praebere

Praebere is a Latin verb meaning to provide, furnish, offer, present, or show. It belongs to the second conjugation, with the infinitive praebēre and the present active indicative forms praebeo, praebēs, praebet, praebēmus, praebētis, praebent. The perfect is praebui, praebitum, and the supine is praebitum as well.

Usage and argument structure: praebere is transitive and typically takes a direct object in the accusative for the thing provided and a recipient in the dative. For example, panem populo praebet translates as “he provides bread to the people.” It can also express offering or granting something more abstract, as in praebere auxilium “to provide/offer help” or praebere honorem “to bestow honor.” In some contexts it can mean to show or present something to someone, or to present oneself in a particular way (se praebet, “to present oneself/appear”).

Semantic range: praebere emphasizes the act of furnishing or presenting something to someone, rather than mere possession or passive giving. It often carries the nuance of usefulness, readiness, or hospitable provision.

Derivatives and forms: in addition to the active forms, Latin has passive and deponent-like uses such as praebetur and praebebuntur in appropriate contexts. The participial form praebitus appears in compounds and in the perfect passive participle.

In Latin literature, praebere appears in legal, rhetorical, and everyday prose to convey supplying goods, offering assistance, or presenting oneself or one’s actions to others.