protero

prō-tĕro, trīvi, trītum, 3, v. a.

* I.

To drive forth, drive away:

ver proterit aestas Interitura,

i. e. supplants, Hor. C. 4, 7, 9.—

II.

To tread under foot, trample down, wear away, crush, bruise (class.; syn. proculco).

A.

Lit.:

aliquem pedibus,

Plaut. Truc. 2, 2, 13:

homines elephantis proterendos substravit,

Val. Max. 2, 7, 14:

januam limā,

i. e. to destroy, Plaut. Men. 1, 1, 9:

equitatus aversos proterere incipit,

Caes. B. C. 2, 41:

agmina curru,

Verg. A. 12, 330:

florentia arva,

Ov. M. 2, 791:

adversum rota proterit agmen,

Sil. 2, 175:

ulmus labens proterit uvas,

Stat. Th. 8, 747:

seges torrefacta proteritur,

Col. 2, 21, 3.—

B.

Transf., in gen., to overthrow, beat, crush, defeat, destroy:

Marte Poenos,

Hor. C. 3, 5, 34:

protrita hostium acies,

Tac. H. 2, 26:

aliquem proterere et conculcare,

to maltreat, abuse, trample upon, Cic. Fl. 2, 22, 53; cf.:

pati urbem proteri atque conculcari,

Auct. Her. 4, 53, 66:

ruinā suā proteri,

Vell. 2, 91, 4:

umbram,

Ov. Tr. 3, 11, 25:

omnia ferro,

Just. 24, 4, 6:

barbaram plebem,

Amm. 15, 4, 12. —Hence, prōtrītus, a, um, P.a., worn out (by rubbing); hence, of words, of frequent use, common, trite, vulgar (post-class.):

verba,

Gell. 5, 21, 4; 12, 2, 1; 18, 4, 6.