I.to look out for a thing (syn.: prospecto, opperior, maneo, moror, praestolor).
1. Objectively, to await, expect something that is to come or to take place, to be waiting for, etc. (very freq. and class.). —Constr. with the acc., with rel.-clauses, with dum, si, ut, quin, or absol.; very rarely with object-clause.
A. In gen.
1. With acc.: “caritatem,” Cato, R. R. 3, 2: “alicujus mortem,” Plaut. As. 3, 1, 28: “cum ea Scipio dixisset silentioque omnium reliqua ejus exspectaretur oratio,” Cic. Rep. 2, 38: “injurias,” id. ib. 1, 5: “transitum tempestatis,” id. Att. 2, 21, 2: “adventum alicujus,” Caes. B. G. 1, 27, 2; 2, 16, 2: “eventum pugnae,” id. ib. 7, 49 fin.: “scilicet ultima semper Exspectanda dies homini est,” Ov. M. 3, 136: “cenantes haud animo aequo Exspectans comites,” i. e. waiting till they have done eating, Hor. S. 1, 5, 9 et saep.; cf.: “exspectandus erit annus,” I must wait a year, Juv. 16, 42. —
2. With relative and esp. interrogative clauses: exspectabat populus atque ora tenebat rebus, utri magni victoria sit data regni, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 48, 107 (Ann. s. 90, ed. Vahl.): “exspecto, quo pacto, etc.,” Plaut. Poen. 4, 1, 1: “exspecto, quid ad ista,” Cic. Tusc. 4, 20, 46; Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 38, § 92: “quid hostes consilii caperent, exspectabat,” Caes. B. G. 3, 24, 1: “exspectante Antonio, quidnam esset actura,” Plin. 9, 35, 58, § 121: “ne utile quidem, quam mox judicium fiat, exspectare,” Cic. Inv. 2, 28, 85; so, “quid exspectas quam mox ego dicam, etc.,” id. Rosc. Com. 15, 44: “et, quam mox signis collatis dimicandum sit, in dies exspectet,” id. 34, 11, 4; 3, 37, 5: “exspectans, quando, etc.,” Quint. 11, 3, 159.—
3. With dum, si, ut, etc.: “ne exspectetis meas pugnas dum praedicem,” Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 1: “ne exspectemus quidem, dum rogemur,” Cic. Lael. 13, 44: “exspectas fortasse, dum dicat, etc.,” id. Tusc. 2, 7, 17: “exspectare, dum hostium copiae augerentur,” Caes. B. G. 4, 13, 2: “nec dum repetatur, exspectat,” Quint. 4, 2, 45: “Caesar non exspectandum sibi statuit, dum, etc.,” Caes. B. G. 1, 11 fin.; cf.: “nec vero hoc loco exspectandum est, dum, etc.,” Cic. Ac. 2, 7, 19: “rusticus exspectat, dum defluat amnis,” Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 42: “jam dudum exspecto, si tuum officium scias,” Plaut. Poen. prol. 12: “exspecto si quid dicas,” id. Trin. 1, 2, 61: “hanc (paludem) si nostri transirent, hostes exspectabant,” Caes. B. G. 2, 9, 1; id. B. C. 2, 34, 1: “nisi exspectare vis ut eam sine dote frater conlocet,” Plaut. Trin. 3, 3, 7: “mea lenitas hoc exspectavit, ut id quod latebat, erumperet,” Cic. Cat. 2, 12, 27: “nisi forte exspectatis ut illa diluam, quae, etc.,” id. Rosc. Am. 29, 82: “neque exspectant, ut de eorum imperio ad populum feratur,” Caes. ib. 1, 6, 6: “quare nemo exspectet, ut, etc.,” Quint. 7, 10, 14; Liv. 23, 31, 7; 26, 18, 5; 35, 8, 5 al.—Pass. impers.: “nec ultra exspectato, quam dum Claudius Ostiam proficisceretur,” Tac. A. 11, 26 fin.: “cum omnium voces audirentur, exspectari diutius non oportere, quin ad castra iretur,” Caes. B. G. 3, 24 fin.—
4. Absol.: “comites ad portam exspectare dicunt,” Cic. Fam. 15, 17, 1: “diem ex die exspectabam, ut statuerem, quid esset faciendum,” id. Att. 7, 26, 3: “exspectent paullum et agi ordine sinant,” Quint. 4, 5, 19.—
5. With object-clause: “cum expectaret effusos omnibus portis Aetolos in fidem suam venturos,” Liv. 43, 22, 2 Weissenb. ad loc.: “venturum istum,” Aug. Conf. 5, 6.—*
B. Transf., of an abstract subject, like maneo, to await: “seu me tranquilla senectus Exspectat seu, etc.,” Hor. S. 2, 1, 58.
II. To look for with hope, fear, desire, expectation, to hope for, long for, expect, desire; to fear, dread, anticipate, apprehend.
1. With acc.: “reliquum est, ut tuam profectionem amore prosequar, reditum spe exspectem,” Cic. Fam. 15, 21 fin.; cf.: “quod magna cum spe exspectamus,” id. Att. 16, 16 E. fin.: “ego jam aut rem aut ne spem quidem exspecto,” id. ib. 3, 22 fin.: magnum inceptas, si id exspectas, quod nusquam'st, Plaut. Curc. 1, 2, 56: “quam (rem) avidissime civitas exspectat,” Cic. Phil. 14, 1, 1: “longiores (epistolas) exspectabo vel potius exigam,” id. Fam. 15, 16, 1: “finem laborum omnium,” Caes. B. G. 7, 85, 4: “illum ut vivat, optant, meam autem mortem exspectant scilicet,” to wish, Ter. Ad. 5, 4, 20: “fama mortis meae non accepta solum sed etiam exspectata est,” Liv. 28, 27, 9; cf. “in the pun with I.: cum Proculeius quereretur de filio, quod is mortem suam exspectaret, et ille dixisset, se vero non exspectare: Immo, inquit, rogo exspectes,” Quint. 9, 3, 68 Spald.: “nescio quod magnum hoc nuntio exspecto malum,” dread, Ter. Ph. 1, 4, 16: “mortem,” id. Hec. 3, 4, 8: “multis de causis Caesar majorem Galliae motum exspectans,” Caes. B. G. 6, 1, 1: 7, 43 fin.—With a personal object: “pater exspectat aut me aut aliquem nuntium,” Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 22: “ite intro, filii vos exspectant intus,” id. Bacch. 5, 2, 86: “hic ego mendacem usque puellam Ad mediam noctem exspecto,” Hor. S. 1, 5, 83; cf. Ov. M. 14, 418: “video jam, illum, quem exspectabam, virum, cui praeficias officio et muneri,” Cic. Rep. 2, 42.—
2. Aliquid ab (rarely ex) aliquo (a favorite expression of Cicero): “a te hoc civitas vel omnes potius gentes non exspectant solum, sed etiam postulant,” Cic. Fam. 11, 5, 3; cf. id. ib. 3, 10, 1: “dixi Servilio, ut omnia a me majora exspectaret,” id. ib. 3, 12, 4: “alimenta a nobis,” id. Rep. 1, 4: “ab aliquo gloriam,” id. ib. 6, 19 fin.: “tristem censuram ab laeso,” Liv. 39, 41, 2: “ut ex iis (proletariis) quasi proles civitatis exspectari videretur,” Cic. Rep. 2, 22, 40.—
3. Aliquid ab or ex aliqua re (rare): “aliquid ab liberalitate alicujus,” Caes. B. C. 2, 28, 3: “dedecus a philosopho,” id. Tusc. 2, 12, 28: “omnia ex sua amicitia,” id. ib. 3, 60, 1.—
4. Aliquid aliquem (very rare): ne quid exspectes amicos, quod tute agere possies, Enn. ap. Gell. 2, 29; Sat. v. 38 Vahl.—
5. With object-clause: “quid mihi hic adfers, quam ob rem exspectem aut sperem porro non fore?” Ter. Phorm. 5, 9, 36: “exspecto cupioque te ita illud defendere,” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 64, § 151.—With inf. alone (cf. cupio), Front. ad Ver. Imp. p. 137, ed. Rom.—
6. Absol. (very rare): “cum mihi nihil improviso, nec gravius quam exspectavissem pro tantis meis factis evenisset,” Cic. Rep. 1, 4: “aliquando ad verum, ubi minime exspectavimus, pervenimus,” Quint. 12, 8, 11.—
B. Poet. transf., of an abstr. subject, to have need of, require: “silvarumque aliae pressos propaginis arcus Exspectant,” Verg. G. 2, 27: “neque illae (oleae) procurvam exspectant falcem rastrosque tenaces,” id. ib. 2, 421; cf.: “lenta remedia et segnes medicos non exspectant tempora mea,” Curt. 3, 5, 13.—Hence, exspectātus (expect- ), a, um, P. a. (acc. to II.), anxiously expected, longed for, desired, welcome (class.): “carus omnibus exspectatusque venies,” Cic. Fam. 16, 7; cf.: “venies exspectatus omnibus,” id. ib. 4, 10, 1; Plaut. Most. 2, 2, 11: “quibus Hector ab oris exspectate venis?” Verg. A. 2, 282: “sensi ego in exspectatis ad amplissimam dignitatem fratribus tuis,” who were expected to arrive at the highest dignities of the state, Cic. de Sen. 19, 68: “ubi te exspectatum ejecisset foras,” i. e. whose death is waited, longed for, Ter. Ad. 1, 2, 29 Ruhnk.—Comp.: “nimis ille potuit exspectatior venire,” Plaut. Most. 2, 2, 12.—Sup.: “adventus suavissimus exspectatissimusque,” Cic. Att. 4, 4 a: “litterae,” id. Fam. 10, 5, 1: “triumphus,” Hirt. B. G. 8, 51 fin.—
b. In the neutr. absol.: “quis non diversa praesentibus contrariaque exspectatis aut speret aut timeat?” Vell. 2, 75, 2: “hosti Ante exspectatum positis stat in agmine castris,” before it was expected, Verg. G. 3, 348; so, “ante exspectatum,” Ov. M. 4, 790; 8, 5; Sen. Ep. 114: “ille ad patrem patriae exspectato revolavit maturius,” than was expected, Vell. 2, 123, 1.