LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbsecond conjugation, third person-only in the passive

respondeō

respondeō (present infinitive respondēre, perfect active respondī, supine respōnsum)
Classical[rɛsˈpɔn.de.oː]Ecclesiastical[resˈpɔn.de.o]
№ 535 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. ambitransitiveto reply, answer, respond
    Illud vero respondere cogam, cur tot viri ac tales hunc et unum et tam imbecillum, quam videtis, non aut stantem comprenderint aut fugientem consecuti sintI shall force the, to respond to this: Why did so many strong men not capture this one man who, as you all see, was so pitiful, when he was standing there or chase him as he was fleeing?56 BCE, Cicero, Pro Caelio 28.67
    Adversus hoc tibi respondeoIn answer to this I reply (literally, “Against this, I reply to you”)c. 4 BCE – 65 CE, Seneca Minor, De Otio 6.1
  2. to offer or present in return
    de istac re argutus es, ut par pari respondeasYou're very clever in that way, managing to give me tit for tat (literally, “You're clever regarding that thing, so that you may offer the like in return for the like”)c. 206 BCE – 188 BCE, Plautus, Mercator 629
  3. figurativelyto measure up
  4. to be present, to appear, attend
  5. intransitiveto meet or answer (a charge)
    nemo Epaminondam responsurum putabat, quod quid diceret non haberetNo one thought that Epaminondas would appear at court, because he had nothing he could sayc. 110 BCE – c. 25 BCE, Cornelius Nepos, De viris illustribus XV. Epaminondas 8.2
    profectus in exsilium Tubulus statim nec respondere aususTubulus went into exile and did not dare face his trial106 BCE – 43 BCE, Cicero, De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum 2.54
  6. to re-echo, resound
  7. to meet, agree, accord or correspond with, conform to, answer for
  8. to make a return, yield
    Nam frumenta maiore quidem parte Italiae quando cum quarto responderint, vix meminisse possumus1941 translation by Harrison Boyd Ash For we4 can hardly recall a time when grain crops throughout at least the greater part of Italy returned a yield of four for one4 CE – c. 70 CE, Columella, De re rustica 3.3.4

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

interrogātus dīcō; quaerentī respondēmus.
respondeō -ēre respondī — in Mille Verba, Schola
answers back
respondet — in Seneca, ch. XVII

Conjugation conjugation 2

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.respondeōrespondēbamrespondēbōrespondīresponderamresponderō
2nd sg.respondēsrespondēbāsrespondēbisrespondistīresponderāsresponderis
3rd sg.respondetrespondēbatrespondēbitresponditresponderatresponderit
1st pl.respondēmusrespondēbāmusrespondēbimusrespondimusresponderāmusresponderimus
2nd pl.respondētisrespondēbātisrespondēbitisrespondistisresponderātisresponderitis
3rd pl.respondentrespondēbantrespondēbuntrespondērunt
respondēre		responderantresponderint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.respondeamrespondēremresponderimrespondissem
2nd sg.respondeāsrespondērēsresponderīsrespondissēs
3rd sg.respondeatrespondēretresponderitrespondisset
1st pl.respondeāmusrespondērēmusresponderīmusrespondissēmus
2nd pl.respondeātisrespondērētisresponderītisrespondissētis
3rd pl.respondeantrespondērentresponderintrespondissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.———
2nd sg.———
3rd sg.respondēturrespondēbāturrespondēbitur
1st pl.———
2nd pl.———
3rd pl.respondenturrespondēbanturrespondēbuntur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.——
2nd sg.——
3rd sg.respondeāturrespondērētur
1st pl.——
2nd pl.——
3rd pl.respondeanturrespondērentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.respondē—
pres. 2nd pl.respondēte—
fut. 2nd sg.respondētō—
fut. 3rd sg.respondētōrespondētor
fut. 2nd pl.respondētōte—
fut. 3rd pl.respondentōrespondentor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitiverespondērerespondērī
perfect infinitiverespondisserespōnsum esse
future infinitiverespōnsūrum esserespōnsum īrī
present participlerespondēns—
perfect participle—respōnsum
respōnsa, respōnsā, respōnsae, respōnsam, respōnsārum, respōnsās, respōnse, respōnsī, respōnsōrum, respōnsōs, respōnsus
future participlerespōnsūrus
respōnsūra, respōnsūrā, respōnsūrae, respōnsūram, respōnsūrārum, respōnsūrās, respōnsūre, respōnsūrī, respōnsūrīs, respōnsūrō, respōnsūrōrum, respōnsūrōs, respōnsūrum		respondendum
respondenda, respondendā, respondendae, respondendam, respondendārum, respondendās, respondende, respondendīs, respondendōrum, respondendōs, respondendus
gerundrespondendī, respondendō, respondendumsupinerespōnsum, respōnsū

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

rebus verba respondent
the circumstances are described in language worthy of them.
celeritas in respondendo
readiness in debate, in repartee.
paria paribus respondere
to return like for like.
ad interrogata respondere
to answer questions.
respondere (de iure or ius)
to give a legal opinion, decision on points of law.
respondere in hanc sententiam
to answer to this effect.
saxa voci respondent or resonant
the rocks re-echo.
responsum ab aliquo ferre, auferre
to extract an answer from some one.
3 more phrases
ad nomen non respondere (Liv. 7. 4)
to fail to answer one's name.
exspectationi satisfacere, respondere
to respond to expectations.
responsum dare (vid. sect. VIII. 5, note Note to answer...), respondere
to give an oracular response.

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. 1, 4, 35; 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; Cic. 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. 4, 8, 18: sic existimet: Responsum non dictum esse, quia laesit prior, id. Eun. prol. 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. Achill. 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.—
(b). 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, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 1, § 1: nemo Epaminondam responsurum putabat, Nep. Epam. 8, 1.—
(g). 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.—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. 4, 2, 15; 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.

Origins

  1. Proto-Italic*wre-
  2. Latinrespondeō

Proto-Indo-European *spend- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *spondéyeti Proto-Italic *spondejō Proto-Italic *spondeō Latin spondeō Latin respondeō From re- + spondeō (“promise”).

Insular Romance
  • Sardinianrespòndere
  • Sardinianrespònnere
  • Sardinianrispùndiri
  • Sardinianrispùnniri
Balkan Romance
  • Romanianrăspunde
  • Romanianrăspundere
  • Aromanianrespun
Occitano-Romance
  • Catalanrespondre
  • Occitanrespondre
  • Gasconrespóner
  • Gasconarrespóner
  • Ribagorçanresponre
Ibero-Romance
  • Portugueseresponderfrom Old Galician-Portuguese responder
  • Spanishresponderfrom Old Spanish responder
  • Aragoneseresponder
  • Asturianresponder
  • Mirandeserespunder
  • Galicianresponderfrom Old Galician-Portuguese responder
  • Sabirrespondirfrom Old Spanish responder
Italo-Romance:.
  • Italianrispondere
  • Corsicanrisponda
  • Dalmatianrespondro
  • Sicilianrispùnniri
  • Sicilianarrispùnniri
North Italian
  • Emilianarspånnder
  • Friulianrispuindi
  • Istriotraspóndi
  • Ladinrespogne
  • Ladinrespuender
  • Piedmonteserësponde
  • Piedmontesearsponde
  • Romanshrespunder
  • Romanshrispunder
  • Romanshraspunder
Gallo-Romance
  • Franco-Provençalrèpondrefrom Franco-Provençal respondre
  • Old Frenchrespondre
Borrowings
  • Dutchresponderen

Quick answers

What does respondeō mean in Latin?
respondeō, a verb, means “to reply, answer, respond; to offer or present in return; to measure up”.
What are the principal parts of respondeō?
respondeō, respondēre, respondī, respōnsum (second conjugation, third person-only in the passive).
How do you pronounce respondeō?
In classical Latin, [rɛsˈpɔn.de.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [resˈpɔn.de.o].
Where does respondeō come from?
Proto-Italic *wre- → Latin respondeō.