aspecto

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [asˈpɛk.toː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [asˈpɛk.to]^[1]

Forms

aspectō (present infinitive aspectāre, perfect active aspectāvī, supine aspectātum); first conjugation^[1] It is also spelled adspectō.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a frequentative of aspiciō “to look at” with the suffix -tō.^[2][1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Ennius, “to look at”.^[2] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to look at attentively, watch, and in the imperative “look!”, as in Ennius.^[2][3] In Lucretius it meant to look upon someone with respect, and in Virgil of places to face, look towards.^[2]

The sense “to look out for, await” survives in Italian aspettare and Romanian aștepta “to wait”.^[1]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it.^[2][5]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of regard.^[2][5]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of places facing.^[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To look at, watch.^[2]
2. To regard with respect.^[2]
3. (of places) To face.^[2]

Word family

• aspectābilis

Related words

• aspiciō
• spectō
• aspectus
• English aspect

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de