to breathe feebly

spīro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. and a. [etym. dub.].

Neutr., to breathe, blow, etc. (cf. flo).

Lit.

In gen. (only poet. and in postAug. prose):

freta circum Fervescunt graviter spirantibus incita flabris,

Lucr. 6, 428; Ov. M. 7, 532:

obturatis, quā spiraturus est ventus, cavernis,

Plin. 8, 38, 58, § 138:

emicat ex oculis, spiratque e pectore flamma,

breathes forth, bursts forth, Ov. M. 8, 356:

aequatae spirant aurae,

Verg. A. 5, 844:

graviter spirantis copia thymbrae,

strongscented, Verg. G. 4, 31; cf.:

semper odoratis spirabunt floribus arae,

Stat. S. 3, 3, 211:

seu spirent cinnama surdum,

emit a slight fragrance, Pers. 6, 35:

quā vada non spirant, nec fracta remurmurat unda,

roar, rage, Verg. A. 10, 291; cf.:

fervet fretis spirantibus aequor,

boiling up, foaming, id. G. 1, 327.—

In partic., to breathe, draw breath, respire (the class. signif. of the word; cf.

anhelo): cum spirantes mixtas hinc ducimus auras,

Lucr. 6, 1129:

quae deseri a me, dum quidem spirare potero, nefas judico,

Cic. N. D. 3, 40, 94:

ne spirare quidem sine metu possunt,

id. Rosc. Am. 23, 65; id. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 1:

vehementer et crebro spirare,

Cels. 2, 4:

querulum spirat,

breathes plaintively, Mart. 2, 26, 1.—

Transf.

Like the Engl. to breathe, = to live, be alive (usu. in the part. pres.):

sunt qui ab eo (Clodio) spirante forum putent potuisse defendi, cujus non restiterit cadaveri curia (corresp. to vivus),

Cic. Mil. 33, 91:

ut in vivi etiam et spirantis capite bustum imponeret,

id. Dom. 52, 134; cf.:

margarita viva ac spirantia saxis avelli,

Tac. Agr. 12 fin.:

Catilina inter hostium cadavera repertus est, paululum etiam spirans,

Sall. C. 61, 4:

spirantia consulit exta,

still panting, Verg. A. 4, 64:

artus,

Luc. 3, 732:

corpora,

id. 1, 363:

non sunt ausi admovere (corpori), velut spiranti, manus,

Curt. 10, 10, 13; Sil. 2, 430; cf. in verb. finit.:

spirant venae corque adhuc paviduin salit,

Sen. Thyest. 756.—

Of aspirated letters:

quibus (litteris) nullae apud eos dulcius spirant,

sound, Quint. 12, 10, 27.—

Trop.

(Acc. to I. A. 1.) To be favorable, to favor (the fig. taken from a favorable wind):

quod si tam facilis spiraret Cynthia nobis,

Prop. 2, 24 (3, 18), 5:

di maris et terrae... spirate secundi,

Verg. A. 3, 529.—

(Acc. to I. A. 2.) To breathe, live, be alive:

videtur Laelii mens spirare etiam in scriptis, Galbae autem vis occidisse,

Cic. Brut. 24, 94; cf.:

spirat adhuc amor Vivuntque calores Aeoliae puellae,

Hor. C. 4, 9, 10.—Of life-like representations by painting, sculpture, etc.:

excudent alii spirantia mollius aera,

Verg. A. 6, 847:

Parii lapidis spirantia signa,

id. G. 3, 34:

spirat et arguta picta tabella manu,

Mart. 7, 84, 2; 11, 10, 7.—

To be poetically inspired, to have the lyric spirit:

quod spiro, et placeo, si placeo, tuum est,

Hor. C. 4, 3, 24 (Orell. ad loc.).—

Spirare alte, altius, to be puffed up, proud, or arrogant, Flor. 2, 2, 27:

Eusebium alte spirantem addixere poenae,

Amm. 22, 3, 12.—

Act., to breathe out, exhale, emit (mostly poet. and post-Aug.; not in Cic.; syn. exhalo).

Lit.:

Diomedis equi spirantes naribus ignem,

Lucr. 5, 29:

flammam spirantes ore Chimaerae,

id. 2, 705; so,

flammas spirantes boves,

Liv. 22, 17:

flamina,

Ov. F. 4, 18:

Zephyros spirare secundos,

Verg. A. 4, 562:

tenuem animam,

to breathe feebly, Val. Fl. 4, 436:

ambrosiaeque comae divinum vertice odorem Spiravere,

exhaled, Verg. A. 1, 404; Claud. Rapt. Pros. 2, 81.—

Trop., to breathe forth, exhale:

pinguia Poppaeana,

Juv. 6, 466:

mendacia,

id. 7, 111:

ut vidit vastos telluris hiatus Divinam spirare fidem (i. e. oracula),

Luc. 5, 83.—

To breathe into:

ficto Corpori animam,

Lact. 2, 11, 3.—

Transf., like the Engl. to breathe, i. e. to be full of; to show, express, manifest; to design, intend a thing ( poet. and in post-Aug. prose): tantum spirantes aequo certamine bellum. [p. 1744] Lucr. 5, 392:

mollem spirare quietem,

Prop. 1, 3, 7:

quae spirabat amores,

Hor. C. 4, 13, 19:

inquietum hominem et tribunatum etiam nunc spirantem,

Liv. 3, 46:

fratris facta spirans,

imitating, Sil. 15, 411; cf.:

fratrem spirat in armis,

id. 3, 740:

spirantes proelia dira effigies,

id. 17, 398.— Often with neutr. adj. used adverb.:

magnum,

Prop. 2, 15 (3, 7), 53:

majora,

Curt. 6, 9, 11:

immane,

Verg. A. 7, 510:

tragicum satis,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 166; cf. id. C. 4, 3, 24:

quiddam indomitum,

Flor. 1, 22, 1:

cruenta,

Amm. 16, 1, 5.