pĕto, īvi and ĭi, ītum, 3 (perf. petīt, Verg. A. 9, 9;Ov. F. 1, 109: petisti, Cic. Cat. 1, 5, 11; Verg. A. 4, 100; 12, 359: petistis, Auct. Her. 4, 15, 22: petissem, Cic. Verr. 1, 55, 145; Ov. M. 5, 26; Liv. 30, 25, 2: petisse, Cic. Quint. 11, 37; id. Verr. 2, 4, 63, § 140; Ov. M. 9, 623; cf. Neue, Formenl. 2, 516 sq.), v. a. [Sanscr. root pat-, to fall upon, fly, find; Gr. πετ- in πίπτω ἔπεσον, to fall; cf. Lat. impetus and in πέτομαι, to fly; cf. Lat. penna, acci-pit-er, etc.; the root of πίπτω, and therefore orig. to fall, fall upon; hence, to endeavor to reach or attain any thing].
I To fall upon any thing.
A Lit.
1 In a hostile sense, to rush at , attack , assault , assail; to let fly at , aim a blow at , thrust at , etc. (class.; cf.: invado, aggredior): gladiatores et vitando caute, et petendo vehementer, Cic. Or. 68, 228: cujus latus mucro ille petebat, id. Lig. 3, 9: non latus aut ventrem, sed caput et collum petere, to thrust at , id. Mur. 26, 52: aliquem spiculo infeste, Liv. 2, 20: aliquem mālo, to throw an apple at any one , Verg. E. 3, 64: alicui ungue genas, Ov. A. A. 2, 452: aliquem saxis, id. de Nuce, 2: aprum jaculis, Suet. Tib. 72: aëra disco, Hor. S. 2, 2, 13: bello Penatīs, Verg. A. 3, 603: armis patriam, Vell. 2, 68, 3.—
2 Without the notion of hostility: petere collum alicujus amplexu, to fall upon one's neck , to embrace one , M. Cael. ap. Quint. 4, 2, 124.—Esp. freq., to seek , to direct one's course to , to go or repair to , to make for , travel to a place: grues loca calidiora petentes, Cic. N. D. 2, 49, 125: Cyzicum, id. Fam. 14, 4, 3: Dyrrhachium, id. Planc. 41, 97: naves, to seek , take refuge in their ships , Nep. Milt. 5, 5: caelum pennis, to fly , Ov. F. 3, 457: Graiis Phasi petite viris, visited by the Greeks , id. P. 4, 10, 52: Metellus Postumium ad bellum gerendum Africam petentem, ... urbem egredi passus non est, attempting to go , starting , Val. Max. 1, 1, 2.—Transf., of things, to proceed or go towards : campum petit amnis, Verg. G. 3, 522: mons petit astra, towers toward the stars , Ov. M. 1, 316: aliquem, to seek , go to a person : reginam, Verg. A. 1, 717: ut te supplex peterem, et tua limina adirem, id. ib. 6, 115: aliquid in locum or ad aliquem, to go to a place or person for something , to go in quest of , go to fetch : visum est tanti in extremam Italiam petere Brundisium ostreas, to go to Brundisium for oysters , Plin. 9, 54, 79, § 169: myrrham ad Troglodytas, id. 12, 15, 33, § 66: harena ad Aethiopas usque petitur, id. 36, 6, 9, § 51: collis, in quem vimina petebantur, id. 16, 10, 15, § 37: quaeque trans maria petimus, fetch, id. 19, 4, 19, §§ 58, 52.—
II Trop.
A To attack , assail one with any thing (class.): aliquem epistulā, Cic. Att. 2, 2, 2: aliquem fraude et insidiis, Liv. 40, 55: aliquem falsis criminibus, Tac. A. 4, 31.—
B To demand , seek , require (cf. posco).
1 In gen.: ita petit asparagus, Varr. R. R. 1, 23: ex iis tantum, quantum res petet, hauriemus, Cic. de Or. 3, 31, 123: aliquem in vincula, Quint. 7, 1, 55: aliquem ad supplicium, id. 7, 6, 6: poenas ab aliquo, to seek satisfaction from or revenge one's self on any one. ut poenas ab optimo quoque peteret sui doloris, Cic. Att. 1, 16, 7: ut merito ab eā poenas liberi sui petere debuerint, Quint. 3, 11, 12.—
2 In partic.
a To demand or claim at law , to bring an action to recover , to sue for any thing (syn.: postulo): causam dicere Prius unde petitur ... Quam ille qui petit, Ter. Eun. 11: qui per se litem contestatur, sibi soli petit, Cic. Rosc. Com. 18, 53: aliquando cum servis Habiti furti egit; nuper ab ipso Habito petere coepit, id. Clu. 59, 163: qui non calumniā litium alienos fundos, sed castris, exercitu, signis inferendis petebat, id. Mil. 27, 74.—
b To beg , beseech , ask , request , desire , entreat (syn.: rogo, flagito, obsecro); constr with ab and abl. of pers. (cf. infra); ante- and postclass., with acc. of pers. : vos volo, vos peto atque obsecro, Plaut. Curc. 1, 2, 60; freq. with ut : a te etiam atque etiam peto atque contendo, ut, etc., Cic. Fam. 13, 1, 5: peto quaesoque, ut, etc., id. ib. 5, 4, 2: peto igitur a te, vel, si pateris, oro, ut, id. ib. 9, 13, 3: petere in beneficii loco et gratiae, ut, id. Verr. 2, 3, 82, § 189: petere precibus per litteras ab aliquo, ut, id. Sull. 19, 55: pacem ab aliquo, Caes. B. G. 2, 13: opem ab aliquo, Cic. Tusc. 5, 2, 5: vitam nocenti, Tac. A. 2, 31: petito, ut intrare urbem liceret, Just. 43, 5, 6.—Also, with id or illud , and ut , etc.: illud autem te peto, ut, etc., Dolab. ap. Cic. Fam. 9, 9, 2.—With obj.-clause (mostly poet.): arma umeris arcumque animosa petebat Ferre, Stat. Ach. 1, 352; cf.: cum peteret (solum) donari quasi proprio suo deo, Suet. Aug. 5: petit aes sibi dari εἰς ἄρτους, Gell. 9, 2, 1.—De aliquo (for ab aliquo), to beg or request of one (post-class.): si de me petisses, ut, etc., Dig. 13, 6, 5.—Ab aliquo aliquid alicui, to beg a thing of one person for another (class.): M. Curtio tribunatum a Caesare petivi, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 15, 3: ab aliquo pro aliquo petere, to intercede for : in eorum studiis, qui a te pro Ligario petunt, Cic. Lig. 10, 31.—With ex and abl. pers. (v. infra d.): eum petit litteris, ut ad Britanniam proficisceretur, Capitol. Pertin. 3, 5; Eutr. 2, 24.
XII —Hence, pĕtītum , i, n., a prayer , desire , request , entreaty , Cat. 68, 39.—
β Polit. t. t., to apply or solicit for an office , to be a candidate for office (different from ambire, to go about among the people to collect their votes, to canvass, which took place after the petitio): nemo est ex iis, qui nunc petunt, qui, etc., Cic. Att. 1, 1, 2: consulatum, id. Phil. 2, 30, 76: praeturam, id. Verr. 1, 8, 23; Liv. 1, 35.—
c To solicit a person, to seek to possess , to woo : libidine sic accensa (Sempronia) ut viros saepius peteret quam peteretur, Sall. C. 25, 3: cum te tam multi peterent, tu me una petisti, Prop. 3, 13, 27: formosam quisque petit, id. 3, 32, 4: multi illam petiere, Ov. M. 1, 478; cf.: quae tuus Vir petet, cave, ne neges; Ne petitum aliunde eat, Cat. 61, 151.—
d To endeavor to obtain or pursue , to seek , strive after any thing, Plaut. Ep. 1, 2, 40: fugā salutem petere, Nep. Hann. 11, 4: praedam pedibus, Ov. M. 1, 534: gloriam, Sall. C. 54, 5: eloquentiae principatum, Cic. Or. 17, 56: sanguinis profusio vel fortuita vel petita, intentional , designed , produced by artificial means , Cels. 2, 8.—With inf.: bene vivere, Hor. Ep. 1, 11, 29: victricemque petunt dextrae conjungere dextram, Ov. M. 8, 421; 14, 571: conubiis natam sociare Latinis, Verg. A. 7, 96: aliquem transfigere ferro, Mart. 5, 51, 3.—With ex and abl., over , in the case of : ex hostibus victoriam petere, Liv. 8, 33, 13: supplicium ex se, non victoriam peti, id. 28, 19, 11: imperium ex victis hostibus populum Romanum petere, id. 30, 16, 7.—
e To fetch any thing: qui argentum petit, Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 53: cibum e flammā, Ter. Eun. 491: altius initium rei demonstrandae, Cic. Caecin. 4, 10: aliquid a Graecis, id. Ac. 1, 2, 8: a litteris exiguam doloris oblivionem, to obtain , id. Fam. 5, 15, 4: suspirium alte, to fetch a deep sigh , Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 57; cf.: latere petitus imo spiritus, Hor. Epod. 11, 10; and: gemitus alto de corde petiti, Ov. M. 2, 622: haec ex veteri memoriā petita, Tac. H. 3, 5, 1.—
f To take , betake one's self to any thing: iter a Vibone Brundisium terrā petere contendi, Cic. Planc. 40, 96: diversas vias, Val. Fl. 1, 91: alium cursum, to take another route , Cic. Att. 3, 8, 2: aliam in partem petebant fugam, betook themselves to flight , fled , Caes. B. G. 2, 24.—
g To refer to , relate to (poet.): Trojanos haec monstra petunt, Verg. A. 9, 128.