preposition
ob
ob (+ accusative)
Classical[ˈɔb]Ecclesiastical[ˈɔb]
№ 449 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- with accusativein the direction of, to, towards
- with accusativeon account of, according to, because of, due to, for (the purpose of)
ob haec, ob hoc, ob ea, ob eam rem
for this/that reason, because of this/that reasonob aliquam rem gratia
give thanks for something - with accusativeagainst; facing
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
ŏb (old form obs, v. III.), prep. with acc. (in late Lat. also with the abl.:
I.
OB PERPETVO EIVS ERGA SE AMORE, Inscr. Orell. 106) [Osc. op; kindr. with Sanscr. api; Gr. ἐπί]. I. Lit.
A. With verbs of motion, towards, to (only ante-class.): IS TERTHS DIEBVS OB PORTVM OBVAGVLATVM ITO, let him go before his house to summon him, Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Paul. ex Fest. s. v. portum, p. 233 Müll.: ob Romam legiones ducere, Enn. ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 179 Müll. (Ann. v. 295 Vahl.); cf.:
ob Troiam duxit, id. ib. p. 178 Müll. (Incert. libr. v. 5 Vahl.): cujus ob os Grai ora obvertebant sua, Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 18, 39; and ap. Cic. Fam. 9, 26, 2 (Trag. Rel. p. 211 Rib.).—B. With verbs of rest, about, before, in front of, over (in Cic.):
follem sibi obstringit ob gulam, Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 23: lanam ob oculum habere, id. Mil. 5, 37: ob oculos mihi caliginem obstitisse, before my eyes, id. ib. 2, 4, 51: mors ob oculos saepe versata est, Cic. Rab. Post. 14, 39; id. Sest. 21, 47: ignis qui est ob os offusus, id. Univ. 14.—II. Transf., to indicate the object or cause, on account of, for, because of, by reason of, etc.
A. In gen. (freq. and class.):
etiam ob stultitiam tuam te tueris? do you still defend yourself with regard to your folly? Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 82: pretium ob stultitiam fero, Ter. And. 3, 5, 4; id. Phorm. 2, 3, 23: ob eam rem iratus, on that account, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 33: neu quid ob eam rem succenseat, id. ib. 4, 4, 39; Ter. Ad. 5, 6, 7: Mi. Ob eam rem? De. Ob eam, id. ib. 5. 9, 20: ob rem nullam, id. Hec. 5, 3, 2: hanc Epicurus rationem induxit ob eam rem, quod veritus est, ne, etc., Cic. Fat. 10, 23: ob eam causam, quod, etc., id. Rep. 1, 7, 12: quam ob causam venerant, id. de Or. 1, 7, 26: non solum ob eam causam fieri volui, quod, etc., id. Rep. 1, 21, 34: ob hanc causam, quod, id. ib. 2, 1, 3: nec ob aliam causam ullam, etc., id. Lael. 20, 74: ob meas injurias, Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 85; cf.: quodnam ob facinus? id. ib. 5, 2, 3: ob peccatum hoc. id. ib. v. 37: ob malefacta haec, id. Ad. 2, 1, 46: ob illam injuriam, Cic. Rep. 2, 25, 46: ob aliquod emolumentum suum, id. Font. 8, 17: (eum) ac Troiam misi ob defendendam Graeciam, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 13, 28 (Trag. v. 362 Vahl.): ob rem judicandam pecuniam adcipere, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 32, § 78; id. Att. 1, 17, 8; id. Mur. 1, 1; Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 48, § 119; Sall. J. 89, 2; Quint. 5, 10, 87: nec meliores ob eam scientiam nec beatiores esse possumus, on account of, for that knowledge, Cic. Rep. 1, 19, 32: ob eam (amicitiam) summā fide servatam, id. Lael. 7, 25: is igitur dicitur ab Amulio ob labefactandi regni timorem, ad Tiberim exponi jussus esse, id. Rep. 2, 2, 4: unius ob iram Prodimur, Verg. A. 1, 251; cf.: saevae memorem Junonis ob iram, id. ib. 1, 4; cf. also: aut ob avaritiam aut miserā ambitione laborat, Hor. S. 1, 4, 26: barbarus eum quidam palam ob iram interfecti ab eo domini obtruncat, Liv. 21, 2, 6: non noxā neque ob metum, Tac. H. 2, 49: Germanicum mortem ob rem publicam obiisse, for the republic, id. A. 2, 83: cum quibus ob rem pecuniariam disceptabat, id. ib. 6, 5.—B. In partic.
1. In consideration of, in return for, instead of (mostly ante-class.):
ob asinos ferre argentum, Plaut. As. 2, 2, 80; id. Ep. 5, 2, 38: quin arrhabonem a me accepisti ob mulierem? id. Rud. 3, 6, 23: ager oppositus est pignori Ob decem minas, Ter. Phorm. 4, 3, 56: talentum magnum ob unam fabulam datum esse, C. Gracch. ap. Gell. 11, 10 fin.: pecuniam ob absolvendum accipere, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 32, § 78: pecuniam ob delicta dare, Tac. A. 14, 14.—2. Ob rem, like ex re (opp. frustra), to the purpose, with advantage, profitably, usefully (very rare): An. Non pudet Vanitatis? Do. Minime, dum ob rem, Ter Phorm. 3, 2, 41:
verum id frustra an ob rem faciam, in vostrā manu situm est, Sall. J. 31, 5.—3. Ob industriam, on purpose, intentionally, Plaut. Cas. 4, 3, 6; 2, 3, 58 (id. ib. 2, 3, 60, de industriā); cf. id. Men. 1, 2, 14.—
4. Quam ob rem, also written in one word, quamobrem, on which account, wherefore, therefore, hence, accordingly; a very freq. particle of transition, esp. in Cic.:
quam ob rem id primum videamus, quatenus, etc., Cic. Lael. 11, 36: quam ob rem utrique nostrūm gratum admodum feceris, id. ib. 4, 16; 2, 10; 3, 12; 4, 15; id. Rep. 1, 5, 9; 1, 19, 32 et saep.—5. Ob id, ob hoc, ob haec, ob ea, ob quae, on that account, therefore (not ante-Aug.).
a. Ob id:
ignaris hostibus et ob id quietis, Liv. 25, 35; 28, 2; Tac. A. 2, 66; 3, 75; 13, 5: ob id ipsum, Curt. 4, 16, 23.—b. Ob hoc:
ob hoc cum omnia neglecta apud hostes essent, Liv. 25, 37; Sen. Q. N. 7, 14, 4; Col. 7, 3, 21; cf.: ob hoc miserior, Sen. Ep. 98, 5. —c. Ob haec:
ob haec cum legatos mitti placuisset, Liv. 8, 23; 21, 50; 38, 34; Cels. 1 praef.—d. Ob ea:
ob ea consul Albinus senatum de foedere consulebat, Sall. J. 39, 2.—III. In composition, the b of ob remains unchanged before vowels and most consonants; only before p, f, c, g, is assimilation more common: oppeto, offero, occido, ogganio, etc.—An ancient form obs, analogous to abs, is implied in obs-olesco and os-tendo.—In signification, that of direction towards, or of existence at or before a thing is predominant, although it likewise gives to the simple verb the accessory notion of against: obicere, opponere, obrogare.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
ob prep.
with acc.—With verbs of motion, towards, to: cuius ob os Grai ora obvertebant sua, Poët. ap. C.: Turni se pestis ob ora Fert, V.— With verbs of rest, before, in front of, over against: non mihi mors ob oculos versabatur?: ignis ob os offusus.—On account of, for, because of, by reason of, for the sake of: pretium ob stultitiam fero, T.: tibi ob eam rem bene faxim, T.: ob rem nullam misit (me), for nothing, T.: ob merita carus, S.: ob aliquod emolumentum suum: ob rem iudicandam pecuniam accipere: meliores ob eam scientiam esse, for that knowledge: unius ob iram Prodimur, V.: Aut ob avaritiam aut miserā ambitione laborat, H.—In the phrase, quam ob rem (or quamobrem), on which account, wherefore, therefore, hence, accordingly: quam ob rem id primum videamus, quatenus, etc.—With neut. pron., on that account, therefore: ignaris hostibus et ob id quietis, L.: ob haec consuli nihil cunctandum visum, L.: ob ea consul senatum consulebat, S.—In consideration of, in return for, instead of: ager oppositus est pignori Decem ob minas, T.: pecuniam ob absolvendum accipere: tibi has Haudquaquam ob meritum poenas Suscitat, in proportion to, V.—In the phrase, ob rem, to the purpose, with advantage, profitably, usefully: An. non pudet Vanitatis? Do. minime, dum ob rem, T.: id frustra an ob rem faciam, S.
Origins
From Proto-Italic *op, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἐπί (epí), Sanskrit अपि (ápi), Avestan 𐬀𐬌𐬞𐬌 (aⁱpi), Old Persian [script needed] (apiy), and Old Armenian եւ (ew). Also related to English by. The accusative is from the pre-PIE directional and the PIE direct object.