(v. a.v. dep.) : prae-verto or -vorto, ti, 3, v. a., and (only in present tense) praevertor or -vortor (
* Inf. pass. paragog. praevortier, Plaut. Am. 3, 2, 39), 3, v. dep.
* To prefer: ne me uxorem praevertisse dicant prae republicā,Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 29: si vacas animo, neque habes aliquid, quod huic sermoni praevertendum putes,Cic. Div. 1, 6, 10; Gell. 4, 3, 2.
* To go before, precede, outstrip, outrun.
* Lit. (poet.): cursu pedum ventos,Verg. A. 7, 807: equo ventos,id. ib. 12, 345: volucremque fugā praevertitur Eurum,id. ib. 1, 317: vestigia cervae,Cat. 64, 341; Stat. Th. 5, 691.
* Trop.
* To be beforehand with, to anticipate; with acc., to prevent, make useless: nostra omnis lis est: pulcre praevortar viros, will anticipate, be beforehand with them (cf. praevenio), Plaut. Cas. 2, 8, 75: aggerem et vineas egit, turresque admovit: quorum usum forte oblata opportunitas praevertit,has rendered useless,Liv. 8, 16: praevertunt, inquit, me fata,prevent me,Ov. M. 2, 657: celeri praevertit tristia leto,Luc. 8, 29: quae absolvi, quoniam mors praeverterat, nequiverunt,Gell. 17, 10, 6.
* To take possession of beforehand, to preoccupy, prepossess: vivo tentat praevertere amore Jampridem resides animos,to prepossess,Verg. A. 1, 722; cf.: neque praevorto poculum,take before my turn,Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 59.
* To surpass in worth, outweigh, exceed, to be preferable, of more importance: erilis praevertit metus,Plaut. Am. 5, 1, 16: quoniam pietatem amori tuo video praevortere, outweigh, exceed, id. Ps. 1, 3, 59: nec posse, cum hostes prope ad portas essent, bello praevertisse quicquam,Liv. 2, 24.
* To turn one's attention first or principally to, to do first or in preference to any thing else, to despatch first; used esp. in the dep.
* With dat.: rei mandatae omnes sapientes primum praevorti decet,to apply themselves principally to it, to despatch it first,Plaut. Merc. 2, 3, 40: ei rei primum praevorti volo,id. Capt. 2, 3, 100: stultitia est, cui bene esse licet, cum praevorti litibus,to occupy one's self with contentions,id. Pers. 5, 2, 20: cave, pigritiae praevorteris,do not give yourself up to indolence,id. Merc. 1, 2, 3: etsi ab hoste discedere detrimentosum esse existimabat, tamen huic rei praevertendum existimavit,Caes. B. G. 7, 33.
* With acc., to do or attend to in preference: hoc praevortar principio,Plaut. Ps. 2, 2, 8: si quid dictum est per jocum, non aequom est, id te serio praevortier,to take it in earnest,id. Am. 3, 2, 39; Liv. 8, 13: aliud in praesentia praevertendum sibi esse dixit,that must be attended to first,id. 35, 33.—Pass.: praevorti hoc certum est rebus aliis omnibus,Plaut. Cist. 5, 1, 8.
* With ad, to apply one's self particularly to any thing: si quando ad interna praeverterent,Tac. A. 4, 32; so, praevertor, dep.: nunc praevertemur ad nostrum orbem,Plin. 28, 9, 33, § 123: nunc praevertemur ad differentias aeris,id. 34, 8, 20, § 94: ad ea praeverti,Col. 3, 7: hostes ad occursandum pugnandumque in eos praevertentur,Gell. 3, 7, 6.
* With an adverb of place: illuc praevertamur,let us first of all look at this,Hor. S. 1, 3, 38.—(ε) With a rel.-clause; proximum erat narrare glandiferas quoque, ni praeverti cogeret admiratio, quaenam esset vita sine arbore ullā, Plin. H. N. 16, praef. § 1.—(ζ) Absol.: in rem quod sit, praevortaris, potius quam, etc.,do, perform, attend to,Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 8.

s. TLL