Lewis & Short

a-spĭcĭo (adsp-, Jan; asp-, others except Halm, who uses both), spexi, spectum, 3, v. a. (aspexit = aspexerit, Plaut. As. 4, 1, 25), to look to or upon a person or thing, to behold, look at, see.

  1. I. Lit., constr. in the ante-class. per. sometimes with ad; but afterwards with the acc., with a finite clause, or absol.; in eccl. Lat., with in with acc., and super with acc.
          1. (α) With ad: aspice ad me, Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 38: aspicient ad me, Vulg. Zach. 12, 10: aspicere ad terram, Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 25: ad caelum, Vulg. 2 Macc. 7, 28: Aspice nunc ad sinisteram, Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 38 (Ritschl, spice): ad Scrofam, Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 26; cf. the epitaph of Pacuvius: Adulescens, tametsi properas, te hoc saxum rogat, Ut se[se] aspicias, etc., ap. Gell. 1, 24 fin.
            (β With acc.: Aspice hoc sublimen candens, Enn. ap. Cic. N. D. 2, 25, 65: templum Cereris, id. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, 2, 82: me, Pac. ap. Non. p. 470, 20: aspicite (me) religatum asperis Vinctumque saxis, Att. ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 10, 23; Plaut. As. 4, 1, 25: me huc aspice, id. Am. 2, 2, 118: faciem alicujus, id. Ps. 1, 2, 9.
            In Plaut. twice with contra: aspiciam aliquem contra oculis, Cas. 5, 3, 2: Th. Aspicedum contra me. Tr. Aspexi. Th. Vides? Tr. Video, Most. 5, 1, 56; so, non audebat aspicere contra Deum, Vulg. Exod. 3, 6: formam alicujus aspicere, Ter. Heaut. 4, 5, 25: tergum alicujus, Vulg. Exod. 33, 8: aspicite ipsum: contuemini os, etc., Cic. Sull. 27: me, Vulg. Job, 7, 8: sic obstupuerant, sic terram intuebantur, sic furtim non numquam inter se aspiciebant, etc., Cic. Cat. 3, 5, 13; so Vulg. Jer. 4, 23: aspicis me iratus, Cic. Phil. 2, 30 fin.: hominis omnino aspiciendi potestatem eripere, id. Lael. 23, 87: ut nemo eorum forum aut publicum aspicere vellet, Liv. 9, 7, 11: aliquid rectis oculis, Suet. Aug. 16: Aspicit hanc torvis (oculis), Ov. M. 6, 34: aspiciunt oculis Superi mortalia justis, id. ib. 13, 70: aliquid oculis aequis, Verg. A. 4, 372: aspice vultus Ecce meos, Ov. M. 2, 92 al.: horrendae aspectu, Hor. S. 1, 8, 26: aspice nos hoc tantum, look on us thus much only, Verg. A. 2, 690 Wagner: Aspice Felicem sibi non tibi, Romule, Sullam, poët. ap. Suet. Tib. 59.
            In pass. (rare): unde aliqua pars aspici potest, Cic. Mil. 3: pulvis procul et arma adspiciebantur, Tac. H. 2, 68; id. G. 13: super triginta milia armatorum aspiciebantur, id. Agr. 29; 40; id. A. 3, 45; 11, 14: Septentrionem ibi adnotatum primā tantum parte noctis adspici, Plin. 2, 73, 75, § 185: quasi eum aspici nefas esset, Cic. Verr. 5, 67; 5, 187; id. Har. Resp. 8: adspici humana exta nefas habetur, Plin. 28, 1, 2, § 5.
          2. (γ) Absol.: Vide amabo, si non, quom aspicias, os inpudens videtur, Ter. Eun. 5, 1, 22: postquam aspexi, ilico Cognovi, id. Heaut. 4, 1, 43.
          3. (δ) With in with acc.: in terram aspicere, Vulg. Psa. 101, 20; ib. Isa. 5, 30: in caelum, ib. Matt. 14, 9.
            (ε) With super with acc.: super castra aspicere, Vulg. Judith, 9, 7 al.
    1. B. Transf.
  1. 1.
    1. a. Of things in space, to look toward, lie toward: tabulatum aspiciat meridiem, Col. 8, 8, 2: cryptoporticus non aspicere vineas, sed tangere videtur, Plin. Ep. 5, 6, 29: ea pars Britanniae, quae Hiberniam aspicit, Tac. Agr. 24: terra umidior quā Gallias, ventosior quā Noricum aspicit, id. G. 5.
        1. b. Of persons: nobilissimi totius Britanniae eoque in ipsis penetralibus siti nec servientium litora aspicientes, Tac. Agr. 30.
      1. 2. With the access. idea of purpose (cf.: adeo, aggredior, etc.), to look upon something in order to consider or examine it; and in gen. to consider, survey, inspect (freq. in Liv.): hujus ut aspicerent opus admirabile, Ov. M. 6, 14: Boeotiam atque Euboeam aspicere jussi, Liv. 42, 37: in Boeotiā aspiciendae res, id. 42, 67 fin.: Ap. Claudium legatum ad eas res aspiciendas componendasque senatus misit, id. 42, 5; 26, 51; 32, 5 al.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen.: sic in oratione Crassi divitias atque ornamenta ejus ingenii per quaedam involucra perspexi; sed ea cum contemplari cuperem, vix aspiciendi potestas fuit, Cic. de Or. 1, 35, 161: sic evolavit oratio, ut ejus vim atque incitationem aspexerim, vestigia ingressumque vix viderim, observed, noticed, id. ib. 1, 35, 161: in auctorem fidei, Vulg. Heb. 12, 2: in remunerationem, ib. ib. 11, 26.
      So esp., to examine, reflect upon, to consider, weigh, ponder (most freq. in the imperat.: aspice, see, ponder, consider, etc.).
        1. a. With acc.: Postea [tu] aspicito meum, quando ego tuum inspectavero, Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 50: neque tanta (est) in rebus obscuritas, ut eas non penitus vir ingenio cernat, si modo (eas) aspexerit, attends to them, Cic. de Or. 3, 31, 124: aspice, ait, Perseu, nostrae primordia gentis, Ov M. 5, 190.
        2. b. With a finite clause.
          1. (α) In the subj.: qui semel aspexit, quantum dimissa petitis Praestent, etc., has weighed, considered, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 96: aspiciebant, quomodo turba jactaret aes etc., Vulg. Marc. 12, 41: aspiciebant, ubi (Jesus) poneretur, ib. ib. 15, 47: Quin tu illam aspice, ut placide adcubat, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 168: quin aspice, quantum Aggrediare nefas, Ov. M. 7, 70: Aspice, venturo laetentur ut omnia saeclo! Verg. E. 4, 52: Aspice, Plautus Quo pacto partes tutetur amantis ephebi, ut patris attenti … Quantus sit dossennus, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 170 sqq.: Aspice, num mage sit nostrum penetrabile telum, Verg. A. 10, 481: aspice, si quid loquamur, Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 4 sq.: Aspice, qui coeant populi, Verg. A. 8, 385: Qualem commendes, etiam atque etiam aspice, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 76: aspice, Quanto cum fastu, quanto molimine circumspectemus etc., id. ib. 2, 2, 92.
          2. (β) In the indic. (rare): Aspice, ut antrum Silvestris raris sparsit labrusca racemis, Verg. E. 5, 6: Aspice, ut insignis spoliis Marcellus opimis Ingreditur, id. A. 6, 855: quantas ostentant, aspice, vires, id. ib. 6, 771: Aspice, quem gloria extulerat, id. Cat. 12, 1: aspicite, quae fecit nobiscum, Vulg. Tob. 13, 6.
            Also, to take into consideration, to have in view: si genus aspicitur, Saturnum prima parentem Feci, Ov. F. 6, 29.
    2. B. Esp.
      1. 1. To look upon with respect, admiration: erat in classe Chabrias privatus, sed eum magis milites quam qui praeerant, aspiciebant, Nep. Chabr. 4, 1.
      2. 2. Aliquem, to look one boldly in the face, to meet his glance: Lacedaemonii, quos nemo Boeotiorum ausus fuit aspicere in acie, Nep. Epam. 8, 3 (cf. supra, I., the passage from Suet. Aug. 16).
      3. 3. Lumen aspicere, to see the light for to live: odi celebritatem, fugio homines, lucem aspicere vix possum, Cic. Att. 3, 7; id. Brut. 3, 12; cf. the foll. number fin.
      4. 4. Ad inchoative (as in addubito, addormio, aduro, etc.), to get a sight of, to see, perceive, descry: perii, si me aspexerit, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 164: forte unam aspicio adulescentulam, Ter. And. 1, 1, 91; id. Ad. 3, 3, 19: respexit et equum alacrem laetus aspexit, Cic. Div. 1, 33, 73; so id. Har. Resp. 1, 2: tum vero Phaëthon cunctis e partibus orbem Aspicit accensum, Ov. M. 2, 228; 7, 651: aspicit hanc visamque vocat, id. ib. 2, 443; 2, 714; 3, 69; 3, 356; 3, 486; 7, 384; 7, 791 et saep.: Quem simul aspexit scabrum intonsumque, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 90.
        Hence trop.: lumen aspicere, to see the light for to be born: ut propter quos hanc suavissimam lucem aspexerit, eos indignissime luce privārit, Cic. Rosc. Am. 22 fin.; cf. supra, II. B. 3.