Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

spĕcĭo (spĭcĭo, v. infra), spexi, 3, v. a. [Sanscr. spac-, see; Gr. σκέπ-τομαι, σκοπός; Lat.: specto, speculum, etc.], to look, look at, behold (ante-class.): quod nos cum praepositione dicimus aspicio apud veteres sine praepositione spicio dicebatur, Fest. s. v. auspicium, p. 2 Müll.: spectare dictum ab specio antiquo, quo etiam Ennius usus: vos epulo postquam spexit, et quod in auspiciis distributum est, qui habent spectionem, qui non habeant; et quod in auguriis etiam nunc augures dicunt avem specere … Speculum, quod in eo specimus imaginem, etc., Varr. L. L. 6, § 82 Müll. (Vahl. has restored the verse of Ennius, Ann. 402, in this way: quos ubi rex populos spexit de cantibus celsis; cf. infra, Fest. p. 330 Müll.); cf.: posteaquam avim de templo Anchisa spexit, Naev. B. Pun. 1, 10: spicit quoque sine praepositione dixerunt antiqui. Plautus (Mil. 3, 1, 100): flagitium est, si nihil mittetur, quo supercilio spicit. Et spexit, Ennius, l. VI.: quos ubi rex … spexit de montibu’ celsis, Fest. p. 330 Müll.; cf. Cato ib. s. v. spiciunt, p. 344: nunc specimen specitur, nunc certamen cernitur, Plaut. Cas. 3, 1, 2; id. Bacch. 3, 2, 15: nisi mihi credis, spece, id. Truc. 5, 8.

spīca, ae (vulg. spēca: rustici, ut acceperunt antiquitus, vocant specam, Varr. R. R. 1, 48, 2.
Neutr. collat. form spī-cum, Varr. ap. Non. 225, 30; Cic. Sen. 15, 51, acc. to Non. 225, 29; Cic. poët. N. D. 2, 42, 110.
Masc. collat. form spīcus, Poët. ap. Fest. s. v. spicum, p. 333 Müll.), f. [root spi-, to be sharp; Gr. σπίλος, rock; σπινός, lean].

  1. I. Prop., a point; hence, in partic., of grain, an ear, spike (syn. arista), Varr. R. R. 1, 48; 1, 63, 2; Cic. Fin. 5, 30, 91; 4, 14, 37; Plin. 18, 7, 10, § 56; Cat. 19, 11: Cererem in spicis intercipit, Ov. M. 8, 292; 9, 689: distendet spicis horrea plena Ceres, Tib. 2, 5, 84: spicas hordaceas gerenti, App. M. 7, p. 191.
    Prov.: his qui contentus non est, in litus harenas, In segetem spicas, in mare fundat aquas, Ov. Tr. 5, 6, 44.
  2. II. Transf., of things of a similar shape.
    1. A. A top, tuft, head of other plants, Cato, R. R. 70, 1; Col. 8, 5, 21; Plin. 21, 8, 23, § 47; 22, 25, 79, § 161; Prop. 4 (5), 6, 74; Ov. F. 1, 76.
    2. B. The brightest star in the constellation Virgo, Cic. poët. N. D. 2, 42, 110; German. Arat. 97; Col. 11, 2, 65; Plin. 18, 31, 74, § 311; Manil. 5, 269.
    3. C. Spica testacea, a kind of brick for pavements, laid so as to imitate the setting of the grains in an ear of corn, Vitr. 7, 1 fin.; cf. spicatus, under spico.
    4. D. Spicus crinalis, a hair-pin, Mart. Cap. 9, § 903 (al. spicum crinale, al. crinale spiclum; but in Lucr. 3, 198, the better reading is spiritus acer, v. Lachm. ad h. l.).