ap-pĕto (adp-, Lachm., Baiter, Weissenb., Halm; app-, Ritschl, Kayser), īvi or ii, ītum, 3, v. a. and n. (class.; in poetry rare); act., to strive after a thing, to try to get, to grasp after (syn.: adfecto, nitor in aliquid).
I Lit.
A In gen.: solem manibus adpetere, Cic. Div. 1, 23, 46; so id. ib. 2, 41: placentam, Plin. 7, 53, 54, § 183; so, adpetere manum osculis, to seize upon the hand with kisses , i. e. in order to kiss it , Plin. 11, 45, 103, § 250; hence, appeti, of old men whose hands one seizes and kisses: haec enim ipsa sunt honorabilia, salutari, adpeti, decedi, adsurgi, etc., Cic. Sen. 18, 63; hence (like accedere), to go or come somewhere , to approach , arrive at : urbem, Suet. Caes. 42.— Of things without life: mare terram adpetens, pressing or rushing on , Cic. N. D. 2, 39, 100: crescebat interim urbs, munitionibus alia atque alia adpetendo loca, by continually advancing farther , Liv. 1, 8: Thule, quam hactenus nix et hiems adpetebat, only snow and frost had approached , Tac. Agr. 10.—
B Esp., to attack , to fall or seize upon , assault , assail (syn.: peto, adgredior, adorior, invado): lapidibus appetere, Cic. Dom. 5, 13: ferro atque insidiis, id. Rosc. Am. 11, 30; id. Planc. 29 fin. : umerum gladio, Caes. B. C. 2, 35; Liv. 7, 26: aquila aquaticas aves adpetit, Plin. 10, 3, 3, § 9: morsu, Tac. H. 4, 42; Dig. 38, 2, 14; 48, 5, 27 al.—Trop.: ignominiis omnibus appetitis, Cic. Quint. 31, 98: me amor appetit, Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 8: (uxor) falsā suspitione appetitur, Vulg. Num. 5, 14.—
C Trop., to strive after earnestly , to desire eagerly , to long for (syn.: peto, cupio, expeto; opp. declino, aspernor; v. infra): aliut in dies magis adpetitur, * Lucr. 5, 1279: ut bona naturā adpetimus, sic a malis naturā declinamus, Cic. Tusc. 4, 6, 13; cf. id. N. D. 3, 13, 33: idem non modo non recusem, sed appetam etiam atque deposcam, id. Phil. 3, 14: inimicitias potentium appetere, id. Mil. 36; so id. Rosc. Am. 18; id. Verr. 2, 5, 2; id. Agr. 2, 23: alterum esse adpetendum, alterum aspernandum, id. Fin. 1, 9, 31 al.: amicitiam, Caes. B. G. 1, 40: adulescentium familiaritates, Sall. C. 14, 5: hereditates, Suet. Aug. 60: divitias, Vulg. Sap. 8, 5; ib. 1 Tim. 6, 10: nihil ornamentorum, Suet. Vesp. 12 al.: alienum, Phaedr. 1, 4, 1: nec abnuendum imperium nec adpetendum, Sen. Thyest. 472 et saep.—Also of food, to have an appetite for (cf. appetitio, II. B.): appetitur vilis oliva, Mart. 9, 27: pisciculos minutos, caseum, Suet. Aug. 76.—Constr. with inf. as object: ut adpetat animus agere semper aliquid, Cic. Fin. 5, 20, 55; Stat. Th. 1, 234; Pall. 10, 13, 2.—
II Neutr. , to draw on or nigh , to approach , be at hand (only of time and things having relation to it; syn.: venio, advenio, adpropinquo, adsum): cum appetit meridies, Plaut. Most. 3, 1, 116: dies adpetebat, Caes. B. G. 6, 35: nox jam adpetebat, Liv. 8, 38; so id. 5, 44; 10, 42: tempus anni, id. 34, 13; so id. 22, 1; 29, 10 al.: lux, Tac. A. 4, 51 al.: partitudo cui appetit, Plaut. Aul. 1, 1, 36: consularia comitia adpetebant, Liv. 41, 28: adpetit finis, Sen. Cons. ad Marc. 23 fin. — Hence, appĕtens ( adp- ), entis, P. a. (acc. to II.); pr. striving passionately after something; hence,
A In gen., desirous of , eager for; constr. with gen.: appetens gloriae atque avidus laudis, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 3: nihil est adpetentius similium sui, id. Lael. 14, 50: studiosissimi adpetentissimique honestatis, id. Tusc. 2, 24, 58; so Sall. C. 5, 4; id. J. 7, 1; Plin. 31, 6, 36, § 69: turbidi et negotiorum adpetentes, Tac. A. 14, 57; id. H. 1, 49; 3, 39; 4, 6; 4, 83; Gell. 16, 3.—
B Esp., eager for money (cf. abundans), avaricious : homo non cupidus neque appetens, Cic. Agr. 2, 8: grati animi, non appetentis, non avidi signa, id. de Or. 2, 43, 182.—Adv.: appĕtenter ( adp- ), eagerly , in a grasping spirit or manner : ne cupide quid agerent, ne adpetenter, Cic. Off. 1, 10, 33; Ap. Met. 7, 11, 15 Elm.— Comp. and sup. not used.