scītor

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ex-plōro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a., to search out, seek to discover, to examine, investigate, explore (class.; in Cic. esp. freq. in the part. perf. and P. a.; syn.: speculor, scitor, sciscitor, percontor, quaero, interrogo).

In gen.

With acc.:

explora rem totam,

Cic. Att. 6, 8, 5:

fugam domini,

id. Verr. 2, 5, 17, § 44:

ambitum Africae,

Plin. 5, 1, 1, § 8:

altera (manus) motu caecum iter explorat,

Ov. M. 10, 456:

vehiculorum onera,

Suet. Tib. 18:

glebas gustu,

Col. 2, 2, 20:

panis potionisque bonitatem gustu,

Tac. A. 12, 66 et saep.:

ad explorandum idoneum locum castris,

for choosing out, Caes. B. C. 1, 81, 1:

insidias,

to seek out, Verg. G. 3, 537.—

With rel. clause:

explorare, qui homines inhabitarent,

Petr. 116:

apud se explorare, an expediat sibi consilium,

Dig. 17, 1, 2 fin.:

exploratum est, ubi controversia incipiat,

Quint. 7, 1, 8.—

In the part. perf., examined, ascertained, known:

exploratum et provisum,

Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 110:

jam explorata nobis sunt ea, quae, etc.,

Cic. Rep. 1, 13:

perspecta et explorata perscribere,

id. Att. 3, 15, 8; cf.:

res non incertis jactatae rumoribus, sed compertae et exploratae,

Liv. 42, 13, 1:

de numero eorum omnia se habere explorata Remi dicebant,

Caes. B. G. 2, 4, 4; id. B. C. 2, 31, 5.—In abl. neutr. absol.: explorato, it being ascertained, i. e. when he knew:

explorato, jam profectos amicos,

Tac. H. 2, 49.

In partic.

In milit. lang., to spy out, reconnoitre:

speculatoribus in omnes partes dimissis, explorat, quo commodissime itinere vallum transire possit,

Caes. B. G. 5, 49 fin.; cf. id. ib. 5, 50, 3:

itinera egressusque ejus, postremo loca atque tempora cuncta explorat,

Sall. J. 35, 5:

Siciliam adiit, Africam exploravit,

Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 12, 34:

occulte explorare loca,

Caes. B. C. 1, 66, 2:

explorato hostium consilio,

Hirt. B. G. 8, 18, 2.—In the neutr. absol.:

ante explorato et subsidiis positis,

Liv. 23, 42, 9; so id. 23, 43, 7; 27, 2 fin. —

To try, test, put to the proof (perh. not ante-Aug.):

et suspensa focis explorat robora fumus,

Verg. G. 1, 175:

taurus in adversis explorat cornua truncis,

Luc. 2, 603; cf.:

hoc jugulo dextram explora,

Sil. 11, 358:

animos,

Ov. A. A. 1, 456; Liv. 37, 7, 10:

explorans quid hostes agerent,

id. 37, 28, 6:

haec exploranda per impigros juvenes esse,

id. 22, 55:

secundae res animos,

Tac. H. 1, 15:

tyranni fidem,

Luc. 8, 582.—Hence, explōrātus, a, um, P. a. Lit., ascertained; hence, established, confirmed, certain, sure:

ut ei jam exploratus et domi conditus consulatus videretur,

Cic. Mur. 24, 49: magna et prope explorata [p. 697] spes, id. Phil. 10, 10, 20; id. Off. 3, 33, 117; id. Tusc. 5, 9, 27:

victoria,

Caes. B. G. 7, 52, 2:

ratio,

Cic. N. D. 1, 23, 64:

litterae exploratae a timore,

i. e. affording certainty, confidence, id. Att. 3, 17, 1 et saep.:

de quo mihi exploratum est, ita esse, ut scribis,

I am certain, convinced, id. Fam. 2, 16, 6; cf. id. Ac. 2, 17, 54:

quis est tam stultus, cui sit exploratum, se ad vesperum esse victurum?

id. de Sen. 19, 67:

in qua (amicitia) nihil fidum, nihil exploratum habeas,

id. Lael. 26, 97:

exploratam habere pacem,

id. Phil. 7, 6, 16:

(Deus) habet exploratum, fore, etc.,

id. N. D. 1, 19, 51:

pro explorato habebat, etc.,

Caes. B. G. 6, 5, 3.— Comp.:

facilior et exploratior devitatio legionum fore videtur, etc.,

Cic. Att. 16, 2, 4.— Sup.:

exploratissima victoria,

Vell. 84, 1.— Adv.: explōrātē, with certainty, for a certainty, securely, surely (for the most part only in Cic.):

haec ita sentio, judico, ad te explorate scribo,

Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 15, b. 3; cf. judicare, Planc. in Cic. Fam. 10, 8, 6:

satis explorate perceptum et cognitum,

Cic. N. D. 1, 1, 1:

navigare,

id. Fam. 16, 8, 1.— Comp.:

exploratius promittere,

Cic. Fam. 6, 1, 5.— Sup. seems not to occur.