Lewis & Short

ex-pĕto, īvi or ĭi, ītum, 3, v. a. and n.

  1. I. Act.
    1. A. To long for, seek after, aspire to, desire, covet, wish a thing (freq. and class.; syn.: appeto, affecto, cupio, concupisco, aveo, gestio, volo, opto, desidero, requiro).
          1. (α) With acc.: assunt, me expetunt, Enn. ap. Cic. Ac. 2, 28, 89 (Trag. v. 49, ed. Vahl.): nihil hominem, nisi quod honestum sit, aut admirari aut optare aut expetere debere, Cic. Off. 1, 20, 66: unum ab omnibus ad id bellum imperatorem deposci atque expeti, id. de Imp. Pomp. 2, 5: Italia ab hoc auxilium absente expetivit, id. ib. 11, 30; cf.: Apollo unde sibi populi et reges consilium expetunt, Enn. ap. Cic. de Or. 1, 45, 199 (Trag. v. 186, ed. Vahl.): nunc a Flacco Lentuli poenae per vos expetuntur, are demanded, Cic. Fl. 38, 95: poenas ab aliquo, id. Pis. 7, 16; Liv. 1, 23, 4; cf.: jus ab invitis, id. 3, 40, 4: facinora ab aliquo, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 25: Plautinas fabulas, id. Cas. prol. 12: pecunia tantopere expetitur, Cic. de Or. 2, 40, 172; cf.: expetuntur divitiae ad usus vitae necessarios, id. Off. 1, 8, 25: mortem pro vita civium, id. Tusc. 1, 48, 116: ea vita expetitur, quae sit animi corporisque expleta virtutibus, id. Fin. 5, 13, 37: in qua (societate) omnia insunt, quae putant homines expetenda, honestas, gloria, etc., id. Lael. 22, 84: non ficto crimine insectari, non expetere vitam, non capitis arcessere, to attempt one’s life, id. Deiot. 11, 30: stulta sibi consilia, to seek out, contrive, Plaut. Most. 4, 1, 4.
            Of an inanimate subject: mare medium terrae locum expetens, striving or tending towards, Cic. N. D. 2, 45, 116.
          2. (β) With an object-clause (mostly poet.): quem quisque odit, periisse expetit, Enn. ap. Cic. Off. 2, 7, 23 (Trag. v. 403, ed. Vahl.); cf.: audire expetis? Plaut. Aul. 4, 4, 25: aliquid facere, id. Trin. 3, 2, 48: periisse expetunt, Liv. 40, 10, 5: dum nostram gloriam tua virtute augeri expeto, Cic. ad Q. Fr. 1, 1, 2: di me etsi perdunt, tamen esse adjutam expetunt, Pac. ap. Non. 104, 7: videre expeto te, Plaut. Rud. 1, 4, 20; cf.: hoc prius scire expeto, quid perdideris, Ter. Heaut. 5, 1, 17; id. Hec. 5, 1, 1; Hor. Epod. 11, 3; Ov. M. 7, 476; 9, 550 al.: quod et scire expeto et quaerere pudet, Curt. 4, 10, 32; 9, 3, 8; Plin. praef. 14.
          3. (γ) With ut and subj.: fatebor et fuisse me et Sejano amicum et ut essem expetisse, Tac. A. 6, 8.
          4. (δ) Absol.: ne legaretur A. Gabinius Cn. Pompeio expetenti ac postulanti, requesting, Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 19, 57.
    2. * B. To reach, attain to any thing; with respect to time, to outlast: malo si quid bene facias, id beneficium interit: Bono si quid male facias, aetatem expetit, Plaut. Poen. 3, 3, 23.
      Hence, expĕtendus, a, um, P. a., desirable, excellent: forma expetunda mulier, Plaut. Pers. 4, 3, 60.
  2. II. Intr. (perh. only ante-class.; cf. Liv. 1, 22, 7 Weisenb. ad loc.).
    1. A. To light upon, fall upon, befall a person.
      1. 1. With in aliquem: delictum suum suamque culpam expetere in mortalem, Plaut. Am. 1, 2, 33: illius ira et maledicta in hanc, id. ib. 3, 2, 15: omnes clades hujus belli in eum, Tullus ap. Liv. 1, 22, 7: quojus ego hodie in tergum faxo ista expetant mendacia, Plaut. Am. 2, 1, 42.
      2. 2. With alicui: mea sit culpa, si id Alcumenae innocenti expetat, Plaut. Am. 3, 1, 12.
    2. B. Absol., to fall out, happen, occur, result: nequiter paene expetivit prima parasitatio, Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 22 Lamb. (al. expedivit): in servitute expetunt multa iniqua, befall, id. ib. 1, 1, 20; so, eadem in vigilanti expetunt, id. Mil. 2, 4, 40 (not vigilantes, v. Ritschl ad h. l.).