praecipere

Praecipere is a Latin verb meaning to order in advance, to instruct, or to forewarn. It covers a range from giving commands or prescriptions to advising or teaching someone to do something. In classical usage it often conveys the act of directing or prescribing an action, sometimes with a sense of forewarning or authoritativeness.

Etymologically, praecipere comes from prae- “before” and capere “to take.” The compound carries the sense of taking something beforehand and, by extension, directing someone to act in a certain way. The noun praecipitum (from the same stem) yields precept or instruction in English, while related derivatives enter discussions of orders, rules, and established instructions.

In Latin, praecipere is a transitive verb, typically used with a direct object or with a clause indicating what is to be done. It can express a command, a prescription, or an instruction given to someone, and it may be followed by ut + subjunctive to indicate what should be done, or by ne for prohibitions. The verb is frequently encountered in military, legal, or administrative contexts, as well as in rhetorical or instructional passages.

Conjugation and form: praecipere belongs to the 3rd-io (i-stem) class of verbs. Its present active indicative forms are praecipio, praecipis, praecipit, praecipimus, praecipitis, praecipiunt. The perfect forms are typically praecipui, praecipisti, praecipit, praecipimus, praecipistis, praecipuerunt, with corresponding passive and future forms following the 3rd-io pattern. The noun form praecipitum or praeceptum is used to mean a precept, instruction, or rule.

See also: praecipitus (rare), praeceptum (precept), and related terms formed from prae- + capere. English cognates include precipient notions in phrases such as “to precept” and, in some derivatives, “precept” itself.