Lewis & Short

ex-pōno, pŏsŭi, pŏsĭtum, 3 (ante-class. perf. exposivit, Plaut. Cas. 4, 4, 27; sync. expostus, Verg. A. 10, 694; Stat. Th. 7, 197), v. a., to put or set out, to set forth, expose (class.; most freq. in the trop. signif.; cf.: expedio, explano, explico).

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen.: stravit pelliculis haedinis lectulos et exposuit vasa Samia, set out, Cic. Mur. 36, 75: vasa, id. Verr. 2, 4, 16, § 35: apparatum in porticibus, Suet. Caes. 10; cf.: aliquid in publico, Plin. 35, 7, 33, § 52; cf. id. 15, 5, 6, § 21: herbam in sole, Col. 12, 28, 1: aliquem ictu, to put out, turn out, Plaut. Truc. 3, 1, 14: cubito, id. Cas. 4, 4, 27.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. Of children, to expose: puellam ad necem, Plaut. Cist. 1, 3, 18; id. Cas. prol. 41; Ter. Heaut. 4, 1, 37; Cic. Rep. 2, 2; Liv. 1, 4, 5; cf. id. 1, 6, 3: ad januam matris, Suet. Claud. 27 al.
      2. 2. Naut. t. t.
        1. a. To set on shore, to land, disembark: milites ex navibus, Caes. B. G. 4, 37, 1; for which: socios de puppibus, Verg. A. 10, 288: milites in terram, Caes. B. C. 3, 23, 2: expositis omnibus copiis, id. ib. 3, 29, 2; 1, 31 fin.; Liv. 24, 40, 9: ibi in terram, id. 34, 8, 7; Front. Strat. 2, 5, 44; cf.: in litora, Liv. 37, 28, 8: aegra mancipia in insulam, Suet. Claud. 25; but also with abl.: in Africa, Liv. 28, 44, 10 Drak. N. cr.: in terra, Vell. 2, 79, 4: in litore, Suet. Caes. 4; Just. 22, 5; Liv. 2, 22, 3; 26, 17, 2; Sen. Ep. 53, 2: in portu, Just. 18, 1, 3: ibi Themistoclem, Nep. Them. 8, 7: ad eum locum milites, Caes. B. C. 3, 6, 3: quibus regionibus exercitum exposuisset, id. ib. 3, 29 fin.: expositum peregrinis arenis os, Ov. M. 11, 56: quartā vix demum exponimur horā, Hor. S. 1, 5, 23: advexi frumentum; exposui, vendo meum, etc., have unloaded, unpacked, opened, Cic. Off. 3, 12, 51: merces, Dig. 14, 2, 10.
        2. b. To throw on the ground, throw down: paene exposivit cubito, Plaut. Cas. 4, 4, 34.
        3. c. To throw overboard: si propter necessitatem adversae tempestatis expositum onus fuerit, Dig. 39, 4, 16, § 8.
      3. 3. Mercant. t. t.: pecuniam, to offer a sum to one, place at one’s disposal, to be ready to pay: de Oppio bene curasti, quod ei DCCC. exposuisti, Cic. Att. 5, 4, 3 (for which, aperuisti, id. ib. 5, 1, 2).
      4. 4. Pregn., to leave exposed or unprotected, to expose, lay open (not ante-Aug.): ad ictus, Liv. 9, 35, 6; Curt. 8, 14, 31: ille ad omnes ictus expositus, id. 9, 5, 9: ne inermes provinciae barbaris nationibus exponerentur, Tac. H. 3, 5: exercitum hosti, Flor. 3, 11; Plin. 11, 19, 21, § 67: ceteris animalibus imbecillitatem hominum, Lact. 3, 23, 10; id. Epit. 9, 1; Val. Max. 7, 1, ext. 2: piscibus beluisque, Petr. 115: exposito solibus loco, Plin. 15, 5, 6, § 21.
        Pass. absol.: (iracundi) simplices videntur, quia expositi sunt, Sen. de Ira, 2, 16, 3.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen.: totam causam, judices, explicemus atque ante oculos expositam consideremus, Cic. Rosc. Am. 12, 34; cf.: vitam alterius in oculis conspectuque omnium exponere, id. Div. in Caecil. 8, 27: disciplina puerilis publice exposita, id. Rep. 4, 3: orationem, to publish, id. de Or. 1, 53, 227; cf.: capita exposita nec explicata, id. Brut. 44, 164: erant huic studio maxima exposita praemia, id. de Or. 1, 4, 15: praemium, to set forth, propose, id. Quint. 23, 74: vitam suam exponere ad imitandum juventuti, id. Fragm. ap. Non. 104, 3: factum expositum ad imitandum, id. Phil. 2, 44, 114: exposita ad exemplum nostra re publica, id. Rep. 1, 46: opprobrio ad omnium convicia exposito, Suet. Caes. 49: expositum ad invidiam nomen, Tac. H. 2, 53: nomen Dei, to prostitute, dishonor, Lact. 1, 7.
    2. B. In partic., of speech, to set forth, exhibit, relate, explain, expound; constr. with acc. and inf., or a rel. clause as object, or with de: coepit rationem hujus operis scientissime Gallus exponere, Cic. Rep. 1, 14: talis coetus, qualem exposui, id. ib. 1, 26: quae adhuc exposui, id. ib. 2, 23: obscura dilucide, id. Fin. 4, 1, 1: rem pluribus verbis, id. ib. 3, 4, 15: rem breviter, id. Cat. 3, 1, 3: mandata in senatu, id. de Or. 2, 12, 49: narrationem, id. Or. 62, 210: sententias ejus disputationis hoc libro, id. Lael. 1, 3: artes rhetoricas, id. de Or. 3, 20, 75: disputationem alicui, id. Rep. 1, 8: sermonem de amicitia alicui, id. Lael. 1, 3: eadem multitudini, Caes. B. G. 7, 38, 4: expone igitur primum animos remanere post mortem, tum docebis, etc., explain, Cic. Tusc. 1, 12, 26: apud eosdem (censores), qui magistratu abierint, edant et exponant, quid in magistratu gesserint, id. Leg. 3, 20, 47: ex memoria alicui quid senatus censuerit, id. Cat. 3, 6, 13: ab initio, res quemadmodum gesta sit, id. Rosc. Am. 5, 14; id. Rep. 1, 26; cf.: hoc de quo modo exposuit Antonius, id. de Or. 1, 22, 102; id. Fam. 1, 9, 10: expone nunc de reprehendendo, id. Part. Or. 12, 44.
      In abl. neutr. absol.: Caesar contione advocata … exposito, quid iniquitas loci posset, etc., Caes. B. G. 7, 52, 2 Oud.; so, exposito quod nuntiatum erat, Curt. 4, 13: quasi gesta bello expositurus, Tac. A. 15, 72: summum bonum exposuit vacuitatem doloris, i. q. definivit, be defined, Cic. Fin. 5, 5, 14 Madv.; cf. ib. 5, 8, 22; and, expositio, ib. § 21.
      Hence, expŏsĭtus, a, um, P. a., qs. publicly set out; hence, open, free, accessible.
    1. A. Lit.: limen, Stat. S. 1, 2, 24: census, open to all, id. ib. 2, 2, 152: numen (with nulli negatum), Luc. 5, 103; cf.: (homo) obvius et expositus, Plin. Ep. 1, 10, 2.
      As subst.: ex-pŏsĭta, ōrum, n., the open parts, those exposed to view: frontem ejus tantum novi et exposita, quae ostendit etiam transeuntibus, Sen. Ep. 55, 6.
    2. B. Trop.
      1. 1. Accessible, affable: mores, Stat. S. 5, 3, 246.
      2. 2. Of authors, intelligible, lucid: optimos quidem, sed tamen eorum candidissimum quemque et maxime expositum velim, Quint. 2, 5, 19.
      3. 3. In a bad sense, common, vulgar: qui nihil expositum soleat deducere, etc., Juv. 7, 54.
        Adv.: expŏ-sĭte, plainly, clearly: non exposite et aperte ostendere, sed reconditā significatione, Gell. 3, 2, 14.