ŏb (old form obs, v. III.), prep. with acc. (in late Lat. also with the abl.: OB PERPETVO EIVS ERGA SE AMORE, Inscr. Orell. 106) [Osc. op; kindr. with Sanscr. api; Gr. ἐπί].
- I. Lit.
- A. With verbs of motion, towards, to (only ante-class.): IS TERTHS DIEBVS OB PORTVM OBVAGVLATVM ITO, let him go before his house to summon him, Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Paul. ex Fest. s. v. portum, p. 233 Müll.: ob Romam legiones ducere, Enn. ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 179 Müll. (Ann. v. 295 Vahl.); cf.: ob Troiam duxit, id. ib. p. 178 Müll. (Incert. libr. v. 5 Vahl.): cujus ob os Grai ora obvertebant sua, Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 18, 39; and ap. Cic. Fam. 9, 26, 2 (Trag. Rel. p. 211 Rib.).
- B. With verbs of rest, about, before, in front of, over (in Cic.): follem sibi obstringit ob gulam, Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 23: lanam ob oculum habere, id. Mil. 5, 37: ob oculos mihi caliginem obstitisse, before my eyes, id. ib. 2, 4, 51: mors ob oculos saepe versata est, Cic. Rab. Post. 14, 39; id. Sest. 21, 47: ignis qui est ob os offusus, id. Univ. 14.
- II. Transf., to indicate the object or cause, on account of, for, because of, by reason of, etc.
- A. In gen. (freq. and class.): etiam ob stultitiam tuam te tueris? do you still defend yourself with regard to your folly? Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 82: pretium ob stultitiam fero, Ter. And. 3, 5, 4; id. Phorm. 2, 3, 23: ob eam rem iratus, on that account, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 33: neu quid ob eam rem succenseat, id. ib. 4, 4, 39; Ter. Ad. 5, 6, 7: Mi. Ob eam rem? De. Ob eam, id. ib. 5. 9, 20: ob rem nullam, id. Hec. 5, 3, 2: hanc Epicurus rationem induxit ob eam rem, quod veritus est, ne, etc., Cic. Fat. 10, 23: ob eam causam, quod, etc., id. Rep. 1, 7, 12: quam ob causam venerant, id. de Or. 1, 7, 26: non solum ob eam causam fieri volui, quod, etc., id. Rep. 1, 21, 34: ob hanc causam, quod, id. ib. 2, 1, 3: nec ob aliam causam ullam, etc., id. Lael. 20, 74: ob meas injurias, Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 85; cf.: quodnam ob facinus? id. ib. 5, 2, 3: ob peccatum hoc. id. ib. v. 37: ob malefacta haec, id. Ad. 2, 1, 46: ob illam injuriam, Cic. Rep. 2, 25, 46: ob aliquod emolumentum suum, id. Font. 8, 17: (eum) ac Troiam misi ob defendendam Graeciam, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 13, 28 (Trag. v. 362 Vahl.): ob rem judicandam pecuniam adcipere, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 32, § 78; id. Att. 1, 17, 8; id. Mur. 1, 1; id. Verr. 2, 2, 48, § 119; Sall. J. 89, 2; Quint. 5, 10, 87: nec meliores ob eam scientiam nec beatiores esse possumus, on account of, for that knowledge, Cic. Rep. 1, 19, 32: ob eam (amicitiam) summā fide servatam, id. Lael. 7, 25: is igitur dicitur ab Amulio ob labefactandi regni timorem, ad Tiberim exponi jussus esse, id. Rep. 2, 2, 4: unius ob iram Prodimur, Verg. A. 1, 251; cf.: saevae memorem Junonis ob iram, id. ib. 1, 4; cf. also: aut ob avaritiam aut miserā ambitione laborat, Hor. S. 1, 4, 26: barbarus eum quidam palam ob iram interfecti ab eo domini obtruncat, Liv. 21, 2, 6: non noxā neque ob metum, Tac. H. 2, 49: Germanicum mortem ob rem publicam obiisse, for the republic, id. A. 2, 83: cum quibus ob rem pecuniariam disceptabat, id. ib. 6, 5.
- B. In partic.
- 1. In consideration of, in return for, instead of (mostly ante-class.): ob asinos ferre argentum, Plaut. As. 2, 2, 80; id. Ep. 5, 2, 38: quin arrhabonem a me accepisti ob mulierem? id. Rud. 3, 6, 23: ager oppositus est pignori Ob decem minas, Ter. Phorm. 4, 3, 56: talentum magnum ob unam fabulam datum esse, C. Gracch. ap. Gell. 11, 10 fin.: pecuniam ob absolvendum accipere, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 32, § 78: pecuniam ob delicta dare, Tac. A. 14, 14.
- 2. Ob rem, like ex re (opp. frustra), to the purpose, with advantage, profitably, usefully (very rare): An. Non pudet Vanitatis? Do. Minime, dum ob rem, Ter Phorm. 3, 2, 41: verum id frustra an ob rem faciam, in vostrā manu situm est, Sall. J. 31, 5.
- 3. Ob industriam, on purpose, intentionally, Plaut. Cas. 4, 3, 6; 2, 3, 58 (id. ib. 2, 3, 60, de industriā); cf. id. Men. 1, 2, 14.
- 4. Quam ob rem, also written in one word, quamobrem, on which account, wherefore, therefore, hence, accordingly; a very freq. particle of transition, esp. in Cic.: quam ob rem id primum videamus, quatenus, etc., Cic. Lael. 11, 36: quam ob rem utrique nostrūm gratum admodum feceris, id. ib. 4, 16; 2, 10; 3, 12; 4, 15; id. Rep. 1, 5, 9; 1, 19, 32 et saep.
- 5. Ob id, ob hoc, ob haec, ob ea, ob quae, on that account, therefore (not ante-Aug.).
- a. Ob id: ignaris hostibus et ob id quietis, Liv. 25, 35; 28, 2; Tac. A. 2, 66; 3, 75; 13, 5: ob id ipsum, Curt. 4, 16, 23.
- b. Ob hoc: ob hoc cum omnia neglecta apud hostes essent, Liv. 25, 37; Sen. Q. N. 7, 14, 4; Col. 7, 3, 21; cf.: ob hoc miserior, Sen. Ep. 98, 5.
- c. Ob haec: ob haec cum legatos mitti placuisset, Liv. 8, 23; 21, 50; 38, 34; Cels. 1 praef.
- d. Ob ea: ob ea consul Albinus senatum de foedere consulebat, Sall. J. 39, 2.
- e. Ob quae: ob quae posterum diem reus petivit, Tac. A. 2, 30 fin.; Suet. Ner. 13.
- III. In composition, the b of ob remains unchanged before vowels and most consonants; only before p, f, c, g, is assimilation more common: oppeto, offero, occido, ogganio, etc.
An ancient form obs, analogous to abs, is implied in obs-olesco and os-tendo.
In signification, that of direction towards, or of existence at or before a thing is predominant, although it likewise gives to the simple verb the accessory notion of against: obicere, opponere, obrogare.
ob-vĭam (also written separate, ob vĭam; cf. Corss. Ausspr. I. 495, 769), adv.
- I. Lit., in the way; hence, with verbs of motion (in a good or bad sense), towards, against, to meet: ob Trojam duxit exercitum pro ad, similiterque vadimonium obisse, id est ad vadimonium isse, et obviam ad viam, Paul. ex Fest. p. 147 Müll.: morti occumbant obviam, Enn. ap. Serv. ad Verg. A. 2, 62 (Ann. v. 176 Vahl.): nec quisquam tam audax fuat homo, qui obviam obsistat mihi, as to put himself in my way, Plaut. Am. 3, 4, 2: cum in Cumanum mihi obviam venisti, Cic. Fam. 2, 16, 3: prodire, id. ib. 3, 7, 4; cf.: si quā ex parte obviam contra veniretur, an advance or attack should be made, Caes. B. G. 7, 28: alicui obviam advenire, C. Gracch. ap. Gell. 10, 3, 5: quem quaero, optime ecce obviam mihi est, is coming to meet me, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 16: fit obviam Clodio ante fundum ejus, meets, Cic. Mil. 10, 29: obviam ire alicui, to go to meet, id. Mur. 32, 67 et saep.: obviam procedere alicui, to go to meet, id. Phil. 2, 32, 78: prodire alicui, id. ib. 2, 24, 58: properare, id. Fam. 14, 5, 2: proficisci, Caes. B. G. 7, 12: exire, id. B. C. 1, 18: progredi, Liv. 7, 10: mittere, to send to meet, Cic. Fam. 3, 7, 4: se offerre, to go to meet, to meet, Ter. Ad. 3, 2, 24: effundi, to pour out to meet, to go in great numbers to meet, Liv. 5, 23: de obviam itione ita faciam, Cic. Att. 11, 16, 1; late Lat., also, in obviam: ecce exercitus in obviam illis, Vulg. 1 Macc. 16, 5.
- II. Trop., at hand, within reach: nec sycophantiis, nec fucis ullum mantellum obviam est, Plaut. Capt. 3, 3, 6: in comitio estote obviam, id. Poen. 3, 6, 12: tibi nulla aegritudo est animo obviam, id. Stich. 4, 1, 16: amanti mihi tot obviam eveniunt morae, present themselves, interpose, id. Cas. 3, 4, 28: ire periculis, to meet courageously, to encounter them, Sall. J. 7, 4: cupiditati hominum obviam ire, to resist, oppose, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 4, § 106; so, ire superbiae nobilitatis, Sall. J. 5, 1: ire sceleri, id. ib. 22, 3: ire injuriae, id. ib. 14, 25: ire irae, Liv. 9, 14: ire fraudibus, Tac. A. 6, 16: crimini, Liv. 9, 26.
Also, in a good sense, to meet an evil, i. e. to remedy, prevent it: ni Caesar obviam isset, tribuendo pecunias pro modo detrimenti, Tac. A. 4, 64: infecunditati terrarum, id. ib. 4, 6: timori, id. H. 4, 46: dedecori, id. A. 13, 5.