prīdĭē, adv. [from the obsol. pri (whence prior, primus, pridem) and dies].
I Lit., on the day before (class.; opp. postridie).— Constr. absol. , with acc. of the day from which the reckoning was made, or with quam (class.); also, with gen. (class. only in the phrase pridie ejus diei).
α Absol. , Plaut. Stich. 1, 2, 65: cui cum pridie frequentes essetis assensi, postridie ad spem estis inanem pacis devoluti, Cic. Phil. 7, 4, 14: postero die tropaeum posuit, quo loco pridie pugnatum est, Nep. Dat. 8, 3: pridie asservata materia, Plin. 18, 11, 26, § 104.—
β With quam : si hic pridie natus foret, quam hic est, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 91: pridie quam ego Athenas veni, Cic. Att. 5, 11, 6: haec epistula est pridie data quam illa, id. ib. 3, 8, 2.—
γ With gen.: pridie ejus diei, on the day before this day , the day before , Caes. B. G. 1, 47: insidiarum, the day before the ambush , Tac. A. 15, 54: Kalendarum, Dig. 28, 1, 5.—
δ With acc., designating the day (v. Madvig. § 230, obs. 1): pridie Idus, Cic. Att. 13, 25, 2: Compitalia, id. ib. 2, 3, 3: Quinquatrus, id. ib. 9, 13, 2: eum diem, id. ib. 11, 23, 2: Parilia, Liv. 40, 2: Circenses, Suet. Calig. 55: constitutam diem, Just. 1, 10, 7: nuptiarum diem, Fest. s. v. Regillis, p. 286 Müll.: vindemias, Dig. 24, 3, 7: aequinoctium autumnale, ib. 43, 19, 1.—
II Transf., the phrase pridie Kalendas (Nonas, etc.) is used as a subst.: nos in Formiano esse volumus usque ad pridie Nonas Maias, Cic. Att. 2, 11, 2: ex ante diem III. Non. Jun. usque ad prid. Kal. Sept., id. ib. 3, 17, 1: gignit id maxime arcturi exortus ex a. d. pridie Idus Septembris, Plin. 11, 16, 15, § 41; cf.: EX. A. D. V. KAL. DEC. AD PR. KAL. JAN. SEXT., for six years , to the 31 st December , Inscr. Orell. 594: litterarum datarum pridie Kal. Januar. suavem habuit recordationem clarissimi jurisjurandi, the 31 st of December , Cic. Att. 6, 1, 22.—With an acc., not designating a day: quod uxorem pridie sortitionem ductam postridie repudiasset, Suet. Tib. 35 fin. Roth (Oud. sortitione).—
B In gen., before , a short time before (post-class.), Dig. 40, 5, 10 fin. ; Vell. 2, 83, 3: Psyche, non ita, ut pridie, parvula, Ap. Met. 5, 14, 11.