I. To frighten from any thing; to deter, discourage from, prevent, hinder (class.).—Constr.
(α).
(Aliquem) ab aliqua re: “homines adolescentes a dicendi studio,” Cic. de Or. 1, 25, 117: “sanos homines a scribendo,” id. Brut. 75 fin.; cf. id. Or. 1 fin.: “te a dimicatione (opp. ad certam laudem adhortor),” id. Fam. 1, 7, 5: “eum ab instituto consilio,” Caes. B. G. 5, 4; cf.: “a proposito,” id. B. C. 3, 100, 3: “animos a cupiditate,” Liv. 22, 42: “ferociores annos a licentia,” Quint. 2, 2, 3 et saep.— Without acc.: “a turpi meretricis amore,” Hor. S. 1, 4, 112.—
(β).
(Aliquem) de aliqua re: “de agro hunc senem,” Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 159: “Stoicos de sententia,” Cic. Div. 2, 39, 81: me de statu meo, Brut. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 11 fin.—
(γ).
(Aliquem) ne, quin, quominus: “(poetam) maledictis, ne scribat,” Ter. Ph. prol. 3; Cic. Quint. 4, 16; Caes. B. G. 1, 17, 2; 1, 31, 16 al. (but different is Suet. Ner. 47: deterritum putant, ne discerperetur). —Without acc.: “haud ferro deterrere potes, ne me amet,” Plaut. Truc. 5, 37.—With quin: “quin loquar haec ... numquam me potes deterrere,” id. Am. 2, 1, 10; id. Mil. 2, 4, 16; Caes. B. G. 2, 3 fin.—Pass., Tib. 1, 3, 13; cf.: me homo nemo deterruerit, quin ea sit in his aedibus, i. e. shall make me believe but that, etc., Plaut. Mil. 2, 3, 61.— With quominus: “neque te deterreo, quominus id disputes,” Cic. Att. 11, 8; id. Tusc. 1, 38; Liv. 26, 48 al.—
(δ).
With aliquem and an inf. (very rarely): “nefarias ejus libidines commemorare pudore deterreor,” Cic. Verr. 1, 5, 14; id. ib. 1, 9, 24.—(ε) Aliquem aliqua re (very rarely): “silvestres homines caedibus et victu foedo,” Hor. A. P. 392; cf. Sall. J. 98, 5.—(ζ) With simple acc.: “reliquos magnitudine poenae,” Caes. B. C. 3, 8, 3: “pavidam ense (with repellere),” Ov. M. 14, 296: “deterritis tribunis,” Liv. 10, 9: “Caesar coercendum atque deterrendum Dumnorigem statuebat,” Caes. B. G. 5, 7: in deterrenda liberalitate, Cic. Off. 2, 18, 63.—(η) Absol.: “advorsor sedulo et deterreo,” Ter. Ad. 1, 2, 64; Cic. Leg. 2, 4, 8; Suet. Caes. 70 al.—
II. In Augustan authors, sometimes with an inanimate object, like defendere, prohibere, etc., to avert, keep off: “vim a censoribus,” Liv. 4, 24 fin.: “d. nefas et inhibere bipennem,” Ov. M. 8, 767.