adverb
prope1
prope (comparative propius, superlative proximē or proxumus or proximus)
Classical[ˈprɔ.pɛ]Ecclesiastical[ˈprɔː.pe]
№ 189 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- near, nearby, nigh, close
- close in time
- almost, nearly
- better (as an approximation)
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Pæne · Prope · Fere · Ferme
Pæne and prope serve to soften an expression that is much too strong, and as a salvo to an hyperbole; pæne, in opp. to plane, is translated ‘almost;’ prope, ‘nearly;’ whereas fere and ferme serve only as a salvo to the accuracy of an expression, like ‘about.’
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- prope abesse a culpa
- to be almost culpable.
- proxime ad verum accedere
- to be very near the truth.
- aer qui est terrae proximus
- the atmosphere.
- prope (propius, proxime) abesse
- to be not far away.
- propius accedere ad urbem or urbem
- to advance nearer to the city.
- propius ad deos accedere (Mil. 22. 59)
- to approach the gods.
prŏpe, adv. and prep. pro and demonstr suff. -pe (cf.: nempe, quippe), = Sanscr. -pa.
I. Adv. (comp. propius, and sup. proxime, v. under propior), near, nigh (class.).
A. Lit., in space:
quaenam vox mihi prope hic sonat? Quis hic loquitur prope? Plaut. Rud. 1, 4, 10: prope ad aliquem adire, id. Cas. 3, 5, 32: aedes accedere, id. Most. 2, 2, 16: prope alicubi esse, Cic. Fam. 9, 7, 1: intueri aliquid (opp. procul), id. Sen. 14, 48.—2. With ab, near to, near by, hard by:
bellum tam prope a Siciliā, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 2, § 6: prope a meis aedibus, id. Pis. 11, 26: prope ab domo detineri, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 3, § 6.—So, comp.: stellae, aliae propius a terris, etc., Cic. N. D. 1, 31, 87: propius visere mala reipublicae, Tac. A. 6, 26.—B. Transf.
1. In time, near, not far off: partus instabat prope, was near at hand, Ter Ad. 3, 2, 9.—Esp. with quando, cum, ut, the time is near or not far off, when, etc.:
prope est, quando herus pretium exsolvet, Plaut. Men. 5, 6, 25: prope adest, quom alieno more vivendum est mihi, Ter. And. 1, 1, 125: partitudo prope adest, ut fiat palam, Plaut. Aul. 2, 3, 9; Flor. 3, 17, 2: nox prope diremit colloquium, i. e. the approach of night, Liv. 34, 33, 3; cf. id. 32, 28, 7; 5, 16, 5.—2. In degree, nearly, almost, about (cf.:
pene, ferme, fere): ejus filiam ille amare coepit perdite, Prope jam ut pro uxore haberet, Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 45; Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 4, § 10: prope funeratus Arboris ictu, Hor. C. 3, 8, 7: prope firmissima earum regionum civitas, Caes. B. G. 5, 20: annos prope nonaginta natus, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 25, § 62: prope desperatis rebus, id. Fam. 7, 28, 1: sic prope oneratum est sinistrum cornu, ni, etc., Liv. 2, 65, 4; cf. id. 40, 32: prope est factum ut exirent, id. 25, 21: prope est ut aliquid fiat, something must be done, Dig. 35, 1, 67: prope perditae res, Liv. 5, 46, 7: Fidenae prope saepius captae, quam, etc., id. 4, 32, 2: prope desertum oppidum, id. 4, 51, 8.—After the word it qualifies: biennium prope, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 25, § 62: princeps prope Stoicorum, id. Ac. 2, 33, 107: eisdem prope verbis, id. Leg. 2, 25, 64: his prope verbis id. Fin. 4, 6, 15: cursu prope Chalcidem contendit, Liv. 31, 24, 2: admirabilior prope, id. 22, 37, 3: omnes prope, id. 1, 14, 4; 23, 49, 14; 30, 30, 8.— Comp.: propius nihil est factum, quam ut, etc., Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 5, § 15: neque quidquam propius est factum, quam ut, etc., id. Clu. 21, 59.—C. Trop., comp. propius, with inspicio, considero, nosco, etc., more closely, better (post - Aug.):
qualis esset ejus (mortis) velut propius inspectae natura, Sen. Ep. 30, 8: propius inspicere aliquem, id. ib. 5, 6: dixit futurum ut diviti displiceret propius inspectus, id. Contr. 2, 9, 21, B.; 4, 15, 3; 10, 95, 1: quam (lancem) cum Agamemnon propius consideraret, Petr. 1, 50: propius noscendum, Plin. Ep. 6, 16, 7; cf. penitus.—II. Prep. with acc.
A. Lit., in space, near, near by, hard by:
prope oppidum, Caes. B. G. 7, 36: prope hostium castra, id. ib. 1, 22: prope amnem, Verg. A. 8, 597: non modo prope me, sed plane mecum habitare, Cic. Fam. 7, 23, 4: sedens prope limina tecti, Ov. F. 1, 137.—B. Transf.
1. In time, nigh, towards, about:
prope lucem, towards daybreak, Suet. Claud. 44.— 2. Of abstract proximity, near to, almost to, not far from:
prope metum res fuerat, Liv. 1, 25 fin.: prope seditionem ventum est, Tac. H. 3, 21; Dig. 17, 1, 29.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
prope adv.
with comp. propius (for sup., see proximē); also praep. with acc.—In space, near, nigh: tam prope Italiam videre: adulescentia voluptates prope intuens (opp. procul): prope est spelunca quaedam: bellum tam prope a Siciliā, so near to: prope a meis aedibus, close by: propius accedamus, T.: paulo propius accedere: ubi propius ventum est, S.—With acc, near, near to, hard by: prope oppidum, Cs.: prope amnem, V.: non modo prope me sed plane mecum habitare: nec propius urbem admovere: castra propius hostem movit, L.: hi propius mare Africum agitabant, S.—With dat. (only comp.): propius stabulis armenta tenere, V.: propius Tiberi quam Thermopylis, N.—In time, near, at hand: partus instabat prope, T.: Prope adest, quom alieno more vivendumst mihi, the time is at hand, T.: nox prope diremit conloquium, i. e. the approach of night, L. —With acc, near, in the phrase, prope diem (less correctly, propediem), at an early day, very soon, shortly, presently: vero nuntio hoc prope diem sentiemus: sperabat prope diem se habiturum, etc., S.: similes prope diem exitūs sequerentur, L.—Fig., in degree, nearly, almost, about: filiam amare, Prope iam ut pro uxore haberet, T.: dolor prope maior quam ceterorum: prope funeratus Arboris ictu, H.: annos prope nonaginta natus: cum hostes prope ad portas essent, L.: prope moenibus succedere, almost to the walls, L.: prope desertum oppidum, L.: princeps prope Stoicorum: his prope verbis: iam prope erat, ut ne consulum maiestas coërceret iram, it had almost come to this, L.: nec quicquam propius est factum, quam ut illum persequerentur.—With acc, near to: prope metum res fuerat, almost a panic, L.: ea contentio cum prope seditionem veniret, L.: ut propius periculum fuerint, qui vicerunt, L.—In the phrase, prope modum (less correctly, propemodum), nearly, almost, just about: quid enim sors est! idem prope modum, quod micare: adsentior.
Origins
From Proto-Indo-European *prokʷe, from *pro- + *-kʷe (equivalent to Latin pro + -que). The expected form would accordingly be *proque. The second -p- is probably due to assimilation. Compare the reverse development in quinque, coquo, which was hindered here by the initial cluster pr-. A less likely explanation is borrowing from Oscan, where -𐌐𐌄 (-pe) is the regular reflex. Alternatively, from an iterative preverb *propro with dissimilatory loss of the second *-r-, from a reduplication of *pro-. The change from locative/ablative to accusative is caused by the adverbial suffix.