ex-spīro (expīro), āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. and n. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose; not in Cic. and Caes.).
I Act. , to breathe out , to emit , to blow out , to exhale , give out : animam pulmonibus, Lucil. ap. Non. 38, 27: animam medios in ignes, Ov. M. 5, 106: auras, id. ib. 3, 121: flumen sanguinis de pectore, Lucr. 2, 354; cf.: flammas pectore, Verg. A. 1, 44: odorem de corpore, Lucr. 4, 124: sonos per saxa (unda), Sil. 9, 285: colorem (uniones), Plin. 9, 35, 56, § 115.—
B Poet. transf.: cadavera vermes, i. e. send forth , produce , Lucr. 3, 720: silva comas tollit fructumque exspirat in umbras, i. e. spreads out into foliage , Stat. S. 5, 2, 70.—
C Exspirare animam, to expire , die , Gell. 3, 15 init. —
II Neutr.
A To rush forth , come forth , be exhaled.
1 Lit.: per fauces montis ut Aetnae Exspirent ignes, Lucr. 6, 640: ignis foras (with exire in auras), id. 6, 886: vis fera ventorum, Ov. M. 15, 300: halitus Averni, Val. Fl. 4, 493: unguenta, evaporate , Plin. 13, 3, 4, § 20: vis, Lucil. ap. Non. 38, 30.—*
2 Trop.: irae pectoris exspirantes, Cat. 64, 194.—
B To breathe one's last , to expire.
I Lit.: ut per singulos artus exspiraret, Sall. H. 1, 30 Dietsch.: atram tundit humum exspirans, Verg. A. 10, 731: ubi perire jussus exspiravero, Hor. Epod. 5, 91: inter primam curationem exspiravit, Liv. 2, 20, 9: inter verbera et vincula, id. 28, 19, 12: extremus exspirantis hiatus, Quint. 6, 2, 31; 9, 2, 73; Sen. Ep. 99, 27; Curt. 3, 5, 4; Suet. Tib. 21; id. Claud. 23; Val. Max. 4, 5, 6; Plin. 7, 36, 36, § 122.— Pass. impers. : quoniam membranā cerebri incisā statim exspiretur, Plin. 11, 37, 67, § 178: exspiravit aper dentibus apri, Juv. 15, 162.—
2 Trop., to expire , perish , come to an end , cease : si ego morerer, mecum exspiratura res publica erat, Liv. 28, 28, 11: libertate jam exspirante, Plin. Pan. 57, 4: ne res publica exspiraret, Val. Max. 3, 2, 18: criminis causa exspirat, becomes extinct , ceases , Dig. 48, 17, 1 fin. ; 24, 3, 19: prior obligatio, ib. 45, 1, 58.