Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

dēspecto, āre, v. intens. a. [id.], to look down upon any thing from a height (perh. not ante-Aug.).

  1. I. Prop.: ex alto terras, Ov. M. 4, 624; so, terras, Verg. A. 1, 396: humum, Ov. M. 2, 710: aquas, id. ib. 15, 699: flammas, Verg. A. 10, 409: procul palantes animos, Ov. M. 15, 151 al.
    1. B. Of a high place, to overlook or command: et quos maliferae despectant moenia Abellae, Verg. A. 7, 740; cf.: spectacula Tarpeium prope despectantia culmen, Calp. Ecl. 7, 24 (but in Liv. 36, 25, 3, the true reading is spectat).
  2. II. Trop., to look down upon, to despise (used by Tac.): liberos infra, Tac. A. 2, 43: ne ut victi et ignavi despectarentur, id. H. 2, 30.