Lewis & Short

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Pĕta, ae, f. [peto], the goddess of praying or entreaty, Arn. 4, 131.‡ † pĕtălum, i, n., = πέταλον, a metal plate: petalum, aurea lamina in fronte pontificis, quae nomen Dei tetragrammaton Hebraicis litteris habebat scriptum, Isid. Orig. 29, 21.

pĕto, īvi and ĭi, ītum, 3 (perf. petīt, Verg. A. 9, 9; Ov F. 1, 109: petisti, Cic. Cat. 1, 5, 11; Verg. A. 4, 100; 12, 359: petistis, Auct. Her. 4, 15, 22: petissem, Cic. Verr. 1, 55, 145; Ov. M. 5, 26; Liv. 30, 25, 2: petisse, Cic. Quint. 11, 37; id. Verr. 2, 4, 63, § 140; Ov. M. 9, 623; cf. Neue, Formenl. 2, 516 sq.), v. a. [Sanscr. root pat-, to fall upon, fly, find; Gr. πετ- in πίπτω (πι-πέτω), to fall; cf. Lat. impetus and in πέτομαι, to fly; cf. Lat. penna, acci-pit-er, etc.; the root of πίπτω, and therefore orig. to fall, fall upon; hence, to endeavor to reach or attain any thing].

  1. I. To fall upon any thing.
    1. A. Lit.
      1. 1. In a hostile sense, to rush at, attack, assault, assail; to let fly at, aim a blow at, thrust at, etc. (class.; cf.: invado, aggredior): gladiatores et vitando caute, et petendo vehementer, Cic. Or. 68, 228: cujus latus mucro ille petebat, id. Lig. 3, 9: non latus aut ventrem, sed caput et collum petere, to thrust at, id. Mur. 26, 52: aliquem spiculo infeste, Liv. 2, 20: aliquem mālo, to throw an apple at any one, Verg. E. 3, 64: alicui ungue genas, Ov. A. A. 2, 452: aliquem saxis, id. de Nuce, 2: aprum jaculis, Suet. Tib. 72: aëra disco, Hor. S. 2, 2, 13: bello Penatìs, Verg. A. 3, 603: armis patriam, Vell. 2, 68, 3.
      2. 2. Without the notion of hostility: petere collum alicujus amplexu, to fall upon one’s neck, to embrace one, M. Cael. ap. Quint. 4, 2, 124.
        Esp. freq., to seek, to direct one’s course to, to go or repair to, to make for, travel to a place: grues loca calidiora petentes, Cic. N. D. 2, 49, 125: Cyzicum, id. Fam. 14, 4, 3: Dyrrhachium, id. Planc. 41, 97: naves, to seek, take refuge in their ships, Nep. Milt. 5, 5: caelum pennis, to fly, Ov. F. 3, 457: Graiis Phasi petite viris, visited by the Greeks, id. P. 4, 10, 52: Metellus Postumium ad bellum gerendum Africam petentem, … urbem egredi passus non est, attempting to go, starting, Val. Max. 1, 1, 2.
        Transf., of things, to proceed or go towards: campum petit amnis, Verg. G. 3, 522: mons petit astra, towers toward the stars, Ov. M. 1, 316: aliquem, to seek, go to a person: reginam, Verg. A. 1, 717: ut te supplex peterem, et tua limina adirem, id. ib. 6, 115: aliquid in locum or ad aliquem, to go to a place or person for something, to go in quest of, go to fetch: visum est tanti in extremam Italiam petere Brundisium ostreas, to go to Brundisium for oysters, Plin. 9, 54, 79, § 169: myrrham ad Troglodytas, id. 12, 15, 33, § 66: harena ad Aethiopas usque petitur, id. 36, 6, 9, § 51: collis, in quem vimina petebantur, id. 16, 10, 15, § 37: quaeque trans maria petimus, fetch, id. 19, 4, 19, §§ 58, 52.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. To attack, assail one with any thing (class.): aiiquem epistulā, Cic. Att. 2, 2, 2: aliquem fraude et insidiis, Liv. 40, 55: aliquem falsis criminibus, Tac. A. 4, 31.
    2. B. To demand, seek, require (cf. posco).
      1. 1. In gen.: ita petit asparagus, Varr. R. R. 1, 23: ex iis tantum, quantum res petet, hauriemus, Cic. de Or. 3, 31, 123: aliquem in vincula, Quint. 7, 1, 55: aliquem ad supplicium, id. 7, 6, 6: poenas ab aliquo, to seek satisfaction from or revenge one’s self on any one. ut poenas ab optimo quoque peteret sui doloris, Cic. Att. 1, 16, 7: ut merito ab eā poenas liberi sui petere debuerint, Quint. 3, 11, 12.
      2. 2. In partic.
        1. a. To demand or claim at law, to bring an action to recover, to sue for any thing (syn.: postulo): causam dicere Prius unde petitur … Quam ille qui petit, Ter. Eun. prol. 11: qui per se litem contestatur, sibi soli petit, Cic. Rosc Com. 18, 53: aliquando cum servis Habiti furti egit; nuper ab ipso Habito petere coepit, id. Clu. 59, 163: qui non calumniā litium alienos fundos, sed castris, exercitu, signis inferendis petebat, id. Mil. 27, 74.
        2. b. To beg, beseech, ask, request, desire, entreat (syn.: rogo, flagito, obsecro); constr with ab and abl. of pers. (cf. infra); ante- and postclass., with acc. of pers.: vos volo, vos peto atque obsecro, Plaut. Curc. 1, 2, 60; freq. with ut: a te etiam atque etiam peto atque contendo, ut, etc., Cic. Fam. 13, 1, 5: peto quaesoque, ut, etc., id. ib. 5, 4, 2: peto igitur a te, vel, si pateris, oro, ut, id. ib. 9, 13, 3: petere in beneficii loco et gratiae, ut, id. Verr 2, 3, 82, § 189: petere precibus per litteras ab aliquo, ut, id. Sull. 19, 55: pacem ab aliquo, Caes. B. G. 2, 13: opem ab aliquo, Cic. Tusc. 5, 2, 5: vitam nocenti, Tac. A. 2, 31: petito, ut intrare urbem liceret, Just. 43, 5, 6.
          Also, with id or illud, and ut, etc.: illud autem te peto, ut, etc., Dolab. ap. Cic. Fam. 9, 9, 2.
          With obj.-clause (mostly poet.): arma umeris arcumque animosa petebat Ferre, Stat. Achill. 1, 352; cf.: cum peteret (solum) donari quasi proprio suo deo, Suet. Aug. 5: petit aes sibi dari εις ἄρτους, Gell. 9, 2, 1.
          De aliquo (for ab aliquo), to beg or request of one (post-class.): si de me petisses, ut, etc., Dig. 13, 6, 5.
          Ab aliquo aliquid alicui, to beg a thing of one person for another (class.): M. Curtio tribunatum a Caesare petivi, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 15, 3: ab aliquo pro aliquo petere, to intercede for: in eorum studiis, qui a te pro Ligario petunt, Cic. Lig. 10, 31.
          With ex and abl. pers. (v. infra d.): eum petit litteris, ut ad Britanniam proficisceretur, Capitol. Pertin. 3, 5; Eutr. 2, 24.
          Hence, pĕtītum, i, n., a prayer, desire, request, entreaty, Cat. 68, 39.
          1. (β) Polit. t. t., to apply or solicit for an office, to be a candidate for office (different from ambire, to go about among the people to collect their votes, to canvass, which took place after the petitio): nemo est ex iis, qui nunc petunt, qui, etc., Cic. Att. 1, 1, 2: consulatum, id. Phil. 2, 30, 76: praeturam, id. Verr. 1, 8, 23; Liv. 1, 35.
        3. c. To solicit a person, to seek to possess, to woo: libidine sic accensa (Sempronia) ut viros saepius peteret quam peteretur, Sall. C. 25, 3: cum te tam multi peterent, tu me una petisti, Prop. 3, 13, 27: formosam quisque petit, id. 3, 32, 4: multi illam petiere, Ov. M. 1, 478; cf.: quae tuus Vir petet, cave, ne neges; Ne petitum aliunde eat, Cat. 61, 151.
        4. d. To endeavor to obtain or pursue, to seek, strive after any thing, Plaut. Ep. 1, 2, 40: fugā salutem petere, Nep. Hann. 11, 4: praedam pedibus, Ov. M. 1, 534: gloriam, Sall. C. 54, 5: eloquentiae principatum, Cic. Or. 17, 56: sanguinis profusio vel fortuita vel petita, intentional, designed, produced by artificial means, Cels. 2, 8.
          With inf.: bene vivere, Hor. Ep. 1, 11, 29: victricemque petunt dextrae conjungere dextram, Ov. M. 8, 421; 14, 571: conubiis natam sociare Latinis, Verg. A. 7, 96: aliquem transfigere ferro, Mart. 5, 51, 3.
          With ex and abl., over, in the case of: ex hostibus victoriam petere, Liv. 8, 33, 13: supplicium ex se, non victoriam peti, id. 28, 19, 11: imperium ex victis hostibus populum Romanum petere, id. 30, 16, 7.
        5. e. To fetch any thing: qui argentum petit, Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 53: cibum e flammā, Ter. Eun, 3, 2, 38: altius initium rei demonstrandae, Cic. Caecin. 4, 10: aliquid a Graecis, id. Ac. 1, 2, 8: a litteris exiguam doloris oblivionem, to obtain, id. Fam. 5, 15, 4: suspirium alte, to fetch a deep sigh, Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 57; cf.: latere petitus imo spiritus, Hor. Epod. 11, 10; and: gemitus alto de corde petiti, Ov. M. 2, 622: haec ex veteri memoriā petita, Tac. H. 3, 5, 1.
        6. f. To take, betake one’s self to any thing: iter a Vibone Brundisium terrā petere contendi, Cic. Planc. 40, 96: diversas vias, Val. Fl. 1, 91: alium cursum, to take another route, Cic. Att. 3, 8, 2: aliam in partem petebant fugam, betook themselves to flight, fled, Caes. B. G. 2, 24.
        7. g. To refer to, relate to (poet.): Trojanos haec monstra petunt, Verg. A. 9, 128.