“before” in Latin

to express priority in space and time: ante (before, without reference to nearness or distance, denotes the relation of precedence with reference to a subsequent object, and is opposed to “behind,” whetherin time or space): ob (before, in space only, with reference to the surface of an object): pro (before, forward: of direction or position with reference to an object behind it): before my censorship, consulship, etc., ante me censorem, consulem: before his death, ante obitum, vivus. The day before, pridie ejus diei: abhinc (ago: reckoning back from the present time; the numeral and its substantive may be either in the accusative or ablative, but it must be a cardinal, not an ordinal, and abhinc must stand first; e.g., four years before the present time, abhinc quatuor annos): to sail before the wind, secundo vento cursum tenere: before the city, ante urbem: before the camp, ante castra; pro castris; before the door, ante januam; a janua (e.g., to look out before the door, a janua prospicere). I have that always before my eyes, id mihi semper obversatur ante oculos (Cic..): before the feet, ante pedes: before the eyes, ante oculos (positum esse); ob oculos (versari); ante oculos versari: before the time, ante tempus; ante diem: a long time before, olim: to ride before anybody, aliquem equo anteire: to go before anybody, aliquem anteire, antecedere, antegredi. He died before his father, prior quam pater moriebatur: to drive a herd before one, prae se armentum agere: to send anybody before one, aliquem ante se mittere; praemittere: to have the river before one, flumen prae se habere: he arrived two days before me, biduo me antecessit (Cic.).

In the presence of, coram: before anybody, coram aliquo; praesente aliquo; inspectante aliquo: to speak before the people, coram populo dicere (if the people are accidentally present); apud populum dicere (if the people are officially present): to praise anybody before his face, aliquem in os laudare.

Sometimes “before” is rendered in Latin merely by a case; e.g., to rise or stand up before anybody, alicui assurgere: to humble one’s self before anybody, alicui se demittere: to flee before anybody, aliquem or alicujus aspectum fugere: ante (standing before, especially in comparison with one other): praeter (beyond, more than, etc.). Vid: Prae never implies such pre-eminence as may exist among equals, but a putting aside of all the rest in comparison with this (“Si dicas, ‘hic est prae ceteris dignus,’ hoc dicas: hic dignus est, ceteri non item,” Frotscher).

“Before” of pre-eminence or comparative superiority: to stand before Alexander (to surpass him), ante Alexandrum esse: to love anybody before others, aliquem praeter ceteros amare (but not aliquem prae ceteris amare, which would mean to love anybody alone, and not to love others): to be before all others in worth, praeter ceteros dignum esse (not prae ceteris dignum esse, i. e., alone worthy, others not being so): to be before anybody in any thing, praestare alicui aliqua re; antecellere alicui aliqua re.

Sometimes “before” means “under the jurisdiction;” as, to bring anybody before the judge, aliquem ad judicem adducere: to summon before a court, aliquem in jus vocare.

without case, is often rendered by ante or prae in composition: ante, antea; antehac (pefore this, hitherto): prius, citius; in fronte; ante pectus, in pectore; supra (above): go you before, I will follow, I prae; sequar. I ought to have declared the matter before, oportuit rem praenarrasse me: you must speak before, we afterward, vos priores esse oportet, nos posterius dicere: to go before, praeire, priorem ire: the enemy pressing on them before, cum hostis instaret a fronte: shortly before, paulo ante: long before, multo ante, ante multo, longe ante: a few days before, paucis ante diebus, paucis diebus ante: before you come to the gate, priusquam ad portam venias: the year before he died, anno antequam mortuus est: he who was consul the year before, superioris anni consul: as I have said before, ut supra dixi, ut supra dictum est: to taste before, praegustare: never before, antehac nunquam, nunquam ante hunc diem.

Before, before that (of time), prius quam or priusquam, ante quam or antequam, antea quam or anteaquam (all with indicative or subjunctive): before I depart this life, antequam ex hac vita migro: the year before I was censor, anno ante me censorem: the day before I wrote these things, pridie quam haec scripsi: before any authority came from you, nondum interposita auctoritate vestra.

Before, beforetime, in former time, olim, quondam.

Rather, sooner, potius, citius, prius; rather than, potius quam, citius quam, prius quam. I will die before I, etc., mori malo, quam, etc.

Already, jam, dudum, jam dudum.

Before-mentioned, quem (quam, quod) supra dixi - qui supra dictus est (not supra dictus, memoratus, nominatus).