De
Preposition
used with Ablative only.
The circumflected accents
are used to mark the vowels' length.
Non figurative usage
Means getting away with idea
of descending, squeezing or decreasing:
from … downwards
(since … on).
1. Space: down
from, from
-
Exercitus Romanus de monte descendit.
The Roman
army is descending from the mountain.
2. Time: since,
during, in the course
-
de die by
the day
-
de nocte by
the night
-
de tertia vigilia by
the third part of the night
Figurative usage
1. At verbs for talking, feeling,
moving: about, of, concerning, for
-
Agere deinde de concordia plebei
patricique coeperunt.
The common
people and the nobles began talking about concord.
-
Victoriam de Latinis Romani tulerunt.
The Romans
were thinking the victori [to be] for the Latins.
-
Triumphavit Caesar de Gallia.
Caesar
had a triumph for Gaul.
-
Poenam de filiis Brutus sumpsit.
Brutus
assumed a penalty for his sons.
-
quaero de (ex) aliquo to
ask someone
-
audio de (ex) aliquo to
hear from someone
2. Cause: by
-
qua de causa by
what reason
-
ea de causa by
that reason
3. Separation (=genitivus partitivus):
from,
of
-
Mucius unus de trecentis conjuratis
erat. (=Mucius unus trecentorum conjuratorum erat.)
Mucius
was one of the thirteen conspirators.
4. Origin, substance: of
-
templum de marmore temple
of marble
Expressions
-
de industria
deliberately
-
de improviso
unexpectedly,
suddenly
Prepositions
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Descriptive
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