rē-spīro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. and n.
I Lit., to blow or breathe back; to breathe out , exhale (class.; esp. in the trop. signif.): quod nisi respirent venti, vis nulla refrenet Res ... nunc quia respirant, etc., Lucr. 6, 568 sq.: cum aspera arteria ad pulmones usque pertineat excipiatque animam eam, quae ducta sit spiritu eandemque a pulmonibus respiret et reddat, Cic. N. D. 2, 54, 136: ex eā pars redditur respirando, id. ib. 2, 55, 138: malignum aëra, to exhale , send forth , Stat. S. 2, 2, 78; cf. id. ib. 2, 4, 35; and poet.: fistula, i. e. to sound , Calp. Ecl. 4, 74.—
II Transf., in gen., to take breath; to breathe , respire (only neutr. ).
A Lit.: propius fore eos ad respirandum, Cic. Fin. 4, 23, 64; 3, 14, 48: sine respirem, quaeso, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 20 (with recipere anhelitum); id. Pers. 3, 3, 12: O Clitopho, timeo. Clit. respiro, Ter. Heaut. 241; Quint. 8, 5, 14; Plin. 14, 22, 28, § 146: ut non ter deciens respiret, Juv. 14, 28 al.—
B Trop., to fetch one’s breath again , to recover breath; to recover , revive , be relieved or refreshed after any thing difficult (as labor, care, etc.); constr. absol. or ab aliquā re.
α Absol. : (improbitas) cujus in animo versatur, numquam sinit eum respirare, numquam acquiescere, Cic. Fin. 1, 16, 52; cf.: si armis positis civitas respiraverit, id. Fam. 6, 2, 2 (with recreari): cum tot negotiis distentus sit, ut libere respirare non possit, id. Rosc. Am. 8, 22: respiravi, liberatus sum, id. Mil. 18, 47: homines respirasse videbantur, id. Sest. 38, 71; id. Att. 2, 24, 5; 7, 13, a, 3; 10, 1: spatium respirandi dare, Liv. 10, 28; 26, 26 fin. ; 28, 31; Verg. A. 9, 813 al.: quo animi respirant, Quint. 9, 4, 62.— Impers. pass. : ita respiratum, mittique legationes coeptae, Liv. 29, 4.—
β With ab : respirare a metu, Cic. Clu. 70, 200; id. Har. Resp. 23, 48: ab eorum mixtis precibus minisque, Liv. 4, 25: a continuis cladibus, id. 22, 18; cf.: aures poëticis voluptatibus a forensi asperitate, Quint. 1, 8, 11.—
2 Transf., twice in Cic., of the exertion or passion itself, to abate , diminish , cease (syn.: remittere, cessare): oppugnatio respiravit, Cic. Phil. 8, 7, 20: cupiditas atque avaritia respirasset, id. Quint. 16, 53.