“at” in Latin

with names of towns, etc.: genitive case of sing. nouns of first or second declension: ablative of other nouns. At Rome, Romae: at Athens, Athenis: at Pessinus, Pessinunte. ☞ If the action did not take place in, but only near the place, the preposition ad or apud must be used. The battle fought at the Trebia, at Cannae, etc., pugna ad Trebiam, ad Cannas (mostly with, but in Liv., also, without commissa, for which Liv. once only uses the genitive. Si Trasimeni quam Trebiae, si Cannarum quam Trasimeni pugna nobilior fuit). The mutiny which began at Sucro, seditio militum coepta apud Sucronem. “To be waiting at Rome for a triumph,” is ad urbem esse (the general claiming the triumph not being permitted to enter the city till his request was granted or refused). To take anything from, the temple of Diana at Ephesus, tollere aliquid Epheso (ablative, seldom Ephesi) ex fano Dianas. [Vid: Pract. Intr., ii., p. 271, caution f.] Cassius is at Antioch with his whole army, Cassius in oppido Antiochiae est cum omni exercitu (i. e., in Antloch, Cic..): Cassius ad Antiochiam est cum omni exercitu (i. e., before or near Antioch).

“At,” with “home,” “house;” genitive of domi. Is your brother at home? domine est frater? at my house, domi meae: but also in domo mea, and domi apud me. With “to dine,” (cenare) apud with the accusative of the person, apud aliquem cenare. ☞ At my, thy, another’s, etc., house, is mostly meae, tuae, suae, nostrae, vestrae alienae domi: but when there is another adjective or a genitive of the possessor, the preposition is more common; e.g., in domo Caesaris, but also domi Caesaris. To stay at home, domi manere, remanere: domi se tenere or retinere. [Vid. HOME, HOUSE.]

With other local relations: mostly by ad. To stand at the door, ad ostium astare: to be at the gates, esse ad portas: but to halt, etc., at two miles’ distance is, consistere, etc., a millibus passuum duobus. To learn any thing at school, in schola aliquid discere (Quint.).

Observe. The preposition “at” after a verb is often not expressed; e.g., to aim at anybody, petere aliquem: to laugh at anything, ridere aliquid: aliquid risu excipere (to receive it with a laugh).

with relations of time: ablative case: at that time, eo tempore. Of an appointed time, ad: to assemble at the day fixed, ad diem convenire. At the right time, at the nick of time, tempore: ad tempus (of an appointed time): suo tempore (of events; etc., happening at their proper time).

At a party, dinner, etc., in convivio (Ter.): inter cenam (of anything happening at dinner-time, Cic.).

At once-AND (= both - and); idem - idem (e.g., fuere qui iidem ornate, iidem versute dicerent).

of an occasion, etc., sometimes ad. To raise his eyes at the name of Thisbe, ad Thisbes nomen oculos erigere (Ov.).

with words of cost, price, etc.: ablative of the price; e.g., to live at enormous expense, profusis sumtibus vivere: to be provided at a small charge, parvo curata esse. But ☞ (1) tanti, quanti, with their compounds, pluris, minoris, are always in the genitive. (2) With verbs of valuing, magni, parvi, maximi, minimi, plurimi, also stand in the genitive: but magno, permagno, parvo, are also found with aestimare. (3) With verbs of price, magno, permagno, minimo, parvo, plurimo, nimio, vili, always in the ablative. (4) Mulfi, majoris, are not used, but magni, pluris (majoris once in Phaedrus). ☞ For such forms as “at least,” “at most,” “at hand,” “at once,” etc., Vid. LEAST, MOST, HAND, ONCE, et.