rē-spondĕo, di, sum, 2, v. a.
I Lit., to promise a thing in return for something else; to offer or present in return. So, only in a few examples, the phrase par pari (dat.) respondere, to return like for like : par pari respondes dicto, you return tit for tat with your tongue (syn. refero), Plaut. Pers. 2, 2, 41; cf.: istuc serva; et verbum verbo par pari ut respondeas, Ter. Phorm. 213; and: paria paribus respondimus, Cic. Att. 6, 1, 23.— Pass. : provide, si cui quid debetur, ut sit, unde par pari respondeatur, i. e. that there be wherewithal to meet the demand , Atticus ap. Cic. Att. 16, 7, 6; cf. also under II. A. 1, the lusus verbb. with spondeo; and II. B. init. —
II In a more general signification.
A To answer , reply , respond (either to a question, or to any statement or remark, and either in a friendly or hostile signif.); constr. aliquid alicui , ad , adversus , contra aliquem ( aliquid ).
1 In gen.
a Lit.: Th. Aliud te rogo. Tr. Aliud ergo nunc tibi respondeo, Plaut. Most. 5, 1, 70; cf. id. Merc. 1, 2, 73.— Absol. : prius respondes, quam rogo, Plaut. Merc. 2, 3, 119: eā legatione Papirius auditā ... respondit, Liv. 9, 14, 2; 27, 40, 8; 33, 38, 7; Nep. Milt. 1, 4: ille appellatus respondit, Caes. B. G. 5, 36; 5, 41; Cic. Leg. 3, 13, 30; id. Verr. 2, 4, 62, § 138; id. Fam. 3, 6, 2; 5, 2, 8; 7, 24, 2; 9, 14, 2. — So usu. of an oral answer: tibi non rescribam, sed respondeam, Sen. Ep. 67, 2; but also of writing: epistulae, Cic. Att. 9, 9, 1 et saep.; v. infra: ab his sermo oritur, respondet Laelius, Cic. Lael. 1, 5; Plaut. Men. 5, 5, 28: olli respondit rex Albaï Longaï, Enn. ap. Fortun. p. 2691 P. (Ann. v. 34 Vahl.): cui orationi Caepionis ore respondit Aelius, Cic. Brut. 46, 169: criminibus, id. Planc. 2, 4: supremae tuae paginae, id. Att. 6, 2, 1: cui opinioni, Quint. 4, 4, 1: tam aequae postulationi, id. 7, 1, 47 al.: summā constantiā ad ea, quae quaesita erant, respondebat, Cic. Phil. 1, 1, 2; cf.: arbitrabar me satis respondisse ad id quod quaesierat Laelius, id. Rep. 2, 39, 65: nec absurde adversus utrosque respondisse visus est, Liv. 35, 50; 8, 32: adversus haec imperator respondit, id. 30, 31; 33, 35 fin. — With acc. of neutr. pron. : illud respondere cogam, to make answer to that , Cic. Cael. 28, 67; cf. id. Vatin. 7, 18; 17, 41: multa contra patronos venuste testis saepe respondet, Quint. 5, 7, 31; 5, 7, 24; cf.: accipe, quid contra juvenis responderit, Hor. S. 2, 3, 233.— With object-clause : respondent, bello se et suos tutari posse, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 59; id. Curc. 2, 3, 54; id. Mil. 2, 2, 23; id. Merc. 5, 2, 102 al. —Introducing a direct answer: cum dixisset, Quid agis, Grani? respondit, Immo vero tu, Druse, quid agis! Cic. Planc. 14, 33; id. Att. 5, 21, 12; id. Inv. 1, 31, 51; id. Tusc. 5, 19, 56.— In impers. perf. : postquam mihi responsum est, abeo, etc., Plaut. Curc. 2, 3, 57; cf. id. Mil. 4, 2, 93: quid nunc renunciem abs te responsum? Ter. Heaut. 859: sic existimet: Responsum non dictum esse, quia laesit prior, id. Eun. 6.— In plur.: multa ejus et in senatu et in foro vel provisa prudenter vel acta constanter vel responsa acute ferebantur, Cic. Lael. 2, 6.— In the sup. : (haec) quam brevia responsu, Cic. Clu. 59 fin. — In a lusus verbb. with spondeo: Er. Sponden' tu istud? He. Spondeo. Er. At ego, tuum tibi advenisse filium, respondeo, and in return I promise you , i. e. assure you , Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 119; cf.: fideiussores, qui salvam rempublicam fore responderunt, etc., promised , gave assurance , Dig. 50, 1, 17 fin. —
b Trop., to answer , respond , reply to , re-echo , resound , etc.: saxa et solitudines voci respondent, Cic. Arch. 8, 19; respondent flebile ripae, Ov. M. 11, 53; and: respondentia tympana, Stat. Ach. 2, 175: urbes coloniarum respondebunt Catilinae tumulis silvestribus, will give an answer to , i. e. will prove a match for , Cic. Cat. 2, 11, 24.—
2 In partic.
a Of lawyers, priests, oracles, etc., to give an opinion , advice , decision , response : quaeris, num juris consultus (sit)? quasi quisquam sit, qui sibi hunc falsum de jure respondisse dicat, Cic. Planc. 25, 62; so, de jure, id. Brut. 30, 113; cf.: de jure consulentibus respondere, id. Mur. 4, 9; in a like signif., also simply jus, id. Leg. 1, 4, 12: facultas respondendi juris, id. ib. 2, 12, 29; id. de Or. 1, 45, 198; Plin. Ep. 6, 15, 3 al.; cf.: civica jura, Hor. Ep. 1, 3, 24; and: quae consuluntur, minimo periculo respondentur, etc., Cic. Mur. 13, 28; id. Brut. 89, 306. — Absol. , Dig. 2, 14, 7; and so very freq. of the jurists in the Digests; v. responsum: pater Roscii ad haruspices retulit: qui responderunt, nihil illo puero clarius fore, Cic. Div. 1, 36, 79: cum ex prodigiis haruspices respondissent, Sall. C. 47, 2; Liv. 27, 37; 31, 5; 5, 54; Vell. 2, 24, 3: responsum est, Suet. Aug. 94, 97: deliberantibus Pythia respondit, ut moenibus ligneis se munirent, gave advice , Nep. Them. 2, 6; cf. Just. 11, 11, § 11: possumus seniores amici quiete respondere, to give advice , Tac. A. 14, 54 fin. —
b Of the answering of a person summoned when his name is called; hence, meton., to appear : citatus neque respondit neque excusatus est, Varr. ap. Gell. 11, 1, 4; cf.: cives, qui ad nomina non respondissent, Liv. 7, 4: quia Romae non respondebant, id. 39, 18; Val. Max. 6, 3, 4; Suet. Tib. 38; id. Ner. 44; Hor. S. 1, 9, 36 (vadato, dat., i.e. ei qui eum vadatus erat; v. vador); Dig. 3, 3, 35; 41, 1, 14 et saep.—
β Esp., to appear before a tribunal, to answer an accusation, meet a charge, etc.: perfectus in exsilium Tubulus est nec respondere ausus, Cic. Fin. 2, 16, 54: Verrem alterā actione responsurum non esse, id. Verr. 2, 1, 1, § 1: nemo Epaminondam responsurum putabat, Nep. Epam. 8, 1.—
γ Transf., in gen., to appear , be present : ipsi (sc. paeon et herous) se offerent et respondebunt non vocati, Cic. de Or. 3, 49, 191: verba (with res se ostendent), Quint. 10, 3, 9: ut ii, qui debent, non respondeant ad tempus, Cic. Att. 16, 2, 2; cf.: podagra ad tempus (with venit ad horam), Sen. Q. N. 3, 16, 1: sanguis per menstrua, Cels. 4, 4, 5.—
B To answer to; to meet , agree , accord , or correspond with a thing; constr. usually with dat. or absol. : ut omnia omnibus paribus paria respondeant, Cic. N. D. 1, 19, 50: ut horum auctoritatibus illorum orationi, qui dissentiunt, respondere posse videamur, id. Imp. Pomp. 23, 68: ut verba verbis quasi demensa et paria respondeant, id. Or. 12, 38; and: respondent extrema primis, media utrisque, omnia omnibus, id. Fin. 5, 28, 83: (Aristoteles dicit) illam artem (sc. rhetoricam) quasi ex alterā parte respondere dialecticae, that it corresponds to , i. e. forms the counterpart of , id. Or. 32, 114: aedificare alteram porticum quae Palatio responderet, id. Har. Resp. 23, 49; cf. of a locality: contra elata mari respondet Gnosia tellus, i. e. lies opposite , Verg. A. 6, 23: Pachyni pulsata Ionio respondent saxa profundo, Sil. 14, 73: est mihi magnae curae, ut ita erudiatur (Lucullus), ut et patri et Caepioni nostro et tibi tam propinquo respondeat, Cic. Fin. 3, 2, 8: satis Graecorum gloriae responderunt, id. Tusc. 1, 2, 3: tua virtus opinioni hominum, id. Fam. 2, 5, 2; id. Lael. 16, 56: fortuna meis optatis, id. Fam. 2, 1, 2; cf.: seges votis, Verg. G. 1, 47: arma Caesaris non responsura lacertis, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 48: favor meritis, id. ib. 2, 1, 9: ne prior officio quisquam respondeat, id. S. 2, 6, 24: par fama labori, id. ib. 2, 8, 66: fructus labori, Ov. F. 4, 641: non mihi respondent veteres in carmine vires, id. H. 15, 197 al.: familiam nemo speciosiorem producet, sed hominibus non respondet, he does not pay his debts , Sen. Ep. 87, 6: amori amore respondere, i. e. to return it , repay it , Cic. Fam. 15, 21, 4; cf.: Quinti fratris liberalitati subsidiis amicorum, id. Att. 4, 3, 6: qui ex vico ortus est, eam patriam intellegitur habere, cui reipublicae vicus ille respondet, to which it belongs , Dig. 50, 1, 30.— In mal. part.: mulieribus, Plaut. Mil. 4, 1, 17.—With ad : respondere ad parentum speciem, resemble , Varr. R. R. 2, 5, 9: deformentur directiones, ut longitudines ad regulam et lineam, altitudines ad perpendiculum, anguli ad normam respondentes exigantur, Vitr. 7, 3; cf.: structuram ad perpendiculum respondere oportet, Plin. 36, 22, 51, § 172: quia non tota ad animum responderat (villa), Suet. Caes. 48: ad spem eventus respondit, Liv. 28, 6.—With dat.: Papirio quoque brevi ad spem eventus respondit, Liv. 9, 15.— With ex : quicquid non ex voluntate respondet, iram provocat, Sen. Ep. 47, 19: speculum quocumque obvertimus oris, Res sibi respondent simili formā atque colore, i. e. correspond , are reflected , Lucr. 4, 167.— Absol. : sidera respondent in aquā, Lucr. 4, 213: quia raro verba belle respondeant, Quint. 6, 3, 48: medicus aliquid oportet inveniat, quod non ubique fortasse, sed saepius tamen etiam respondeat, may answer , be suitable , Cels. praef.—
C To return , make a return , yield : frumenta quando cum quarto responderint (sc. colono), have returned , yielded , Col. 3, 3, 4; cf. with abl. and dat.: humus cum est repetita cultu, magno fenore colono respondet, id. 2, 1, 3: vitis, nisi praepingui solo, non respondet, id. 3, 2, 11; cf.: metalla plenius responsura fodienti, Sen. Ep. 23, 5.
XIV —Hence, rēspon-sum , i, n., an answer , reply , response (equally freq. in sing. and plur.).
1 In gen.: suis postulatis responsa exspectare, Caes. B. C. 1, 5 fin. : haec paucis diebus ex illius ad nostra responsa responsis intellegentur, quorsum evasura sint, Cic. Att. 7, 17, 4: responsum senatūs, Liv. 7, 31: sine responso legatos dimisit, id. 9, 38: nullo ab nostris dato responso, Caes. B. G. 5, 58: responsum dedisti tantis de rebus, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 16, § 40; 2, 4, 39, § 85; so, dare responsum, Liv. 5, 32, 8; Val. Max. 9, 5, ext. 3; Curt. 3, 12, 9; Liv. 3, 50, 12: reddere alicui, Cic. Planc. 14, 34; cf.: triste redditum, Liv. 9, 16: ferre (ab aliquo), to receive , Cic. Cat. 1, 8, 19; Caes. B. G. 6, 4 fin. : referre (ab aliquo), to deliver , Cic. Att. 7, 17, 2; Hirt. B. G. 8, 23; Liv. 37, 6: elicere, Quint. 5, 7, 20: petere, Hor. C. S. 55: responsum accipere, Liv. 5, 36, 4; Just. 12, 2, 8: responsum non fuit in eis, Vulg. Jer. 5, 13.—
2 In partic. (acc. to II. A. 2.), an answer , reply of a lawyer, priest, oracle, etc.; an opinion , response , oracle : cum responsumque ab eo (Crasso) verum magis, quam ad suam rem accommodatum abstulisset, etc., Cic. de Or. 1, 56, 239: res judicatae, decreta, responsa, id. ib. 2, 27, 116; id. Mur. 13, 29.— The responsa prudentium, or authoritative opinions of leading lawyers, were an important source of the Roman law, Just. Inst. 1, 2, 8 Sandars ad loc.: haruspicum responsa, Cic. Cat. 3, 4, 9; cf. Quint. 5, 10, 30; Ov. M. 3, 340; 527: legatus a Delphis Romam rediit, responsumque ex scripto recitavit, Liv. 23, 11; cf. id. 1, 56; Quint. 3, 7, 11; 5, 7, 35; Tac. H. 1, 10; 4, 65 al.; Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 65; Ter. And. 698; Verg. A. 7, 86 et saep.— In eccl. Lat.: responsum Dei, ab angelo, etc., Vulg. Mich. 3, 7; id. Luc. 2, 26; id. Act. 10, 22.