rē-spĭcĭo, spexi, spectum, 3 (old form of subj. perf. respexis, Plaut. Aul. 1, 1, 19; id. Most. 2, 2, 90; id. Rud. 3, 3, 16), v. n. and a., to look back or behind, to look about, look; to see behind one; to look back upon, to look at, look to or for any thing (very freq. and class.).
I Lit.
α Neutr. : respicere quasi retro aspicere, Varro Manio: sedens ... neque post respiciens, neque ante prospiciens, Non. p. 442, 31 sq. (cf. infra, β): longe retro respicere non possunt, Cic. Tusc. 5, 2, 6; Liv. 21, 22, 7; cf. Cic. Div. 1, 24, 49: subito exaudivit hinnitum respexitque et equum alacrem laetus aspexit, id. ib. 1, 33 fin.: Er. Ergasilum qui vocat? He. Respice ... respice ad me, Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 54 sq.: huc ad aliquem, id. Trin. 4, 3, 61; so, ad aliquem, id. Curc. 1, 2, 20; id. Cas. 3, 5, 10; id. Ps. 1, 3, 16; id. Poen. 4, 2, 35; id. Truc. 2, 2, 2; Ter. And. 417; id. Phorm. 740 al.; cf.: nocte ad oppidum, Cic. Div. 1, 32, 69: patriae ad oras, Ov. M. 11, 547: ad libellos, Quint. 10, 7, 31; 11, 2, 45; Ter. Eun. 342: ad laevam, Plaut. Mil. 2, 4, 8: in aliquem, Ap. Met. 2, 8, 1; huc, Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 30; id. Rud. 3, 4, 2; id. Truc. 1, 2, 20; 21: tanta militum virtus fuit, ut non modo de vallo decederet nemo, sed paene ne respiceret quidem quisquam, Caes. B. G. 5, 43: transque caput jace, nec respexeris, Verg. E. 8, 102: respicit Aeneas subito, id. A. 6, 548: a tergo, id. ib. 8, 697: quod respicere vetitus est, Liv. 21, 22.—
β Act. (in lit. sense rare in good prose, but freq. in all styles in the trop. signif.; v. infra, II.): ipsi Respiciunt atram in nimbo volitare favillam, look back on , see behind them , Verg. A. 5, 666: modo Prospicit occasus, interdum respicit ortus, Ov. M. 2, 190: respice me et relinque egentem parasitum, Plaut. Stich. 2, 2, 7: repudia istos comites atque hoc respice et revortere, id. Merc. 5, 2, 30: proxima respiciens signa, Caes. B. C. 2, 39; cf. Caesarem, id. ib. 3, 91: (Hannibalem) respexisse saepe Italiae litora, Liv. 30, 20, 7: nec prius amissam (Creüsam) respexi animumve reflexi, Quam, etc., Verg. A. 2. 741; id. G. 4, 491; Ov. M. 11, 66; cf.: ut stetit et frustra absentem respexit amicum, Verg. A. 9, 389: instantem tergo Cloanthum, id. ib. 5, 168: donec versas ad litora puppes Respiciunt, id. ib. 10, 269; cf. id. ib. 5, 666: oculis pignora cara, Ov. Tr. 1, 3, 60: medio cum Sol altissimus orbe Tantum respiceret, quantum superesse videret, looked back upon , i. e. had already passed over , id. M. 11, 354. —
II Trop.
A In gen., to look , have regard , turn attention.
α Neutr. : neque se in multa simul intendere animus totum potest: et, quocumque respexit, desinit intueri, quod propositum erat, at whatsoever it looks , Quint. 10, 3, 23: si propter singula verba ad singulas formas respiciendum erit, id. 11, 2, 26; cf.: non respiciendum ad haec, id. 7, 10, 14: M. Bibulus cuncta administrabat: ad hunc summa imperii respiciebat, looked to him , was centred in him , Caes. B. C. 3, 5 fin. ; cf.: periculum (emptionis) ad venditorem respicere, Dig. 18, 6, 4 (with ad venditorem pertinere). —
β Act. , to look at , regard , look to : quom respicias immensi temporis omne Praeteritum spatium, Lucr. 3, 854; cf.: quoad longissime potest mens mea respicere spatium praeteriti temporis, Cic. Arch. 1, 1: cum vastitatem Italiae respexerint, Asin. Poll. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 33, 1: subsidia, quae respicerent in re trepidā, etc., which they might look to , i. e. from which they might expect aid , Liv. 4, 46; cf.: ne respicere spem ullam ab Romanis posset, id. 4, 17: respicere exemplar vitae morumque jubebo Doctum imitatorem, to look at , have in his eye , Hor. A. P. 317: de te pendentis, te respicientis amici, id. Ep. 1, 1, 105. — With rel.-clause : quid sit prius actum, respicere aetas Nostra nequit, nisi, etc., Lucr. 5, 1446; cf. id. 3, 972: respiciens, an vera soror, Val. Fl. 6, 661.—
B Pregn., to look at with solicitude , i. e. to have a care for , regard , be mindful of , consider , respect , etc. (in this sense mostly act.; cf. provideo).
1 Of a protecting deity: di homines respiciunt, Plaut. Rud. 5, 2, 29: deus respiciet nos aliquis, id. Bacch. 4, 2, 39; Ter. Phorm. 817; id. Hec. 772: nisi quis nos deus respexerit, Cic. Att. 1, 16, 6: Sive neglectum genus et nepotes Respicis auctor, Hor. C. 1, 2, 36; Verg. E. 1, 28: nisi idem deus, qui, etc., respexerit rem publicam, Cic. Att. 7, 1, 2: et me et te, nisi quid dī respiciunt, perdidi, Ter. And. 643.— Hence, Rēspĭcĭens , the Provident , an epithet of Fortuna: ad opem ferendam, Cic. Leg. 2, 11, 28; Inscr. Orell. 477; 1766.— Rarely, in a bad sense, of an avenging deity: at vos, devota capita, respiciant di perjuriorum vindices, may they remember it against you , Just. 14, 4, 10.—
2 Of persons that have a care or regard for any thing: hercle alius nemo respicit nos, Ter. Ad. 353; so, aliquem, Plaut. Truc. 2, 3, 19; id. Aul. 2, 2, 54: age, me in tuis secundis respice, Ter. And. 975; id. Ad. 932: miseros aratores, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 10, § 26; Caes. B. G. 7, 77: sin Caesarem respiciant, id. B. C. 1, 1; Mart. 10, 10, 5: non Pylium Nestora respicis, Hor. C. 1, 15, 22: quantum quisque ferat respiciendus erit, Ov. Am. 1, 8, 38: mox deos respexere; restitui Capitolium placuit, bethought themselves of , Tac. H. 4, 4: aetatem tuam, Ter. Phorm. 434: populi Romani commoda (with prospicere), Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 55, § 127: salutem cum meam tum aliorum, id. Planc. 38, 91; cf. Caes. B. C. 1, 5: rem publicam, Cic. Phil. 2, 46, 118; Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 11, 3: mala sua, Lucr. 4, 1159 et saep. —With se , to think of or have regard for one’s self , Plaut. Ps. 2, 2, 18; Ter. Heaut. 70; 919; Cic. Fin. 2, 24, 79; id. pro Scaur. Fragm. 41, p. 267 Orell.: quod si Caesar se respexerit, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 24, 8.—With ad (Quintilian): ad utilitatem Ligarii respicit, looks to the advantage of , Quint. 9, 2, 28; so, modice ad hanc partem, id. 9, 4, 36: Graecas litteras (corresp. to studere Latinis), id. 1, 12, 6: saepius ad curam rerum ab elocutione, id. 10, 1, 120.—With an abstr. subj. : si quid pietas antiqua labores Respicit humanos, Verg. A. 5, 689.— With object-clause , to observe , perceive , notice : respicio nihili meam vos gratiam facere, Plaut. Curc. 1, 2, 68.