Translation
to instruct, order; to take beforehand, anticipate
Examples
venirent.
The king gave instructions that all should come.
fugerent.
He ordered the soldiers not to flee.
.
The master instructs us in these things.
Praeceperat rediret.
He had instructed him to return home.
faciam.
I shall do what you instruct.
Praecipio, praecipere, praecepi, praeceptum, third conjugation of the -io type, so the forms run like capio: praecipis, praecipit, praecipiunt. It is prae plus capio, "take in advance", and both halves of that survive as separate senses.
The literal one is to seize or enjoy something ahead of time: praecipere gaudium, to take a joy before it arrives. The commoner one is to lay down a rule, which is where the rank comes from - it takes a dative of the person taught and a ut or ne clause with the subjunctive. The noun praeceptum, "precept", comes straight off the supine. Medieval scribes drop the diphthong and write precipio, and this corpus carries both spellings.
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praecipio: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "praecipio" (to instruct, order; to take beforehand, anticipate): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 13.