“from” in Latin

Denoting distance, parting from one point to another in space and time, a: ab: de: e: ex (a and ab denote the distance from any object in a horizontal direction; de in an oblique or perpendicular one; e and ex the direction out of the interior of an object; comp. Grotef., § 126, Observ. 4: Ramsh., § 150, 1; e usually stands before consonants, ex before vowels; with respect to a, ab, abs, (1) abs, in Cic.’s time, was nearly confined to account-books [Or., 47, 158]: it occurs only, and that but seldom, before c, g, t: (2) ab may stand, as well as a, “before all consonants” [Freund; Krebs excepts m and v]: (3) ab must stand before vowels and h). To go away from anybody, ab aliquo discedere: to come down from the rostra, de rostris descendere: to alight from a horse, ex equo descendere: to come down from a hill, etc., into the plain, ex loco superiore in planitiem descendere. ☞ With many verbs and adjectives “from” is not expressed, but implied by an oblique case, mostly by the ablative: e.g., to free or exempt anybody from punishment, aliquem poena liberare: free from guilt, liber a culpa; vacuus a culpa.; liber culpa. The preposition “from” is not expressed before the names of a town or small island, but the ablative is used to express the relation: a preposition however becomes necessary, if a place is to be pointed out more distinctly or minutely; or if only a part of a town or its neighborhood are spoken of [e.g., Libo discessit a Brundisio = from the harbor of Brundisium; Caes., B.C., 3, 24]; in a similar manner, if that preposition has a stress upon it, and stands in contradistinction [usque a Dianio ad Sinopen navigarunt, Cic., Verr., 2, 1, 34; erat a Gergovia despectus in castra, Caes. Ab Athenis proficisci in animo habebam, Cic., Fam., 4, 12, 2]: likewise, if an appellative, as urbs, oppidum, locus, stands in apposition to the name of the town [as, ex oppido Gergovia, Caes., ; ex Apollonia, Ponti urbe, Plin.]: with domus the preposition is used when domus does not mean “home” as usual residence; but = “house” as building, or “family.” So rus = “country,” is without the preposition, but takes it when a particular “estate” is meant. Sometimes, however, the accusative is used; to desert from anybody, aliquem deserere (also, ab aliquo deficere, or desciscere). ☞ In several cases the Latins make use of certain adverbs, ofplace and time, to express this preposition; e.g., from that place (thence), that time, inde: from that very same place, indidem: from hence, hinc (not abhinc): from afar, procul: from all sides, undique: from both sides, utrimque: from without, extrinsecus: from within, intrinsecus: from town to town, oppidatim: from house to house, ostiatim: from man to man, viritim. ☞ (α) To recover from a disease, convalescere ex (☞ not a) morbo: to return from a journey, redire, reverti; venire ex (☞ not ab) itinere: all the way from (even from) the ocean, etc., usque ab oceano. (β) In poetry the ablative of the place whence may be used without a preposition, where in prose the preposition must be expressed [e.g., cadere nubibus; descendere caelo; labi equo, etc., Z., 481]. (γ) Ex is used like our from, to denote a change from a previous state; e.g., I made you frommy slave a freed man, e servo te libertum feci; so nihil est tam miserabile, quam ex beato miser. (δ) “From,” when it follows a substantive, is often expressed by the objective genitive; as, death is a rest from all labors and troubles, mors laborum ac miseriarum qnies est. (ε) To denote a person’s residence, or the place of his birth, etc., an adjective is mostly used; e.g., Milo from Croton, Milo Crotoniates; but sometimes, especially by Livy, a is used; e.g., Turnus ab Aricia [Liv., 1, 50, 3] = Turnus Aricinus. (ζ) From his very boyhood, jam indo a puero (☞ not inde a puero without jam). (η) After “different” from is translated by ac, atque. I hear a somewhat different report from that which I sent you, nescio quid aliter audio atque ad te scribebam: different from what I now am, alius atque nunc sum. From a boy (= from his boyhood up), a puero; a parvo; a parvulo [Vid: ζ]: from his youth up, ab adolescentia; ab adolescentulo: from his earliest boyhood or youth, a primis temporibus aetatis: from the cradle, a primis cunabulis; inde ab incunabulis: from day to day, in dies (implying daily increase or decrease); diem ex die (e.g., exspectare, Cic.; ducere, Caes.); diem de die (e.g., prospectare, differre, both Liv.): from head to foot, or top to toe, a capillo usque ad ungues; a vestigio ad verticem; a vertice ad talos (†); a vertice; ut aiunt, ad extremum unguem (all proverbially for “entirely”): from the very beginning, ab ultimo initio: from the beginning to the end, a carceribus usque ad calcem (proverbially): to tell or relate anything from the beginning, ab ultimo initio repetere; altius ordiri et repetere; ordine rem omnem narrare: from the beginning of the world, post hominum memoriam: from time to time, nonnumquam (occasionally; not unfrequently); interdum (now and then, but ☞ not subinde, i. e., several successive times): from anybody, ab aliquo (i. e., regarding him, as to him); alicujus verbis (i. e., as anybody’s substitute or representative, even when no words are used; e.g., give her a kiss from me, suavium des ei meis verbis); alicujus nomine (when the person, by being authorized to speak in another’s name, acquires thereby the right to speak with the authority which his principal’s word ought to have): from me, meis verbis: salute Tiro from me, Tironem meum saluta nostris verbis; also, simply ego eum saluto, or ei salutem dico. Salute Attica from me, tu Atticae salutem dices (Cic.): to purchase from, emere ab or (more commonly) de aliquo (Krebs).

Denoting a cause or motive, a (seldom; e.g., vates adhibere a superstitione animi, Curt.): e or ex (e.g., to be languid from the effects of his journey, e via languere: from which circumstance I fear, ex quo vereor): per (e.g., per iram, from a feeling of anger; per metum *mssari, Plaut.; per aetatem inutiles esse, Caes.): propter (e.g., propter metum, Cic.; propter eam ipsam causam, Cic.; propter frigora, Caes.). But ☞ the notion of cause is mostly expressed by the ablative only, or with the partciple, ductus or adductus (led by); motus or permotus (moved by); inductus (induced by); impulsus or incitatus (impelled by); incensus, inflammatus (inflamed by); coactus (compelled by); captus (seized by); impeditus (hindered by); e.g., from hatred, odio ductus: from an inclination to philosophy, philosophiae studio ductus: from shame, pudore adductus: from fear, metu (also, propter metum, timorem); metu coactus or permotus: from compassion, captus misericordia: to leave anybody from the desire of learning more, discendi studio impeditum deserere aliquem.

From governing the participial substantive, eo or ex eo, quod (e.g., either from thinking that, etc., sive eo, quod... existimarent: from remembering where, etc., ex eo, quod meminisset, ubi etc.): quod (in the form “not from... but... “; e.g., not from despising... but because, etc., non quod... aspernaretur... sed quod, etc.): ne, quominus and (after a negative) quin (after verbs of hindering, etc., prohibere aliquid ne or quominus fiat [seldom fieri, and then mostly in passive infinitive]: not to be far from, nihil, paulum, non procul or baud multum abest, quin [abest, impersonal]: not to be able to restrain one’s self from, non, vix, aegre abstineo, tenere me or temperare mihi non possum, quin, etc.). Far from doing this, he, etc., tantum abest, ut faciat hoc, ut etc. [Vid: FAR.]

Denoting inference or conclusion; e.g., from this (or hence) may be inferred, ex quo effici cogique potest: to judge from one’s self, ex se conjecturam facere [e.g., de aliis ex se conjecturam facere; ex se de aliis judicare, after Nep., Ep., 6, 2]: from the appearance, specie or speciem; fronte or in frontem (opposed to pectore) from the first appearance, prima specie or fronte: to judge of anything from its appearance, dijudicare aliquid ex prima fronte to say, do, know, etc., anything from personal experience, in me expertus dico, facio, scio aliquid. All other combinations with “from” are to be looked for under the respective substantives and verbs to which it is joined; e.g., from hand to hand [Vid: HAND]: to hinder from; Vid: To HINDER, etc.