apply one's self particularly to any thing: si quando ad interna praeverterent, Tac. A. 4, 32; so, praevertor, dep. : nunc praevertemur ad nostrum orbem, Plin. 28, 9, 33, § 123: nunc praevertemur ad differentias aeris, id. 34, 8, 20, § 94: ad ea praeverti, Col. 3, 7: hostes ad occursandum pugnandumque in eos praevertentur, Gell. 3, 7, 6.—
δ With an adverb of place : illuc praevertamur, let us first of all look at this , Hor. S. 1, 3, 38.—
ε With a rel.-clause; proximum erat narrare glandiferas quoque, ni praeverti cogeret admiratio, quaenam esset vita sine arbore ullā, Plin. H. N. 16, praef. § 1.—
ζ Absol. : in rem quod sit, praevortaris, potius quam, etc., do , perform , attend to , Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 8.