Etymologically
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aspecto

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 18:06. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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

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