(verb) : rē-spondĕo, di, sum, 2
* 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.
* 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 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.).
* 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,Cic. 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.
* 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.