Lewis & Short

ex-plōro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a., to search out, seek to discover, to examine, investigate, explore (class.; in Cic. esp. freq. in the part. perf. and P. a.; syn.: speculor, scitor, sciscitor, percontor, quaero, interrogo).

  1. I. In gen.
          1. (α) With acc.: explora rem totam, Cic. Att. 6, 8, 5: fugam domini, id. Verr. 2, 5, 17, § 44: ambitum Africae, Plin. 5, 1, 1, § 8: altera (manus) motu caecum iter explorat, Ov. M. 10, 456: vehiculorum onera, Suet. Tib. 18: glebas gustu, Col. 2, 2, 20: panis potionisque bonitatem gustu, Tac. A. 12, 66 et saep.: ad explorandum idoneum locum castris, for choosing out, Caes. B. C. 1, 81, 1: insidias, to seek out, Verg. G. 3, 537.
          2. (β) With rel. clause: explorare, qui homines inhabitarent, Petr. 116: apud se explorare, an expediat sibi consilium, Dig. 17, 1, 2 fin.: exploratum est, ubi controversia incipiat, Quint. 7, 1, 8.
        1. b. In the part. perf., examined, ascertained, known: exploratum et provisum, Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 110: jam explorata nobis sunt ea, quae, etc., Cic. Rep. 1, 13: perspecta et explorata perscribere, id. Att. 3, 15, 8; cf.: res non incertis jactatae rumoribus, sed compertae et exploratae, Liv. 42, 13, 1: de numero eorum omnia se habere explorata Remi dicebant, Caes. B. G. 2, 4, 4; id. B. C. 2, 31, 5.
          In abl. neutr. absol.: explorato, it being ascertained, i. e. when he knew: explorato, jam profectos amicos, Tac. H. 2, 49.
  2. II. In partic.
    1. A. In milit. lang., to spy out, reconnoitre: speculatoribus in omnes partes dimissis, explorat, quo commodissime itinere vallum transire possit, Caes. B. G. 5, 49 fin.; cf. id. ib. 5, 50, 3: itinera egressusque ejus, postremo loca atque tempora cuncta explorat, Sall. J. 35, 5: Siciliam adiit, Africam exploravit, Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 12, 34: occulte explorare loca, Caes. B. C. 1, 66, 2: explorato hostium consilio, Hirt. B. G. 8, 18, 2.
      In the neutr. absol.: ante explorato et subsidiis positis, Liv. 23, 42, 9; so id. 23, 43, 7; 27, 2 fin.
    2. B. To try, test, put to the proof (perh. not ante-Aug.): et suspensa focis explorat robora fumus, Verg. G. 1, 175: taurus in adversis explorat cornua truncis, Luc. 2, 603; cf.: hoc jugulo dextram explora, Sil. 11, 358: animos, Ov. A. A. 1, 456; Liv. 37, 7, 10: explorans quid hostes agerent, id. 37, 28, 6: haec exploranda per impigros juvenes esse, id. 22, 55: secundae res animos, Tac. H. 1, 15: tyranni fidem, Luc. 8, 582.
      Hence, explōrātus, a, um, P. a. Lit., ascertained; hence, established, confirmed, certain, sure: ut ei jam exploratus et domi conditus consulatus videretur, Cic. Mur. 24, 49: magna et prope explorata spes, id. Phil. 10, 10, 20; id. Off. 3, 33, 117; id. Tusc. 5, 9, 27: victoria, Caes. B. G. 7, 52, 2: ratio, Cic. N. D. 1, 23, 64: litterae exploratae a timore, i. e. affording certainty, confidence, id. Att. 3, 17, 1 et saep.: de quo mihi exploratum est, ita esse, ut scribis, I am certain, convinced, id. Fam. 2, 16, 6; cf. id. Ac. 2, 17, 54: quis est tam stultus, cui sit exploratum, se ad vesperum esse victurum? id. de Sen. 19, 67: in qua (amicitia) nihil fidum, nihil exploratum habeas, id. Lael. 26, 97: exploratam habere pacem, id. Phil. 7, 6, 16: (Deus) habet exploratum, fore, etc., id. N. D. 1, 19, 51: pro explorato habebat, etc., Caes. B. G. 6, 5, 3.
      Comp.: facilior et exploratior devitatio legionum fore videtur, etc., Cic. Att. 16, 2, 4.
      Sup.: exploratissima victoria, Vell. 84, 1.
      Adv.: explōrātē, with certainty, for a certainty, securely, surely (for the most part only in Cic.): haec ita sentio, judico, ad te explorate scribo, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 15, b. 3; cf. judicare, Planc. in Cic. Fam. 10, 8, 6: satis explorate perceptum et cognitum, Cic. N. D. 1, 1, 1: navigare, id. Fam. 16, 8, 1.
      Comp.: exploratius promittere, Cic. Fam. 6, 1, 5.
      Sup. seems not to occur.