(verb) : prae-fĕro, tŭli, lātum, ferre
* To bear before, to carry in front, to hold forth.
* Lit.
* In gen. (class.): dextrā ardentem facem praeferebat,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 34, § 74; cf.: alicui facem ad libidinem,id. Cat. 1, 6, 13: in fascibus insignia laureae,Caes. B. C. 3, 71: fasces praetoribus,Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 9, § 22; Ov. F. 2, 336: claram facem praeferre pudendis,Juv. 8, 139.
* Trop.
* In partic., to carry in front, to bear along in public, and esp. in religious and triumphal processions: signa militaria praelata,Liv. 3, 29; 31, 49: Pontico triumpho trium verborum praetulit titulum: veni, vidi, vici,Suet. Caes. 37: statuam Circensi pompā,id. Tit. 2.
* In gen., to carry before, to place or set before, to offer, present (very rare): clarissimum lumen praetulistis menti meae,Cic. Sull. 14, 40: suam vitam, ut legem, praefert suis legibus, to carry one's life before, let it shine before as a guiding law (the image is borrowed from the bearing of torches before a thing), id. Rep. 1, 34, 52 Mos.: apud consulem causam atque excusationem, to offer as a cause, as an excuse, Sisenn. ap. Non. 58, 17.
* In partic.
* To place a person or thing before another in esteem, to prefer (very freq.): quem cui nostrum non saepe praetulit?Cic. Att. 9, 13, 8; so, aliquem alicui,id. Brut. 26, 101: se alicui,id. de Or. 2, 84, 342; Caes. B. G. 2, 27, 2; cf.: virtute belli praeferri omnibus nationibus,id. ib. 5, 54, 5: pecuniam amicitiae,Cic. Lael. 17, 63: jus majestatis atque imperii ipsi naturae patrioque amori, id Fin. 1, 7, 23: vestram voluntatem meis omnibus commodis et rationibus,id. Imp. Pomp. 24, 71: ergo ille ... ipsis est praeferendus doctoribus ... Equidem quemadmodum urbes magnas viculis et castellis praeferendas puto, sic, etc.,id. Rep. 1, 2, 3: Brutus cuilibet ducum praeferendus,Vell. 2, 69, 3: puellam puellis,Ov. M. 4, 56; Plin. 15, 23, 25, § 94: hoc pueris patriaeque,Juv. 6, 111: animam praeferre pudori, id. 8, 83.—With an object-clause, to choose rather, prefer: cur alter fratrum cessare et ludere et ungi Praeferat Herodis palmetis pinguibus,Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 184: ut multi praetulerint carere Penatibus,Col. 1, 3.
* With ref. to time, to take beforehand, to anticipate (very rare; not in Cic.): diem triumphi,Liv. 39, 5, 12: nec bonus Eurytion praelato invidit honori,Verg. A. 5, 541; cf.: praelato die, Form. Praet. ap. Dig. 2, 13, 1; 48, 10, 28; cf. opem,to bring beforehand,Stat. Th. 6, 476.
* To show, display, exhibit, discover, manifest, expose, reveal, betray, etc. (rare but class.): cum praeferremus sensus aperte, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 8, 4: avaritiam praefers,Cic. Rosc. Am. 31, 87: amorem,Ov. H. 17, 36: fons Calirrhoë aquarum gloriam ipso nomine praeferens,Plin. 5, 16, 15, § 72: aures in equis animi indicia praeferunt,id. 11, 37, 50, § 137: duae aquilae omen duplicis imperii praeferentes,Just. 12, 16: modestiam praeferre et lasciviā uti,Tac. A. 13, 45 (but in id. H. 5, 1, praelatis is corrupted; the correct read. is privatis): dolorem animi vultu,Curt. 6, 9, 1: sapientiae studium habitu corporis,Plin. Ep. 1, 22, 6.

s. TLL