Lewis & Short

sponte, abl., and spontis, gen. (perh. the only cases in use of a noun spons, assumed by Charis. p. 34 P., and Aus. Idyll. 12, 8, 11, as nom. But ad spontem is Müller’s reading, Varr. L. L. 6, 7, 72, for a sponte), f. [spondeo; prop. a pledging of one’s self to a thing; hence, opp. to external necessity or inducement, of free will, of one’s own accord].

  1. I. Sponte, in good prose always joined with meā, tuā, suā (poet. and in post-Aug. prose; also absol. or with gen.), of free will, of one’s own accord, of one’s self, freely, willingly, voluntarily, spontaneously (syn. ultro): sponte valet a voluntate, Varr. L. L. 6, § 69 Müll.: si imprudenter aut necessitate aut casu quippiam fecerit, quod non concederetur iis, qui suā sponte et voluntate fecissent, Cic. Part. Or. 37, 131: tuo judicio et tuā sponte facere, id. Fam. 9, 14, 2; cf.: Galliam totam hortatur ad bellum, ipsam suā sponte suoque judicio excitatam, id. Phil. 4, 3, 8: potius consuefacere filium, Suā sponte recte facere quam alieno metu, Ter. Ad. 1, 1, 50: si hic non insanit satis suā sponte, instiga, id. And. 4, 2, 9: ut id suā sponte facerent, quod cogerentur facere legibus, Cic. Rep. 1, 2, 3: meā sponte (opp. invitatu tuo), id. Fam. 7, 5, 2: meā sponte (opp. monente et denuntiante te), id. ib. 4, 3, 1: non solum a me provocatus, sed etiam suā sponte, id. ib. 1, 7, 3: transisse Rhenum sese non suā sponte, sed rogatum et arcessitum a Gallis, Caes. B. G. 1, 44: et suā sponte multi in disciplinam conveniunt et a parentibus propinquisque mittuntur, id. ib. 6, 14: sive ipse sponte suā, sive senatusconsulto accitus, Liv. 10, 25, 12: quaesitum est, praecipitata esset ab eo uxor, an se ipsa suā sponte jecisset, Quint. 7, 2, 24: gaudeo id te mihi suadere, quod ego meā sponte pridie feceram, Cic. Att. 15, 27: sponte ipsam suāpte adductam, Lucil. ap. Varr. L. L. 6, § 69 Müll.: me si fata meis paterentur ducere vitam Auspiciis et sponte meā componere curas, Verg. A. 4, 341: interim sponte nostrā velut donantes, Quint. 3, 6, 8.
    Sometimes propriā for suā (late Lat.): sponte se propriā dederunt, Amm. 17, 2, 3: Richomeres se sponte obtulit propriā, id. 31, 12, 15.
          1. (β) Absol.: Italiam non sponte sequor, Verg. A. 4, 361: sponte properant, Ov. M. 11, 486: odio tyrannidis exsul Sponte erat, id. ib. 15, 62: sponte en ultroque peremptus, Stat. Th. 10, 809; cf.: multitudo sponte et ultro confluens, Suet. Caes. 16: nec illum sponte exstinctum, Tac. A. 3, 16: sponte judicioque plaudere, Quint. 8, 3, 4: opto ut ea potissimum jubear, quae me deceat vel sponte fecisse, Plin. Ep. 6, 29, 11: equites Romani natalem ejus sponte atque consensu biduo semper celebrarunt, Suet. Aug. 57.
          2. (γ) With gen.: sponte deūm, according to the will of the gods, Luc. 1, 234 Cort.: sponte ducum, id. 1, 99: sponte deorum, id. 5, 136; Val. Fl. 4, 358: naturae, Plin. 7, prooem. 1, § 4; 9, 51, 74, § 160; 11, 49, 110, § 263; 14, 4, 6, § 53; Sil. 14, 153: principis, Tac. A. 2, 59: Caesaris, id. ib. 6, 31: praefecti, id. ib. 4, 7: incolarum, id. ib. 4, 51: litigatoris, id. ib. 13, 42; 7, 51; id. H. 4, 19; Curt. 4, 1, 16.
          3. (δ) Very rarely with a prep.: de tuā sponte, Cotta ap. Charis. p. 195 P.: a sponte, Varr. L. L. 6, § 69 Müll.; cf. § 71 sqq. ib.
    1. B. Transf., of one’s own will or agency (opp. to foreign participation or assistance), by one’s self, without the aid of others, alone (rare but class.): nequeo Pedibus meā sponte ambulare, Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 46: nec suā sponte, sed eorum auxilio, Cic. Fam. 7, 2, 3: cum oppidani autem etiam suā sponte Caesarem recipere conarentur, Caes. B. C. 3, 11 fin.: his cum suā sponte persuadere non possent, legatos ad Dumnorigem mittunt, ut eo deprecatore a Sequanis impetrarent, id. B. G. 1, 9: civitatem ignobilem atque humilem Eburonum suā sponte populo Romano bellum facere ausam, vix erat credendum, id. ib. 5, 28; cf. id. ib. 7, 65: judicium quod Verres suā sponte instituisset, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 43, § 111: cum illa civitas cum Poenis suo nomine ac suā sponte bellaret, id. ib. 2, 4, 33, § 72: ecquis Volcatio si suā sponte venisset, unam libellam dedisset? id. ib. 2, 2, 10, § 26.
      1. 2. Of things concr. and abstr., of itself, spontaneously: is autem ardor non alieno impulsu sed suā sponte movetur, etc., Cic. N. D. 2, 12, 32: ut cum suā sponte nullā adhibitā vi, consumptus ignis exstinguitur, id. Sen. 19, 71: natura videtur Ipsa suā per se sponte omnia dis agere expers, Lucr. 2, 1092: aliae (arbores) nullis hominum cogentibus ipsae Sponte suā veniunt, Verg. G. 2, 11; cf.: stellae sponte suā jussaene vagentur et errent, Hor. Ep. 1, 12, 17: sapientem suā sponte ac per se bonitas et justitia delectat, Cic. Rep. 3, 16, 26: res quae suā sponte scelerata est, id. Verr. 2, 1, 42, § 108; id. Or. 32, 115: justitium in foro suā sponte coeptum prius quam indictum, Liv. 9, 7, 8: clamor suā sponte ortus, id. 9, 41, 17: id suā sponte ap parebat, id. 22, 38, 13: de capite signum in manum sponte suā delapsum, id. 27, 11, 3 ex loco superiore, qui prope suā sponte in hostem inferebat, id. 5, 43, 3: quod terra crearat Sponte suā, Lucr. 5, 938: sponte suā quae fiunt aëre in ipso, id. 4, 738: ut vera et falsa suā sponte, non alienā judicantur, Cic. Leg. 1, 17, 45: te Sponte suā probitas officiumque juvat, Ov. P. 2, 3, 34: sponte deae munus promeritumque patet (i. e. sine indice), id. F. 4, 394.
        Very rarely with quādam: litterae syllabaeque … orationem sponte quādam sequantur, Quint 5, 10, 125.
          1. (β) Absol.: ut numeri sponte fluxisse videantur, Quint. 9, 4, 147.
  2. II. spontis, only in the phrase suae spontis (esse).
    1. A. To be one’s own master, at one’s own disposal (very rare and mostly post-Aug.; not in Cic. or Cæs.): quod suae spontis statuerant finem, Varr. L. L. 6, § 71 Müll.: sanus homo, qui suae spontis est, nullis obligare se legibus debet, Cels. 1, 1.
    2. B. In Columella, of things, = suā sponte, of itself, spontaneously: altera (cytisus est) suae spontis, springs up spontaneously, Col. 9, 4, 2: ubi loci natura neque manu illatam neque suae spontis aquam ministrari patitur, id. 11, 3, 10.