Lewis & Short

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circum-specto, āvi, ātum, āre, v. freq. a., to look about with attention, precaution, desire, etc.; to cast a look around, to search around; and with acc., to look about one’s self (attentively, anxiously, etc.) after something, to look all around upon something (class.)

  1. I. Prop.
          1. (α) Absol.: dum circumspecto, Plaut. Bacch. 2, 3, 45 (al.: me circumspecto): quanto se opere custodiant bestiae, ut in pastu circumspectent, Cic. N. D. 2, 49, 126: primum circumspectans tergiversari, Liv. 4, 14, 4; Plin. 8, 4, 5, § 9: circumspectans huc et illuc, Auct. Her. 4, 49, 62.
          2. (β) With acc.: te hercle ego circumspectabam, Plaut. Ps. 4, 1, 8: alia, Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 54; 2, 2, 60: inter se, Tac. H. 2, 29: ora principum, Liv. 26, 18, 6: quousque me circumspectabitis? id. 6, 18, 7; cf. Tac. H. 4, 8: omnia, to look about anxiously, Cic. Pis. 41, 99; Sall. J. 72, 2; cf.: mare et silvas, ignota omnia circumspectantes, Tac. Agr. 32 Ritter (Halm: circum spectantes).
            Pass.: muta atque inanima, tectum et parietes circumspectabantur, Tac. A. 4, 69 fin.
          3. (γ) With a rel.-clause: Nabis quanam ipse evaderet circumspectabat, Liv. 34, 39, 8; cf. with foll. si, id. 25, 36, 5: si quam reperiat, Auct. Her. 4, 49, 62.
          4. (δ) With acc. and ut with subj.: dum alius alium, ut proelium ineant, circumspectant, Liv. 2, 10, 9.
            (ε) Reflex. (only in Plaut.; cf. circumspicio, I. A.): loca contemplat, circumspectat sese, atque aedis noscitat, Plaut. Trin. 4, 2, 21; cf. id. Bacch. 2, 3, 45 supra.
  2. II. Trop.: dubitans, circumspectans, haesitans, tanquam rate in mari immenso nostra vehitur oratio, Cic. Tusc. 1, 30, 73: circumspectantes defectionis tempus, watching, waiting, on the look-out for, Liv. 21, 39, 5: initium erumpendi, Tac. H. 1, 55: Vespasianus bellum armaque et procul vel juxta sitas vires circumspectabat, carefully weighed, considered, id. ib. 2, 74; so, fugam et fallendi artes, id. ib. 3, 73: medicamina quasso imperio, Sil. 15, 7: omnes argumentorum locos, Quint. 12, 8, 14.

circum-spĭcĭo, exi, ectum, 3 (perf. sync. circumspexti, Ter. Ad. 4, 5, 55; inf. sync. circumspexe, Varr. ap. Non. p. 106, 16, or Sat. Men. 82), v. n. and a. (class.).

  1. I. Neutr., to look about one’s self, to cast a look around; or, with an obj.-clause, to observe, see, look about: circumspicedum, numquis est, Sermonem nostrum quiaucupet, see whether there is any one, Plaut. Most. 2, 2, 41; 2, 2, 43; Ter. And. 2, 2, 20; Varr. l. l.: suus conjux ubi sit circumspicit, Ov. M. 1, 605: circumspicere late, Quint. 10, 3, 29: num quid circumspexti? Ter. Ad. 4, 5, 55: diversi circumspiciunt, Verg. A. 9, 416: qui in auspicium adhibetur nec suspicit nec circumspicit, Cic. Div. 2, 34, 72: circumspicit, aestuat, of one in trouble or perplexity, id. Rosc. Com. 14, 43; cf. Liv. 21, 22, 7.
          1. (β) Sometimes circumspicere se, to look about one’s self: circumspicedum te, ne quis adsit arbiter, Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 109; Varr. ap. Non. p. 106, 16; Auct. B. Afr. 47: numquamne te circumspicies? Cic. Par. 4, 2, 30.
            In partic., to look about one’s self with haughtiness; to think highly of one’s self: usque eone te diligis et magnifice circumspicis? Cic. Rosc. Com. 2, 5; and trop. of language: Romanus sermo magis se circumspicit et aestimat praebetque aestimandum, Sen. Ep. 40, 11.
    1. B. Trop., to exercise foresight, be cautious, take heed: esse circumspiciendum diligenter, ut, etc., Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 3, § 10: cui mandetis (rempublicam) circumspicite Sall. H. 2, 41, 10 Dietsch.
      Esp. freq.,
  2. II. Act., to view on all sides, to survey: cum sua quisque miles circumspiceret, looked carefully to see, Caes. B. G. 5, 31; Liv. 9, 28, 5: tam latā acie ne ex medio quidem cornua sua circumspicere poterant, Liv. 37, 41, 4: lucos, Ov. M. 5, 265: amictus, to review, id. ib. 4, 318; so, habitum suum, Plin. Ep. 4, 11, 3; cf. under circumspectus, adv.
      1. 2. To descry, get sight of by looking around: saxum circumspicit ingens, Verg. A. 12, 896: Athin, Ov. M. 5, 72.
    1. B. Transf., of things: in latus omne patens turris circumspicit undas, Ov. H. 6, 69.
    2. C. Trop.
      1. 1. To view something mentally, to survey, ponder upon, weigh, consider (syn.: considero, perpendo): reliqua ejus consilia animo circumspiciebat, Caes. B. G. 6, 5: circumspicite paulisper mentibus vestris hosce ipsos homines, Cic. Sull. 25, 70; cf. se, id. Par. 4, 2, 30: neque temere consulem saltatorem vocare, sed circumspicere, quibus praeterea vitiis adfectum esse necesse sit eum, etc., id. Mur. 6, 13.
        So with rel. -clause, Sall. H. 2, 41 Dietsch; Sen. Ep. 70, 5; Calp. Ecl. 5, 95: circumspectis rebus omnibus rationibusque subductis summam feci, Cic. Fam. 1, 9, 10: permulta sunt in causis circumspicienda, ne quid offendas, id. de Or. 2, 74, 301; id. Agr. 1, 8, 23; id. Fam. 5, 13, 3: circumspicite celeriter animo, qui sint rerum exitus consecuti, id. Leg. 2, 17, 42: vide, quaere, circumspice, si quis est forte ex eā provinciā qui te nolit perisse, id. Verr. 2, 3, 77, § 180; id. Clu. 53, 147; id. Cat. 4, 2, 4; Liv. 23, 20, 6; cf. Tac. H. 2, 6; Suet. Aug. 63.
        With ut and subj., Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 3, § 10; Ov. Tr. 1, 1, 87: cum circumspicerent Patres quosnam consules facerent, Liv. 27, 34, 1.
      2. 2. To look about for something with desire, to seek for, etc. (so mostly since the Aug. per.): nec, sicut aestivas aves, statim auctumno tecta ac recessum circumspicere, Liv. 5, 6, 2; 7, 14, 6: externa auxilia, id. 1, 30, 6; cf. Just. 22, 5, 4: fugam, Tac. A. 14, 35; Just. 2, 12, 26: novas belli causas, id. 31, 1, 8; Verg. G. 3, 390; Plin. Ep. 3, 3, 3: peregrinos reges sibi, Just. 40, 1, 1; 22, 5, 4: viresque suas circumspectantes his validiores, Amm. 22, 8, 18.
        Hence, circumspectus, a, um, P. a.
    1. A. Of things, weighed with care, well considered, guarded, circumspect (perh. not ante-Aug.): verba non circumspecta, Ov. F. 5, 539: judicium, Quint. 10, 1, 26: interrogatio, id. 5, 7, 31: moderatio animi, Val. Max. 4, 3, 4: circumspectissima sanctio decreti, id. 1, 1, 20.
      1. 2. Transf. to the person who carefully weighs a thing, circumspect, considerate, cautious, wary, provident, heedful: modo circumspectus et sagax, modo inconsultus et praeceps, Suet. Claud. 15: circumspectissimus et prudentissimus princeps, id. Tib. 21: tenues et circumspecti, Quint. 12, 10, 23; Cels. 3, 9 fin.: omnes, Col. 1, 8, 16; 1, 7, 12: sive aliquis circumspectior est, Sen. Q. N. 5, 1, 5.
        Of dogs: assidui et circumspecti magis quam temeraril, Col. 7, 12, 5.
    2. B. In late Lat., worthy of consideration, respected, distinguished: circumspectum et verecundum nomen populi Romani, Amm. 14, 6, 6: colores, id. 28, 4, 12: circumspectus genere, famā potentiāque, id. 18, 10, 1.
      Hence, circumspectē, adv., with consideration, with mature deliberation, warily, cautiously, considerately, circumspectly, etc.: circumspecte compositeque indutus et amictus, Gell. 1, 5, 2 (cf. supra, II. D.): circumspecte vestiti, Amm. 27, 3, 14: circumspecte facti versus, Gell. 9, 10, 6: facere aliquid, Dig. 4, 4, 7, § 8: parcius et circumspectius faciendum est, * Quint. 9, 2, 69: circumspectius donare, eligere eos, in quos merita conferantur, Sen. Ben. 3, 14, 1.