Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary

I. Act.

A. To long for, seek after, aspire to, desire, covet, wish a thing (freq. and class.; syn.: appeto, affecto, cupio, concupisco, aveo, gestio, volo, opto, desidero, requiro).

(α). With acc.: assunt, me expetunt, Enn. ap. Cic. Ac. 2, 28, 89 (Trag. v. 49, ed. Vahl.): “nihil hominem, nisi quod honestum sit, aut admirari aut optare aut expetere debere,” Cic. Off. 1, 20, 66: “unum ab omnibus ad id bellum imperatorem deposci atque expeti,” id. de Imp. Pomp. 2, 5: “Italia ab hoc auxilium absente expetivit,” id. ib. 11, 30; cf.: Apollo unde sibi populi et reges consilium expetunt, Enn. ap. Cic. de Or. 1, 45, 199 (Trag. v. 186, ed. Vahl.): “nunc a Flacco Lentuli poenae per vos expetuntur,” are demanded, Cic. Fl. 38, 95: “poenas ab aliquo,” id. Pis. 7, 16; Liv. 1, 23, 4; cf.: “jus ab invitis,” id. 3, 40, 4: “facinora ab aliquo,” Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 25: “Plautinas fabulas,” id. Cas. prol. 12: “pecunia tantopere expetitur,” Cic. de Or. 2, 40, 172; cf.: “expetuntur divitiae ad usus vitae necessarios,” id. Off. 1, 8, 25: “mortem pro vita civium,” id. Tusc. 1, 48, 116: ea vita expetitur, quae sit animi corporisque expleta virtutibus, id. Fin. 5, 13, 37: “in qua (societate) omnia insunt, quae putant homines expetenda, honestas, gloria, etc.,” id. Lael. 22, 84: “non ficto crimine insectari, non expetere vitam, non capitis arcessere,” to attempt one's life, id. Deiot. 11, 30: “stulta sibi consilia,” to seek out, contrive, Plaut. Most. 4, 1, 4.—Of an inanimate subject: mare medium terrae locum expetens, striving or tending towards, Cic. N. D. 2, 45, 116.—

(β). With an object-clause (mostly poet.): quem quisque odit, periisse expetit, Enn. ap. Cic. Off. 2, 7, 23 (Trag. v. 403, ed. Vahl.); cf.: “audire expetis?” Plaut. Aul. 4, 4, 25: “aliquid facere,” id. Trin. 3, 2, 48: “periisse expetunt,” Liv. 40, 10, 5: “dum nostram gloriam tua virtute augeri expeto,” Cic. ad Q. Fr. 1, 1, 2: di me etsi perdunt, tamen esse adjutam expetunt, Pac. ap. Non. 104, 7: “videre expeto te,” Plaut. Rud. 1, 4, 20; cf.: “hoc prius scire expeto, quid perdideris,” Ter. Heaut. 5, 1, 17; id. Hec. 5, 1, 1; Hor. Epod. 11, 3; Ov. M. 7, 476; 9, 550 al.: “quod et scire expeto et quaerere pudet,” Curt. 4, 10, 32; 9, 3, 8; Plin. praef. 14.—

(γ). With ut and subj.: “fatebor et fuisse me et Sejano amicum et ut essem expetisse,” Tac. A. 6, 8.—

(δ). Absol.: “ne legaretur A. Gabinius Cn. Pompeio expetenti ac postulanti,” requesting, Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 19, 57.—*

B. To reach, attain to any thing; with respect to time, to outlast: “malo si quid bene facias, id beneficium interit: Bono si quid male facias, aetatem expetit,” Plaut. Poen. 3, 3, 23.— Hence, expĕtendus , a, um, P. a., desirable, excellent: “forma expetunda mulier,” Plaut. Pers. 4, 3, 60.

II. Intr. (perh. only ante-class.; cf. Liv. 1, 22, 7 Weisenb. ad loc.).

A. To light upon, fall upon, befall a person.

1. With in aliquem: “delictum suum suamque culpam expetere in mortalem,” Plaut. Am. 1, 2, 33: “illius ira et maledicta in hanc,” id. ib. 3, 2, 15: omnes clades hujus belli in eum, Tullus ap. Liv. 1, 22, 7: “quojus ego hodie in tergum faxo ista expetant mendacia,” Plaut. Am. 2, 1, 42.—

2. With alicui: “mea sit culpa, si id Alcumenae innocenti expetat,” Plaut. Am. 3, 1, 12.—

B. Absol., to fall out, happen, occur, result: “nequiter paene expetivit prima parasitatio,” Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 22 Lamb. (al. expedivit): “in servitute expetunt multa iniqua,” befall, id. ib. 1, 1, 20; so, “eadem in vigilanti expetunt,” id. Mil. 2, 4, 40 (not vigilantes, v. Ritschl ad h. l.).