I.v. a.; constr. aliquid ad aliquem or alicui.
I. In gen., to bring, take, carry or convey a thing to a place (of portable things, while adducere denotes the leading or conducting of men, animals, etc.), lit. and trop.
A. Lit.: “lumen,” Enn. Ann. 1, 40: “viginti minas,” Plaut. As. 1, 3, 78; 1, 3, 87 al.: “adtuli hunc.—Quid, adtulisti?—Adduxi volui dicere,” id. Ps. 2, 4, 21: “tandem bruma nives adfert,” Lucr. 5, 746: adlatus est acipenser, Cic. ap. Macr. S. 2, 12: “adfer huc scyphos,” Hor. Epod. 9, 33: “nuces,” Juv. 5, 144: “cibum pede ad rostrum veluti manu,” Plin. 10, 46, 63, § 129: “pauxillum aquae,” Vulg. Gen. 18, 4: “caput ejus,” ib. Marc. 6, 28.—With de in part. sense: “adferte nobis de fructibus terrae,” Vulg. Num. 13, 21; ib. Joan. 21, 10 (as lit. rendering of the Greek).—So of letters: “adferre litteras, ad aliquem or alicui,” Cic. Att. 8, 6; id. Imp. Pomp. 2; Liv. 22, 11 al.: adferre se ad aliquem locum, to betake one's self to a place, to go or come to (opp. auferre se ab aliquo, to withdraw from, to leave, only poet.): “huc me adfero,” Plaut. Am. 3, 4, 6; Ter. And. 4, 5, 12 Bentl.: “Fatis huc te poscentibus adfers,” Verg. A. 8, 477: “sese a moenibus,” id. ib. 3, 345.—So pass. adferri: “urbem adferimur,” are driven, come, Verg. A. 7, 217; “and adferre pedem: abite illuc, unde malum pedem adtulistis,” id. Cat. 14, 21.— To bring near, extend, = porrigo (eccl. Lat.): “adfer manum tuam,” reach hither, Vulg. Joan. 20, 27.—
B. Trop., to bring to, upon, in a good or bad sense.
(α).
In bon. part.: “pacem ad vos adfero,” Plaut. Am. prol. 32: “hic Stoicus genus sermonum adfert non liquidum,” i.e. makes use of, Cic. de Or. 2, 38, 159: “nihil ostentationis aut imitationis adferre,” id. ib. 3, 12, 45: “non minus adferret ad dicendum auctoritatis quam facultatis,” id. Mur. 2, 4: “consulatum in familiam,” id. Phil. 9, 2: “animum vacuum ad scribendas res difficiles,” id. Att. 12, 38: “tibi benedictionem,” Vulg. Gen. 33, 11: “Domino gloriam,” ib. 1 Par. 16, 28; ib. Apoc. 21, 26: ignominiam, ib. Osee, 4, 18.—
(β).
In mal. part.: “bellum in patriam,” Ov. M. 12, 5: “nisi etiam illuc pervenerint (canes), ut in dominum adferant dentes,” to use their teeth against their master, Varr. R. R. 2, 9, 9: “adferam super eos mala,” Vulg. Jer. 23, 12: “Quam accusationem adfertis adversus hominem hunc?” id. Joan. 18, 29: quod gustatum adfert mortem, ib. Job, 6, 6: vim adferre alicui for inferre, to use force against or offer violence to one, Cic. Phil. 2, 7; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 26; Liv. 9, 16; 42, 29 Drak.; Ov. H. 17, 21 Heins.; id. A. A. 1, 679; Suet. Oth. 12 al.: manus adferre alicui, in a bad sense, to lay hands on, attack, assail (opp.: “manus abstinere ab aliquo): pro re quisque manus adfert (sc. ad pugnam),” Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 26: “domino a familiā suā manus adlatas esse,” id. Quint. 27: “intellegimus eum detrudi, cui manus adferuntur,” id. Caecin. 17: “qui sit improbissimus, manus ei adferantur, effodiantur oculi,” id. Rep. 3, 17 Creuz. al.: sibi manus, to lay hands on one's self, to commit suicide: Qui quidem manus, quas justius in Lepidi perniciem animāsset, sibi adferre conatus est, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 23.—Also of things: manus templo, to rob or plunder, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 18: “bonis alienis,” id. Off. 2, 15: “manus suis vulneribus,” to tear open, id. Att. 3, 15 (a little before: “ne rescindam ipse dolorem meum): manus beneficio suo,” to nullify, render worthless, Sen. Ben. 2, 5 ext.—
II. Esp.
A. To bring, bear, or carry a thing, as news, to report, announce, inform, publish; constr. alicui or ad aliquem aliquid, or acc. with inf. (class.; “in the histt., esp. in Livy, very freq.): ea adferam eaque ut nuntiem, etc.,” Plaut. Am. prol. 9: “istud quod adfers, aures exspectant meae,” id. As. 2, 2, 65; Ter. Phorm. prol. 22: “calamitas tanta fuit, ut eam non ex proelio nuntius, sed ex sermone rumor adferret,” Cic. Imp. Pomp. 9, 25: “si ei subito sit adlatum periculum patriae,” id. Off. 1, 43, 154: “nihil novi ad nos adferebatur,” id. Fam. 2, 14; id. Att. 6, 8: rumores, qui de me adferuntur, Cic. Fil. ap. Cic. Fam. 16, 21: “Caelium ad illam adtulisse, se aurum quaerere,” id. Cael. 24; so id. Fam. 5, 2 al.: “magnum enim, quod adferebant, videbatur,” Caes. B. C. 3, 15 Dint.: “cum crebri adferrent nuntii, male rem gerere Darium,” Nep. 3, 3: “haud vana adtulere,” Liv. 4, 37; 6, 31: “exploratores missi adtulerunt quieta omnia apud Gallos esse,” id. 8, 17 Drak.: “per idem tempus rebellāsse Etruscos adlatum est,” word was brought, id. 10, 45 al.: “idem ex Hispaniā adlatum,” Tac. H. 1, 76: “esse, qui magnum nescio quid adferret,” Suet. Dom. 16; Luc. 1, 475: “scelus adtulit umbris,” Val. Fl. 3, 172 al.—So of instruction: doctrinam, Vulg. prol. Eccli.; ib. 2 Joan. 10.—
B. To bring a thing on one, i.e. to cause, occasion, effect, give, impart; esp. of states of mind: “aegritudinem alicui,” Ter. Heaut. 4, 3, 2: “alicui molestiam,” id. Hec. 3, 2, 9: “populo Romano pacem, tranquillitatem, otium, concordiam,” Cic. Mur. 1: “alicui multas lacrimas, magnam cladem,” id. N. D. 2, 3, 7: “ipsa detractio molestiae consecutionem adfert voluptatis,” id. Fin. 1, 11, 37; so, “adferre auctoritatem et fidem orationi,” id. Phil. 12, 7: “metum,” Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 25: “dolorem,” id. Sull. 1: “luctum et egestatem,” id. Rosc. Am. 5: “consolationem,” id. Att. 10, 4: “delectationem,” id. Fam. 7, 1 al.: “detrimentum,” Caes. B. C. 2, 82: “taedium,” Plin. 15, 2, 3, § 7: “dolorem capitis,” id. 23, 1, 18: “gaudium,” Plin. Ep. 10, 2, 1 al.—
C. To bring forwards, allege, assert, adduce, as an excuse, reason, etc.: “quam causam adferam?” Ter. Heaut. 4, 3, 23: “justas causas adfers,” Cic. Att. 11, 15; “also without causa: rationes quoque, cur hoc ita sit, adferendas puto,” id. Fin. 5, 10, 27; cf. id. Fam. 4, 13: “idque me non ad meam defensionem adtulisse,” id. Caecin. 29, 85: “ad ea, quae dixi, adfer, si quid habes,” id. Att. 7: nihil igitur adferunt, qui in re gerendā versari senectutem negant, they bring forwards nothing to the purpose, who, etc., id. Sen. 6; id. de Or. 2, 53, 215: “quid enim poterit dicere? ... an aetatem adferet?” i. e. as an excuse, id. ib. 2, 89, 364.—Also absol.: “Quid sit enim corpus sentire, quis adferet umquam ...?” will bring forwards an explanation, Lucr. 3, 354 (cf. reddo absol. in same sense, id. 1, 566): “et, cur credam, adferre possum,” Cic. Tusc. 1, 29, 70; 3, 23, 55.—
D. Adferre aliquid = conducere, conferre aliquid, to contribute any thing to a definite object, to be useful in any thing, to help, assist; constr. with ad, with dat., or absol.: “quam ad rem magnum adtulimus adjumentum hominibus nostris,” Cic. Off. 1, 1: “negat Epicurus diuturnitatem temporis ad beate vivendum aliquid adferre,” id. Fin. 2, 27, 87: “quidquid ad rem publicam adtulimus, si modo aliquid adtulimus,” id. Off. 1, 44, 155: “illa praesidia non adferunt oratori aliquid, ne, etc.,” id. Mil. 1: aliquid adtulimus etiam nos, id. Planc. 10, 24: “quid enim oves aliud adferunt, nisi, etc.,” id. N. D. 2, 63.—
E. Very rare in class. period, to bring forth as a product, to yield, bear, produce, = fero: “agri fertiles, qui multo plus adferunt, quam acceperunt,” Cic. Off. 1, 15: “herbam adferentem semen,” Vulg. Gen. 1, 29: “arva non adferent cibum,” ib. Hab. 3, 17: lignum adtulit fructum, ib. Joel, 2, 22; ib. Apoc. 22, 2: “ager fructum,” ib. Luc. 12, 16 al.