you return tit for tat with your tongue

rē-spondĕo, di, sum, 2, v. a.

Lit., to promise a thing in return for something else; to offer or present in return. So, only in a few examples, the phrase par pari (dat.) respondere, to return like for like: par pari respondes dicto, you return tit for tat with your tongue (syn. refero), Plaut. Pers. 2, 2, 41; cf.: istuc serva; et verbum verbo par pari ut respondeas, Ter Phorm. 1, 4, 35; and:

paria paribus respondimus,

Cic. Att. 6, 1, 23.— Pass.: provide, si cui quid debetur, ut sit, unde par pari respondeatur, i. e. that there be wherewithal to meet the demand, Atticus ap. Cic. Att. 16, 7, 6; cf. also under II. A. 1, the lusus verbb. with spondeo; and II. B. init. —

In a more general signification.

To answer, reply, respond (either to a question, or to any statement or remark, and either in a friendly or hostile signif.); constr. aliquid alicui, ad, adversus, contra aliquem ( aliquid).

In gen.

Lit.: Th. Aliud te rogo. Tr. Aliud ergo nunc tibi respondeo, Plaut. Most. 5, 1, 70; cf. id. Merc. 1, 2, 73.— Absol.:

prius respondes, quam rogo,

Plaut. Merc. 2, 3, 119:

eā legatione Papirius auditā... respondit,

Liv. 9, 14, 2; 27, 40, 8; 33, 38, 7; Nep. Milt. 1, 4:

ille appellatus respondit,

Caes. B. G. 5, 36; 5, 41; Cic. Leg. 3, 13, 30; id. Verr. 2, 4, 62, § 138; id. Fam. 3, 6, 2; 5, 2, 8; 7, 24, 2;

9, 14, 2. — So usu. of an oral answer: tibi non rescribam, sed respondeam,

Sen. Ep. 67, 2;

but also of writing: epistulae,

Cic. Att. 9, 9, 1 et saep.; v. infra:

ab his sermo oritur, respondet Laelius,

Cic. Lael. 1, 5; Plaut. Men. 5, 5, 28: olli respondit rex Albaï Longaï, Enn. ap. Fortun. p. 2691 P. (Ann. v. 34 Vahl.):

cui orationi Caepionis ore respondit Aelius,

Cic. Brut. 46, 169:

criminibus,

id. Planc. 2, 4:

supremae tuae paginae,

id. Att. 6, 2, 1:

cui opinioni,

Quint. 4, 4, 1:

tam aequae postulationi,

id. 7, 1, 47 al.:

summā constantiā ad ea, quae quaesita erant, respondebat,

Cic. Phil. 1, 1, 2; cf.:

arbitrabar me satis respondisse ad id quod quaesierat Laelius,

id. Rep. 2, 39, 65:

nec absurde adversus utrosque respondisse visus est,

Liv. 35, 50; 8, 32:

adversus haec imperator respondit,

id. 30, 31; 33, 35 fin. — With acc. of neutr. pron.:

illud respondere cogam,

to make answer to that, Cic. Cael. 28, 67; cf. id. Vatin. 7, 18; 17, 41:

multa contra patronos venuste testis saepe respondet,

Quint. 5, 7, 31; 5, 7, 24; cf.:

accipe, quid contra juvenis responderit,

Hor. S. 2, 3, 233.— With object-clause:

respondent, bello se et suos tutari posse,

Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 59; id. Curc. 2, 3, 54; id. Mil. 2, 2, 23; id. Merc. 5, 2. 102 al. —Introducing a direct answer:

cum dixisset, Quid agis, Grani? respondit, Immo vero tu, Druse, quid agis!

Cic. Planc. 14, 33; id. Att. 5, 21, 12; id. Inv. 1, 31, 51; id. Tusc. 5, 19, 56.— In impers. perf.:

postquam mihi responsum est, abeo, etc.,

Plaut. Curc. 2, 3, 57; cf. id. Mil. 4, 2, 93: quid nunc renunciem abs te responsum? Ter. Heaut. 4, 8, 18:

sic existimet: Responsum non dictum esse, quia laesit prior,

id. Eun. prol. 6.— In plur.:

multa ejus et in senatu et in foro vel provisa prudenter vel acta constanter vel responsa acute ferebantur,

Cic. Lael. 2, 6.— In the sup.:

(haec) quam brevia responsu,

Cic. Clu. 59 fin. — In a lusus verbb. with spondeo: Er. Sponden' tu istud? He. Spondeo. Er. At ego, tuum tibi advenisse filium, respondeo, and in return I promise you, i. e. assure you, Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 119; cf.:

fideiussores, qui salvam rempublicam fore responderunt, etc.,

promised, gave assurance, Dig. 50, 1, 17 fin. —

Trop., to answer, respond, reply to, re-echo, resound, etc.:

saxa et solitudines voci respondent,

Cic. Arch. 8, 19;

respondent flebile ripae,

Ov. M. 11, 53; and:

respondentia tympana,

Stat. Achill. 2, 175: urbes coloniarum respondebunt Catilinae tumulis silvestribus, will give an answer to, i. e. will prove a match for, Cic. Cat. 2, 11, 24.—

In partic.

Of lawyers, priests, oracles, etc., to give an opinion, advice, decision, response:

quaeris, num juris consultus (sit)? quasi quisquam sit, qui sibi hunc falsum de jure respondisse dicat,

Cic. Planc. 25, 62; so,

de jure,

id. Brut. 30, 113; cf.:

de jure consulentibus respondere,

id. Mur. 4, 9;

in a like signif., also simply jus,

id. Leg. 1, 4, 12:

facultas respondendi juris,

id. ib. 2, 12, 29; id. de Or. 1, 45, 198; Plin. Ep. 6, 15, 3 al.; cf.:

civica jura,

Hor. Ep. 1, 3, 24; and:

quae consuluntur, minimo periculo respondentur, etc.,

Cic. Mur. 13, 28; id. Brut. 89, 306. — Absol., Dig. 2, 14, 7; and so very freq. of the jurists in the Digests;

v. responsum: pater Roscii ad haruspices retulit: qui responderunt, nihil illo puero clarius fore,

Cic. Div. 1, 36, 79:

cum ex prodigiis haruspices respondissent,

Sall. C. 47, 2; Liv. 27, 37; 31, 5; 5, 54; Vell. 2, 24, 3:

responsum est,

Suet. Aug. 94, 97:

deliberantibus Pythia respondit, ut moenibus ligneis se munirent,

gave advice, Nep. Them. 2, 6; cf. Just. 11, 11, § 11:

possumus seniores amici quiete respondere,

to give advice, Tac. A. 14, 54 fin. —

Of the answering of a person summoned when his name is called; hence, meton., to appear: citatus neque respondit neque excusatus est, Varr. ap. Gell. 11, 1, 4; cf.:

cives, qui ad nomina non respondissent,

Liv. 7, 4:

quia Romae non respondebant,

id. 39, 18; Val. Max. 6, 3, 4; Suet. Tib. 38; id. Ner. 44; Hor. S. 1, 9, 36 (vadato, dat., i.e. ei qui eum vadatus erat; v. vador); Dig. 3, 3, 35; 41, 1, 14 et saep.—

Esp., to appear before a tribunal, to answer an accusation, meet a charge, etc.:

perfectus in exsilium Tubulus est nec respondere ausus,

Cic. Fin. 2, 16, 54:

Verrem alterā actione responsurum non esse,

id. Verr. 2, 1, 1, § 1:

nemo Epaminondam responsurum putabat,

Nep. Epam. 8, 1.—

Transf., in gen., to appear, be present:

ipsi (sc. paeon et herous) se offerent et respondebunt non vocati,

Cic. de Or. 3, 49, 191:

verba (with res se ostendent),

Quint. 10, 3, 9:

ut ii, qui debent, non respondeant ad tempus,

Cic. Att. 16, 2, 2; cf.:

podagra ad tempus (with venit ad horam),

Sen. Q. N. 3, 16, 1:

sanguis per menstrua,

Cels. 4, 4, 5.—

To answer to; to meet, agree, accord, or correspond with a thing; constr. usually with dat. or absol.:

ut omnia omnibus paribus paria respondeant,

Cic. N. D. 1, 19, 50:

ut horum auctoritatibus illorum orationi, qui dissentiunt, respondere posse videamur,

id. Imp. Pomp. 23, 68:

ut verba verbis quasi demensa et paria respondeant,

id. Or. 12, 38; and:

respondent extrema primis, media utrisque, omnia omnibus,

id. Fin. 5, 28, 83: (Aristoteles dicit) illam artem (sc. rhetoricam) quasi ex alterā parte respondere dialecticae, that it corresponds to, i. e. forms the counterpart of, id. Or. 32, 114:

aedificare alteram porticum quae Palatio responderet,

id. Har. Resp. 23, 49; cf.

of a locality: contra elata mari respondet Gnosia tellus,

i. e. lies opposite, Verg. A. 6, 23:

Pachyni pulsata Ionio respondent saxa profundo,

Sil. 14, 73:

est mihi magnae curae, ut ita erudiatur (Lucullus), ut et patri et Caepioni nostro et tibi tam propinquo respondeat,

Cic. Fin. 3, 2, 8: satis Graecorum [p. 1582] gloriae responderunt, id. Tusc. 1, 2, 3:

tua virtus opinioni hominum,

id. Fam. 2, 5, 2; id. Lael. 16, 56:

fortuna meis optatis,

id. Fam. 2, 1, 2; cf.:

seges votis,

Verg. G. 1, 47:

arma Caesaris non responsura lacertis,

Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 48:

favor meritis,

id. ib. 2, 1, 9:

ne prior officio quisquam respondeat,

id. S. 2, 6, 24:

par fama labori,

id. ib. 2, 8, 66:

fructus labori,

Ov. F. 4, 641:

non mihi respondent veteres in carmine vires,

id. H. 15, 197 al.:

familiam nemo speciosiorem producet, sed hominibus non respondet,

he does not pay his debts, Sen. Ep. 87, 6:

amori amore respondere,

i. e. to return it, repay it, Cic. Fam. 15, 21, 4; cf.:

Quinti fratris liberalitati subsidiis amicorum,

id. Att. 4, 3, 6:

qui ex vico ortus est, eam patriam intellegitur habere, cui reipublicae vicus ille respondet,

to which it belongs, Dig. 50, 1, 30.—

In mal. part.: mulieribus,

Plaut. Mil. 4, 1, 17.—With ad:

respondere ad parentum speciem,

resemble, Varr. R. R. 2, 5, 9:

deformentur directiones, ut longitudines ad regulam et lineam, altitudines ad perpendiculum, anguli ad normam respondentes exigantur,

Vitr. 7, 3; cf.:

structuram ad perpendiculum respondere oportet,

Plin. 36, 22, 51, § 172:

quia non tota ad animum responderat (villa),

Suet. Caes. 48:

ad spem eventus respondit,

Liv. 28, 6.—With dat.:

Papirio quoque brevi ad spem eventus respondit,

Liv. 9, 15.— With ex:

quicquid non ex voluntate respondet, iram provocat,

Sen. Ep. 47, 19:

speculum quocumque obvertimus oris, Res sibi respondent simili formā atque colore,

i. e. correspond, are reflected, Lucr. 4, 167.— Absol.:

sidera respondent in aquā,

Lucr. 4, 213:

quia raro verba belle respondeant,

Quint. 6, 3, 48: medicus aliquid oportet inveniat, quod non ubique fortasse, sed saepius tamen etiam respondeat, may answer, be suitable, Cels. praef.—

To return, make a return, yield:

frumenta quando cum quarto responderint (sc. colono),

have returned, yielded, Col. 3, 3, 4; cf. with abl. and dat.:

humus cum est repetita cultu, magno fenore colono respondet,

id. 2, 1, 3:

vitis, nisi praepingui solo, non respondet,

id. 3, 2, 11; cf.:

metalla plenius responsura fodienti,

Sen. Ep. 23, 5.—Hence, rēspon-sum, i, n., an answer, reply, response (equally freq. in sing. and plur.).

In gen.:

suis postulatis responsa exspectare,

Caes. B. C. 1, 5 fin.:

haec paucis diebus ex illius ad nostra responsa responsis intellegentur, quorsum evasura sint,

Cic. Att. 7, 17, 4:

responsum senatūs,

Liv. 7, 31:

sine responso legatos dimisit,

id. 9, 38:

nullo ab nostris dato responso,

Caes. B. G. 5, 58:

responsum dedisti tantis de rebus,

Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 16, § 40; 2, 4, 39, § 85; so,

dare responsum,

Liv. 5, 32, 8; Val. Max. 9, 5, ext. 3; Curt. 3, 12, 9; Liv. 3, 50, 12:

reddere alicui,

Cic. Planc. 14, 34; cf.:

triste redditum,

Liv. 9, 16:

ferre (ab aliquo),

to receive, Cic. Cat. 1, 8, 19; Caes. B. G. 6, 4 fin.:

referre (ab aliquo),

to deliver, Cic. Att. 7, 17, 2; Hirt. B. G. 8, 23; Liv. 37, 6:

elicere,

Quint. 5, 7, 20:

petere,

Hor. C. S. 55:

responsum accipere,

Liv. 5, 36, 4; Just. 12, 2, 8:

responsum non fuit in eis,

Vulg. Jer. 5, 13.—

In partic. (acc. to II. A. 2.), an answer, reply of a lawyer, priest, oracle, etc.; an opinion, response, oracle:

cum responsumque ab eo (Crasso) verum magis, quam ad suam rem accommodatum abstulisset, etc.,

Cic. de Or. 1, 56, 239:

res judicatae, decreta, responsa,

id. ib. 2, 27, 116; id. Mur. 13, 29.—

The responsa prudentium, or authoritative opinions of leading lawyers, were an important source of the Roman law,

Just. Inst. 1, 2, 8 Sandars ad loc.:

haruspicum responsa,

Cic. Cat. 3, 4, 9; cf. Quint. 5, 10, 30; Ov. M. 3, 340; 527:

legatus a Delphis Romam rediit, responsumque ex scripto recitavit,

Liv. 23, 11; cf. id. 1, 56; Quint. 3, 7, 11; 5, 7, 35; Tac. H. 1, 10; 4, 65 al.; Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 65; Ter. And. 4, 2, 15; Verg. A. 7, 86 et saep.—

In eccl. Lat.: responsum Dei, ab angelo, etc.,

Vulg. Mich. 3, 7; id. Luc. 2, 26; id. Act. 10, 22.