verbthird (-iō variant) conjugation
prōspiciō
prōspiciō (present infinitive prōspicere, perfect active prōspexī, supine prōspectum)
Classical[proːsˈpɪ.ki.oː]Ecclesiastical[prosˈpiː.t͡ʃi.o]
Meaning
- to look far off; to see into the distance
- to watch or look out for
- to discern, descry or espy
- to foresee, see ahead, look forward or towards something
In hōc enim fallimur, quod mortem prōspicimus: magna pars eius iam praeterit; quidquid aetātis retrō est mors tenet.
For in this [matter] we are deceiving ourselves, how we foresee death: [rather,] a large part of it has already passed. Whatever stage of life is behind us is held by death.c. 4 BCE – 65 CE, Seneca Minor, Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium 1.1.2
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
procul ante videōprōspiciō -ere — in IVLIANVS I: Gallia, ch. 22 and IVLIANVS II: Imperium, ch. 12
procul spectōprōspiciō -ere — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 22
Conjugation
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | prōspiciō | prōspiciēbam | prōspiciam | prōspexī | prōspexeram | prōspexerō |
| 2nd sg. | prōspicis | prōspiciēbās | prōspiciēs | prōspexistī | prōspexerās | prōspexeris |
| 3rd sg. | prōspicit | prōspiciēbat | prōspiciet | prōspexit | prōspexerat | prōspexerit |
| 1st pl. | prōspicimus | prōspiciēbāmus | prōspiciēmus | prōspeximus | prōspexerāmus | prōspexerimus |
| 2nd pl. | prōspicitis | prōspiciēbātis | prōspiciētis | prōspexistis | prōspexerātis | prōspexeritis |
| 3rd pl. | prōspiciunt | prōspiciēbant | prōspicient | prōspexērunt prōspexēre | prōspexerant | prōspexerint |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | prōspiciam | prōspicerem | prōspexerim | prōspexissem |
| 2nd sg. | prōspiciās | prōspicerēs | prōspexerīs | prōspexissēs |
| 3rd sg. | prōspiciat | prōspiceret | prōspexerit | prōspexisset |
| 1st pl. | prōspiciāmus | prōspicerēmus | prōspexerīmus | prōspexissēmus |
| 2nd pl. | prōspiciātis | prōspicerētis | prōspexerītis | prōspexissētis |
| 3rd pl. | prōspiciant | prōspicerent | prōspexerint | prōspexissent |
passive indicative
| form | present | imperfect | future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | prōspicior | prōspiciēbar | prōspiciar |
| 2nd sg. | prōspiceris prōspicere | prōspiciēbāris prōspiciēbāre | prōspiciēris prōspiciēre |
| 3rd sg. | prōspicitur | prōspiciēbātur | prōspiciētur |
| 1st pl. | prōspicimur | prōspiciēbāmur | prōspiciēmur |
| 2nd pl. | prōspiciminī | prōspiciēbāminī | prōspiciēminī |
| 3rd pl. | prōspiciuntur | prōspiciēbantur | prōspicientur |
passive subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | prōspiciar | prōspicerer |
| 2nd sg. | prōspiciāris prōspiciāre | prōspicerēris prōspicerēre |
| 3rd sg. | prōspiciātur | prōspicerētur |
| 1st pl. | prōspiciāmur | prōspicerēmur |
| 2nd pl. | prōspiciāminī | prōspicerēminī |
| 3rd pl. | prōspiciantur | prōspicerentur |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | prōspice | prōspicere |
| pres. 2nd pl. | prōspicite | prōspiciminī |
| fut. 2nd sg. | prōspicitō | prōspicitor |
| fut. 3rd sg. | prōspicitō | prōspicitor |
| fut. 2nd pl. | prōspicitōte | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | prōspiciuntō | prōspiciuntor |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | prōspicere | prōspicī |
| perfect infinitive | prōspexisse | prōspectum esse |
| future infinitive | prōspectūrum esse | prōspectum īrī |
| present participle | prōspiciēns | — |
| perfect participle | — | prōspectus prōspecta, prōspectā, prōspectae, prōspectam, prōspectārum, prōspectās, prōspecte, prōspectī, prōspectīs, prōspectō, prōspectōrum, prōspectōs |
| future participle | prōspectūrus prōspectūra, prōspectūrā, prōspectūrae, prōspectūram, prōspectūrārum, prōspectūrās, prōspectūre, prōspectūrī, prōspectūrīs, prōspectūrō, prōspectūrōrum, prōspectūrōs, prōspectūrum | prōspiciendus prōspiciundus, prōspicienda, prōspiciendā, prōspiciendae, prōspiciendam, prōspiciendārum, prōspiciendās, prōspiciende, prōspiciendīs, prōspiciendōrum, prōspiciendōs |
gerundprōspiciendī, prōspiciendō, prōspiciendumsupineprōspectum, prōspectū
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- prospectus est ad aliquid
- one has a view over...; one is able to see as far as...
- saluti suae consulere, prospicere
- to take measures for one's safety; to look after one's own interests.
- rei frumentariae prospicere (B. G. 1. 23)
- to look after the commissariat.
- futura or casus futuros (multo ante) prospicere
- to foresee the far distant future.
- longe prospicere futuros casus rei publicae (De Amic. 12. 40)
- to foresee political events long before.
- rationibus alicuius prospicere or consulere (opp. officere, obstare, adversari)
- to look after, guard a person's interests, welfare.
prō-spĭcĭo, exi, ectum, 3, v. n. and a.
I. [specio].
I. Neutr., to look forward or into the distance, to look out, to look, see (class.).
A. In gen.: neque post respiciens, neque ante prospiciens, Varr. ap. Non. 443, 2:
parum prospiciunt oculi, do not see well, Ter. Phorm. 5, 1, 8; Plaut. Curc. 2, 3, 38: grues volant ad prospiciendum alte, Plin. 10, 23, 30, § 58: ex superioribus locis prospicere in urbem, Caes. B. C. 2, 5: multum, to have an extensive prospect, Cic. Fam. 7, 20, 1: per umbram, Verg. A. 2, 733: procul, id. ib. 12, 353: ex moenibus, Hor. C. 3, 2, 8: longe lateque, Auct. B. Hisp. 8.—B. In partic.
1. To look out, to watch, be on the watch:
puer ab januā prospiciens, Nep. Hann. 12, 4: pavorem simulans (feles) prospexit toto die, Phaedr. 2, 4, 20: Michol prospiciens per fenestram, Vulg. 2 Reg. 6, 16; cf. Ambros. Off. 2, 29, 46.—2. To look or see to beforehand, to exercise foresight, to look out for, take care of, provide for any thing:
ego jam prospiciam mihi, Ter. Ad. 4, 2, 50: consulere ac prospicere debemus, ut, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 58, § 133: prospicite atque consulite, id. ib. 2, 1, 8, § 22: ut prospicias et consulas rationibus meis, id. Fam. 3, 2, 1: consulite vobis, prospicite patriae, id. Cat. 4, 2, 3: homo longe in posterum prospiciens, id. Fam. 2, 8, 1: ut illum intellegatis non longe animo prospexisse morientem, id. Clu. 12, 34: prospicite, ut, etc., id. Font. 17, 39: statuebat prospiciendum, ne, etc., Caes. B. G. 5, 7: in annum, Varr. R. R. 1, 23, 3.—Impers. pass.: senatusconsulto prospectum est, ne, etc., Paul. Sent. 4, 2.— Absol.: malo nos prospicere quam ulcisci, Ter. Eun. 4, 6, 24: plagae crescunt, Nisi prospicis, id. Phorm. 5, 2, 17.—II. Act., to see afar off, to discern, descry, espy.
A. In gen. (poet. and in post-Aug. prose):
Italiam summā ab undā, Verg. A. 6, 357: campos Prospexit longe, id. ib. 11, 909; Hor. C. 3, 25, 10: moenia urbis Tarpeiā de rupe, Luc. 1, 195: ex speculis adventantem hostium classem, Liv. 21, 49, 8: ut hostium agmen inde prospicerent, Curt. 3, 8, 26: ex edito monte cuncta, id. 7, 6, 4.—b. Transf., of situations, to have or command a view of, look or lie towards, to overlook:
domus prospicit agros, Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 23: cenatio latissimum mare, amoenissimas villas prospicit, Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 12; Plin. 5, 16, 15, § 72; Phaedr. 2, 5, 10: freta prospiciens Tmolus, Ov. M. 11, 150; 8, 330.—c. Trop.:
aliquis infans decessit, cui nihil amplius contigit quam prospicere vitam, to see life from a distance, to get a glimpse of, Sen. Ep. 66, 42: turpe est seni aut prospicienti senectutem, etc., one who sees old age before him, id. ib. 33, 7: neque prospexisse castra, i. e. life in camp, Plin. Pan. 15, 2.—B. In partic.
1. To look at attentively, to gaze at (very rare):
aliquem propter aliquid, Nep. Dat. 3, 3.—2. To foresee a thing (class.):
multo ante, tamquam ex aliquā speculā, prospexi tempestatem futuram, Cic. Fam. 4, 3, 1; cf.: longe prospicere futuros casus rei publicae, id. Lael. 12, 40; id. Dom. 5, 12: multum in posterum, id. Mur. 28, 59: ex imbri soles, Verg. G. 1, 393. —With rel.-clause: ut jam ante animo prospicere possis, quibus de rebus auditurus sis, Cic. Quint. 10, 35; id. Div. in Caecil. 13, 42.—3. To look out for, provide, procure:
habitationem alicui, Petr. 10: sedem senectuti, Liv. 4, 49 fin.: maritum filiae, Plin. Ep. 1, 14, 1.—In pass.: nisi si prospectum interea aliquid est, desertae vivimus, Ter. Heaut. 2, 4, 11: commeatus a praetore prospectos in hiemem habere, Liv. 44, 16: ad ferramenta prospicienda, Cic. Sull. 19, 55.—Hence, B. prōspĭcĭenter, adv., providently, considerately, carefully (post-class.):
res prospicienter animadversas, Gell. 2, 29, 1.—C. prōspectē, adv., providently, deliberately, considerately, advisedly, prudently (post-class.):
decernere, Tert. Apol. 6.—Sup.: adhaerebit bono, Aug. Ep. ad Maced. 55.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
prōspiciō ēxī, ectus, ere
SPEC-, to look forward, look into the distance, have a view, look out, look, see : parum prospiciunt oculi, do not see well , T.: ex superioribus locis in urbem, Cs.: multum, have an extensive prospect : per umbram, V.—Of places: domus prospicit agros, overlooks , H.: freta prospiciens Tmolus, O.— To see afar, discern, descry, espy, make out, observe : domum suam: campos longe, V.: ex speculis hostium classem, L.: ex edito monte cuncta, Cu.: cum litora fervere late Prospiceres, V.— To look out, watch, be on the watch : ab ianuā, N.: Pavorem simulans (feles) prospicit toto die, Ph.—Fig., to look to beforehand, see to, exercise foresight, look out for, take care of, provide for : Malo nos prospicere quam ulcisci, take precautions , T.: prospicite atque consulite: longe in posterum: prospicite, ut videantur, etc.: statuebat prospiciendum, ne, etc., Cs.: ego iam prospiciam mihi, T.: consulite vobis, prospicite patriae.— To foresee : alias animo procellas: multum in posterum: ex imbri soles, V.: animo prospicere, quibus de rebus auditurus sis.— To look out for, provide, procure : sedem senectuti, L.: Nisi si prospectum interea aliquid est, desertae vivimus, T.: ad ferramenta prospicienda.
Origins
- Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
- Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
- Proto-Indo-European*pér
- Proto-Indo-European*pró
- Proto-Indo-European*pro-
- Proto-Italic*pro-
- Latinprōspiciō
Latin speciō Latin prōspiciō From prō- + speciō (“observe, look at”).