ausculto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. freq. [perh. a union of two roots, that of audio, auris ausis, and of the Sanscr. çru = to hear; v. Bopp, Gloss. p. 396 b.], to hear any person or thing with attention, to listen to, give ear to, ἀκροᾶσθαι (cf. audio init.; in the anteclass. per. freq., but not in Lucr.; in the class. per. rare).
I In gen.: Ita est cupidus orationis, ut conducat qui auscultet, Cato ap. Gell. 1, 15, 9: ausculto atque animum adverto sedulo, Plaut. Stich. 4, 1, 40: In rem quod sit praevortaris quam re advorsā animo auscultes, id. Ps. 1, 3, 8; id. Trin. 3, 3, 50; id. Truc. 2, 4, 46: nimis eum ausculto libens, id. Poen. 4, 2, 19; id. Aul. 3, 5, 22: Ausculta paucis, nisi molestumst, Ter. Ad. 806; id. And. 536 and 537: jam scies: Ausculta, id. Phorm. 996: illos ausculto lubens, Afran. ap Non. p. 246, 15: Nec populum auscultare, * Cat. 67, 39: sermonem, Vulg. Gen. 4, 23: verba, ib. Tob. 9, 1: aures diligenter auscultabunt, ib. Isa, 32, 3.—
II Esp
A To listen to something believingly, to give credit to , etc.
a With acc.: crimina, Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 12.—
b With dat. of pers. : cui auscultabant, gave heed , Vulg. Act. 8, 10.—
B To listen in secret to something, to overhear : quid habeat sermonis, auscultabo, Plaut. Poen. 4, 1, 6: omnia ego istaec auscultavi ab ostio, id. Merc. 2, 4, 9.—
C Of servants, to attend or wait at the door , as in Gr. ὑπακούειν: ad fores auscultato atque serva has aedīs, Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 1: jam dudum ausculto et cupiens tibi dicere servus Pauca, reformido, * Hor. S. 2, 7, 1 Heind.—
D Alicui or absol. , to hear obediently, to obey , heed (cf. audio): hi auscultare dicuntur, qui auditis parent, Varr. L. L. 6, § 83 Müll.: auscultare est obsequi: audire ignoti quod imperant soleo, non auscultare, Non. p. 246, 9 sq.: magis audiendum quam auscultandum censeo, Pac. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 57, 131: Age nunc vincito me auscultato filio, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 8, 14: Qui mi auscultabunt, id. As. 1, 1, 50; id. Curc. 2, 1, 8; id. Most. 3, 1, 58; 3, 1, 99; id. Mil. 2, 6, 16; id. Ps. 1, 5, 38; id. Poen. 1, 1, 69; 1, 2, 98; id. Rud. 2, 6, 56; 3, 3, 32; id. Stich. 1, 2, 89: seni auscultare, Ter. And. 209: vin tu homini stulto mi auscultare? id. Heaut. 585; id. Ad. 420; 935: mihi ausculta: vide, ne tibi desis, * Cic. Rosc. Am. 36, 104.—With acc.: nisi me auscultas, Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 36 (we should perhaps here, in accordance with the general idiom, read mi; so Ritschl).—In pass. impers.: De. Ad portum ne bitas, dico jam tibi. Ch. Auscultabitur, you shall be obeyed , it shall be done , Plaut. Merc. 2, 3, 127.☞ It is difficult to believe, in the verse of Afranius, videt ludos, hinc auscultavi procul, that auscultare is equivalent to videre, spectare, acc. to Non. p. 246, 16.