ad praep. with acc. cf. Eng. at.
—Of approach (opp. to ab, as in to ex). I. In space, to, toward: retorquet oculos ad urbem: una pars vergit ad septentriones, Cs.: tendens ad sidera palmas, V.
—Fig.: ad alia vitia propensior, more inclined to.
—Esp., ad dextram, sinistram, or laevam, to or on the right or left: ito ad dextram, T.: alqd ad dextram conspicere, Cs.: non rectā regione ... sed ad laevam, L.
—Designating the goal, to, toward: ad ripam convenire, Cs.: vocari ad cenam, H.: ad se adferre: reticulum ad narīs sibi admovebat (cf. accedit ad urbem, he approaches the city; and, accedit provinciae, it is added to the province).
— Ad me, te, se, for domum meam, tuam, suam (in T. freq.): eamus ad me, T.
— With gen., ellipt.: ad Dianae, to the temple of, T.: ad Castoris currere.
— Used for dat: litteras dare ad aliquem, to write one a letter (cf. litteras dare alicui, to give a letter to one): domum ad te scribere: ad primam (epistulam) scribere, to answer.
—Hence, librum ad aliquem mittere, scribere, to dedicate a book to one.
—In titles, ad aliquem signifies to, addressed to.
— With names of towns, ad answers to Whither? for the simple acc., i. e. to the vicinity of, to the neighborhood of: ad Aquinum accedere, approach: ut cum suis copiis iret ad Mutinam.
— Of hostile movement or protection, against (cf. adversus): veniri ad se existimantes, Cs.: ipse ad hostem vehitur, N.: Romulus ad regem impetum facit (cf. in), L.: clipeos ad tela protecti obiciunt, V.: ad hos casūs provisa praesidia, Cs.
—In war, of manner of fighting: ad pedes pugna venerat, was fought out on foot, L.: equitem ad pedes deducere, L.: pugna ad gladios venerat, L.
— Emphatic of distance, to, even to, all the way to: a Salonis ad Oricum portūs ... occupavit, Cs.: usque a Dianis ad Sinopum navigare.
— Fig.: deverberasse usque ad necem, T.: virgis ad necem caedi.
—Of nearness or proximity in gen. (cf. apud), near to, by, at, close by: ad forīs adsistere: Ianum ad infimum Argiletum fecit, L.: quod Romanis ad manum domi supplementum esset, at hand, L.: errantem ad flumina, V.
— and ellipt.: pecunia utinam ad Opis maneret!
— Of persons: qui primum pilum ad Caesarem duxerat, Cs.: ad me fuit, at my house: ad inferos poenas parricidi luent, among.
—So, fig.: ad omnīs nationes sanctum, in the judgment of, Cs.: ut esset ad posteros monumentum, etc., L.: ad urbem esse (of a general outside of the walls): ad urbem cum imperio remanere, Cs.
—With names of towns and verbs of rest: pons, qui erat ad Genavam, Cs.
— and with an ordinal number and lapis: sepultus ad quintum lapidem, N.
—II. In time, about, toward: domum reductus ad vesperum, toward evening.
—Till, until, to, even to, up to: usque ad hanc aetatem: ad multam noctem: amant ad quoddam tempus, until: quem ad finem? how long: ad quartam (sc. horam), H.
— Hence, ad id (sc. tempus), till then: ad id dubios servare animos, L.
— At, on, in, by: ad horam destinatam, at the appointed hour: frumentum ad diem dare.
— III. In number or amount, near, near to, almost, about, toward (cf. circiter): talenta ad quindecim coegi, T.: annos ad quadraginta natus.
—Adverb.: occisis ad hominum milibus quattuor, Cs.: ad duo milia et trecenti occisi, L.
—Of a limit, to, unto, even to (rare): (viaticum) ad assem perdere, to the last farthing, H.: ad denarium solvere.
—Esp., ad unum, to a single one, without exception: omnes ad unum idem sentiunt: exosus ad unum Troianos, V.
—IV. In other relations, with regard to, in respect of, in relation to, as to, to, in: ad honorem antecellere: nihil ad rem pertinet.
—Ellipt.: rectene an secus, nihil ad nos: Quid ad praetorem? quid ad rem? i. e. what difference does it make? H.: quibus (auxiliaribus) ad pugnam confidebat, Cs.: ad speciem ornatus, ad sensum acerbus: mentis ad omnia caecitas: ad cetera paene gemelli, H.: facultas ad dicendum.
—With words denoting measure, weight, manner, model, rule, etc., according to, agreeably to, after: taleis ad certum pondus examinatis, Cs.: ad cursūs lunae describit annum, L.: canere ad tibiam: carmen castigare ad unguem, to perfection (see unguis), H.: ad istorum normam sapientes: ad specus angustiae vallium (i. e. ad specuum similitudinem angustae valles), Cs.
— With the cause or reason, according to, at, on, in consequence of, for, in order to: ad horum proces in Boeotiam duxit, on their entreaty, L.: dictis ad fallendum instructis, L.: causae ad discordiam, to produce dissension, T.: ad facinora incendere, S.: ad speciem tabernaculis relictis, for appearance, Cs.: ad id, for this use, as a means to that end, L.: ad id ipsum, for that my purpose, L.: delecto milite ad navīs, marines, L.: puer ad cyathum statuetur, H.: biiugi ad frena leones, yoked in pairs with bits, V.: res quae sunt ad incendia, Cs.: ad communem salutem utilius.
—In comparison, to, compared with, in comparison with: terra ad universi caeli complexum: nihil ad tuum equitatum, Caesar.
—V. In adverbial phrases, ad omnia, withal, to crown all: ad omnia tantum advehi auri, etc., L.
—Ad hoc and ad haec, moreover, besides, in addition: ad hoc, quos ... postremo omnes, quos, etc., S.
— Ad id quod, beside that (rare): ad id quod ... indignitate etiam Romani accendebantur, L.
— Ad tempus, at a definite, fixed time, C., L.
— at a fit, appropriate time, L.
— for some time, for a short time, L.
— according to circumstances.
— Ad praesens, for the moment, for a short time.
—Ad locum, on the spot: ut ad locum miles esset paratus, L.
—Ad verbum, word for word, literally.
— Ad summam, on the whole, generally, in general
— in a word, in short, C., H.
—Ad extremum, ad ultimum, ad postremum, at the end, finally, at last
— of place, at the extremity, at the top, at the end: ad extremum (teli) unde ferrum exstabat, L.
— of time, at last, finally: ad extremum incipit philosophari
— of order, finally, lastly
— to the last degree, quite, L.
— Quem ad finem? to what limit? how far? how long? Note .
—a. Ad rarely follows its acc: quam ad, T.: quos ad, C.: ripam ad Araxis, Ta.
—b. In composition, ad- stands before vowels, b, d, f, h, i consonant, m, n, q, v, and mostly before l, r, s
— acbefore c
— but very often ad- before cl-, cr-, and cu
—- ag- or ad- before g
— ap- or ad- before p
— atbefore t
— but a- or ad- before gn, sp, sc, st.