prae-grăvis, e, adj., very heavy (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose). I.Lit.: praegrave onus, Ov. H. 9, 98: caput, Plin. 8, 21, 32, 77: unda, Mart. 4, 18, 4: perdix feta praegravem aut delumbem esse simulans,
heavy
,
clumsy
, Plin. 10, 33, 51, 103: praegravis corpore, Liv. 44, 4, 10: cibo vinoque praegraves, Tac. H. 2, 21.— II.Trop., very heavy, oppressive, burdensome: praegraves pavonum greges, i. e. very expensive, Varr. ap. Non. 440, 14 (al. graves): tertium consulatum ut praegravem recusare, Plin. Pan. 57, 4: servitium, id. 7, 8, 6, 46.—Of persons, very wearisome (Tacitean): delatores, Tac. A. 4, 71: vir principi praegravis, id. ib. 11, 19; 14, 3.
prae-grăvo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a., to press heavily upon, to oppress with weight, to encumber (perh. not before the Aug. period). I.Lit.: exonerare praegravante turbā regnum cupiens, Liv. 5, 34: praegravata telis scuta,
burdened
,
heavy
, id. 7, 23: caper praegravantibus auribus,
drooping
, Col. 7, 6.—B.Transf., to exceed in weight, preponderate: ne praegravet fructus parte aliquā, Plin. 17, 22, 35, 184.—II.Trop., to weigh down, depress: qui praegravat artes, Infra se positas, qs. presses them down by his own superiority, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 13.—B.To preponderate: cito apparebit, pars civitatis deterior quanto praegravet, Sen. Clem. 1, 24, 1; Suet. Caes. 76.