(verb) : aufĕro, abstŭli, ablātum, auferre, ab-fero; cf. ab init.
* To take or bear off or away, to carry off, withdraw, remove (very freq. in prose and poetry; syn.: tollo, fero, rapio, eripio, diripio, adimo, averto).
* In gen.
* Lit.: ab januā stercus,Plaut. As. 2, 4, 18: dona,id. Am. prol. 139: aurum atque ornamenta abs te,id. Mil. 4, 1, 36: abstulit eos a conspectu,Vulg. 4 Reg. 17, 18: auferas me de terrā hac,ib. Gen. 47, 30: vos istaec intro auferte,Ter. And. 1, 1, 1: Auferte ista hinc,Vulg. Joan. 2, 16: aether multos secum levis abstulit ignīs,Lucr. 5, 459; 3, 230; 3, 439; 3, 717; 5, 205; 5, 725; 6, 622; Turp. ap. Non. p. 422, 21: multa domum suam auferebat,Cic. Rosc. Am. 8 fin.: liberi per delectus alibi servituri auferuntur (a Romanis),are carried away,Tac. Agr. 31: quem vi abstulerant servi,Vulg. Gen. 21, 25.—So of sick persons, or those unable to walk: auferere, non abibis, si ego fustem sumpsero,Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 202 (cf. id. ib. 1, 1, 298: lumbifragium hinc auferes): asoti, qui in mensam vomant et qui de conviviis auferantur,Cic. Fin. 2, 8, 23. —Auferre se, in colloquial lang., to remove one's self, to withdraw, retire, go away: Te, obsecro hercle, aufer modo,Plaut. Rud. 4, 3, 93: aufer te domum,id. As. 2, 4, 63.
* Of bodies that are borne away by wings, by the winds, waves, or any other quick motion, to bear or carry away, sweep away, etc. (mostly poet. or in post-Aug. prose): aliquem ad scopulum e tranquillo auferre,Ter. Phorm. 4, 4, 8: unda rates,Prop. 1, 8, 14: auferor in scopulos,Ov. M. 9, 593: auferet,id. ib. 15, 292 al.: in silvam pennis ablata refugit,Verg. A. 3, 258; 11, 867: ne te citus auferat axis,Ov. M. 2, 75: vento secundo vehementi satis profecti celeriter e conspectu terrae ablati sunt,Liv. 29, 27: (Bubo) volat numquam quo libuit, sed transversus aufertur,Plin. 10, 12, 16, § 35: (milites) pavore fugientium auferebantur,Tac. A. 4, 73.
* Esp.
* To take or snatch away; in a good, but more frequently in a bad sense, to take by force, to remove, withdraw, take away violently, rob, steal, etc.: aliquid eris,Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 8: quod auri, quod argenti, quod ornamentorum in meis urbibus fuit, id mihi tu, C. Verres, eripuisti atque abstulisti,Cic. Div. in Caecil. 5, 19: ab hoc abaci vasa omnia abstuiit,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 16; so, pecuniam de aerario,id. Att. 7, 21: pecuniam in ventre,to eat up, to squander,id. de Or. 2, 66, 265: auriculam mordicus,to bite off,id. ad Q. Fr. 3, 4: vestimentum,Vulg. Luc. 6, 29: hi ludi dies quindecim auferent,Cic. Verr. 1, 10, 31: imperium indignis,Liv. 3, 67: legionem,Tac. H. 4, 48: consulatum, censuram,id. ib. 1, 52: auferat omnia irrita oblivio si potest,Liv. 28, 29: spem, voluntatem defensionis,Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 7: fervorem et audaciam,Liv. 3, 12: obsequia,Tac. H. 1, 80: misericordiam,id. ib. 3, 84: spem veniae,id. A. 14, 23: studium,Cat. 68, 19 sq.; and so Hor. C. 3, 12, 5: metus,to banish,Verg. A. 12, 316: curas,Hor. Ep. 1, 11, 26: somnos,id. C. 2, 16, 16; id. Epod. 5, 96: pudorem,Ov. M. 6, 617: fugam,to hinder, prevent,Flor. 3, 10, 3 al.
* To take off or away, to destroy, consume, kill, slay, etc. (mostly poet. or in the Aug. histt.): Tam bellum mihi passerem abstulistis,Cat. 3, 15: abstulit clarum cita mors Achillem,Hor. C. 2, 16, 29; so id. Epod. 5, 66; id. S. 1, 9, 31: Auferat hora duos eadem,Ov. M. 8, 709; 15, 157: Labienum Varumque acies abstulit,Vell. 2, 55 fin.: Quidquid hinc aut illinc communis Mors belli aufert,Liv. 7, 8; Flor. 3, 17, 9 al.: Interea quodcumque fuit populabile flammae, Mulciber abstulerat,had consumed,Ov. M. 9, 263; 14, 575.
* Of places, to separate, sever, divide: mare septem stadiorum intervallo Europam auferens Asiae,Plin. 4, 12, 24, § 75: Armenia Euphrate amne aufertur Cappadociae,id. 6, 9, 9, § 25.
* To lay aside some action, manner ofspeaking, etc.; to cease from, desist from, leave off: proinde istaec tua aufer terricula, Att. ap. Non. p. 227, 31: jurgium hinc auferas,Plaut. Pers. 5, 2, 19: aufer nugas,id. Truc. 4, 4, 8; id. Curc. 2, 1, 30: pollicitationes aufer,Ter. Phorm. 5, 6, 17: Ge. Id nosmet ipsos facere oportet, Phaedria. Ph. Aufer mi 'oportet:' quin tu, quod faciam, impera, id. ib. 1, 4, 45 Ruhnk. (cf. Juv. 6, 170): Aufer abhinc lacrimas,Lucr. 3, 955: insolentiam,Phaedr. 3, 6, 8; so absol.: Insanis? Aufer! away! (where nugas may be supplied, as in Plaut. Truc. 4, 4, 8), Ter. Ad. 5, 8, 14.—With inf. as object: aufer Me vultu terrere,Hor. S. 2, 7, 43.
* Meton., effect for cause, to carry off (as the fruit or result of one's labor, exertions, errors, etc.), to obtain, get, receive, acquire: Ecquas viginti minas Paritas ut auferas a me?Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 71; 1, 5, 90; id. Curc. 5, 2, 21; id. Ep. 1, 2, 56; 2, 2, 9; id. Most. 4, 1, 32; Ter. Phorm. 5, 8, 62: id inultum numquam auferet,id. And. 3, 5, 4; id. Ad. 3, 4, 8 (cf. id. And. 1, 2, 4): paucos dies ab aliquo, to obtain a few days' respite, Cic. Quinct. 5, 20: quis umquam ad arbitrum quantum petiit, tantum abstulit?id. Rosc. Com. 4, 12; so, responsum ab aliquo,id. de Or. 1, 56, 239: decretum,id. Att. 16, 16, A: diploma,id. Fam. 6, 12, 3: praemium,Suet. Gram. 17. —Also with ut: ut in foro statuerent (statuas), abstulisti, you have carried the point that they etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 59 (so, adsequi, ut, Tac. G. 35).—Trop., to carry away the knowledge of a thing, to learn, understand: quis est in populo Romano, qui hoc non ex priore actione abstulerit? has not learned, does not know, Cic Verr. 2, 1, 8.

s. TLL