(preposition) : sponte, abl., and spontis
* Gen. (perh. the only cases in use of a noun spons, assumed by Charis. p. 34 P., and Aus. Idyll. 12, 8, 11, as nom. But ad spontem is Müller's reading, Varr. L. L. 6, 7, 72, for a sponte), f. spondeo; prop. a pledging of one's self to a thing; hence, opp. to external necessity or inducement, of free will, of one's own accord.
* Sponte, in good prose always joined with meā, tuā, suā (poet. and in post-Aug. prose; also absol. or with gen.), of free will, of one's own accord, of one's self, freely, willingly, voluntarily, spontaneously (syn. ultro): sponte valet a voluntate,Varr. L. L. 6, § 69 Müll.: si imprudenter aut necessitate aut casu quippiam fecerit, quod non concederetur iis, qui suā sponte et voluntate fecissent,Cic. Part. Or. 37, 131: tuo judicio et tuā sponte facere,id. Fam. 9, 14, 2; cf.: Galliam totam hortatur ad bellum, ipsam suā sponte suoque judicio excitatam,id. Phil. 4, 3, 8: potius consuefacere filium, Suā sponte recte facere quam alieno metu,Ter. Ad. 1, 1, 50: si hic non insanit satis suā sponte, instiga,id. And. 4, 2, 9: ut id suā sponte facerent, quod cogerentur facere legibus,Cic. Rep. 1, 2, 3: meā sponte (opp. invitatu tuo),id. Fam. 7, 5, 2: meā sponte (opp. monente et denuntiante te),id. ib. 4, 3, 1: non solum a me provocatus, sed etiam suā sponte,id. ib. 1, 7, 3: transisse Rhenum sese non suā sponte, sed rogatum et arcessitum a Gallis,Caes. B. G. 1, 44: et suā sponte multi in disciplinam conveniunt et a parentibus propinquisque mittuntur,id. ib. 6, 14: sive ipse sponte suā, sive senatusconsulto accitus,Liv. 10, 25, 12: quaesitum est, praecipitata esset ab eo uxor, an se ipsa suā sponte jecisset,Quint. 7, 2, 24: gaudeo id te mihi suadere, quod ego meā sponte pridie feceram,Cic. Att. 15, 27: sponte ipsam suāpte adductam, Lucil. ap. Varr. L. L. 6, § 69 Müll.: me si fata meis paterentur ducere vitam Auspiciis et sponte meā componere curas,Verg. A. 4, 341: interim sponte nostrā velut donantes,Quint. 3, 6, 8.—Sometimes propriā for suā (late Lat.): sponte se propriā dederunt,Amm. 17, 2, 3: Richomeres se sponte obtulit propriā,id. 31, 12, 15.
* Absol.: Italiam non sponte sequor,Verg. A. 4, 361: sponte properant,Ov. M. 11, 486: odio tyrannidis exsul Sponte erat,id. ib. 15, 62: sponte en ultroque peremptus,Stat. Th. 10, 809; cf.: multitudo sponte et ultro confluens,Suet. Caes. 16: nec illum sponte exstinctum,Tac. A. 3, 16: sponte judicioque plaudere,Quint. 8, 3, 4: opto ut ea potissimum jubear, quae me deceat vel sponte fecisse,Plin. Ep. 6, 29, 11: equites Romani natalem ejus sponte atque consensu biduo semper celebrarunt,Suet. Aug. 57.
* Spontis, only in the phrase suae spontis (esse).
* Transf., of one's own will or agency (opp. to foreign participation or assistance), by one's self, without the aid of others, alone (rare but class.): nequeo Pedibus meā sponte ambulare,Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 46: nec suā sponte, sed eorum auxilio,Cic. Fam. 7, 2, 3: cum oppidani autem etiam suā sponte Caesarem recipere conarentur,Caes. B. C. 3, 11 fin.: his cum suā sponte persuadere non possent, legatos ad Dumnorigem mittunt, ut eo deprecatore a Sequanis impetrarent,id. B. G. 1, 9: civitatem ignobilem atque humilem Eburonum suā sponte populo Romano bellum facere ausam, vix erat credendum,id. ib. 5, 28; cf. id. ib. 7, 65: judicium quod Verres suā sponte instituisset,Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 43, § 111: cum illa civitas cum Poenis suo nomine ac suā sponte bellaret,id. ib. 2, 4, 33, § 72: ecquis Volcatio si suā sponte venisset, unam libellam dedisset?id. ib. 2, 2, 10, § 26.
* Of things concr. and abstr., of itself, spontaneously: is autem ardor non alieno impulsu sed suā sponte movetur, etc.,Cic. N. D. 2, 12, 32: ut cum suā sponte nullā adhibitā vi, consumptus ignis exstinguitur,id. Sen. 19, 71: natura videtur Ipsa suā per se sponte omnia dis agere expers,Lucr. 2, 1092: aliae (arbores) nullis hominum cogentibus ipsae Sponte suā veniunt,Verg. G. 2, 11; cf.: stellae sponte suā jussaene vagentur et errent,Hor. Ep. 1, 12, 17: sapientem suā sponte ac per se bonitas et justitia delectat,Cic. Rep. 3, 16, 26: res quae suā sponte scelerata est,Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 42, § 108; id. Or. 32, 115: justitium in foro suā sponte coeptum prius quam indictum,Liv. 9, 7, 8: clamor suā sponte ortus,id. 9, 41, 17: id suā sponte ap parebat,id. 22, 38, 13: de capite signum in manum sponte suā delapsum,id. 27, 11, 3 ex loco superiore, qui prope suā sponte in hostem inferebat, id. 5, 43, 3: quod terra crearat Sponte suā,Lucr. 5, 938: sponte suā quae fiunt aëre in ipso,id. 4, 738: ut vera et falsa suā sponte, non alienā judicantur,Cic. Leg. 1, 17, 45: te Sponte suā probitas officiumque juvat,Ov. P. 2, 3, 34: sponte deae munus promeritumque patet (i. e. sine indice),id. F. 4, 394.—Very rarely with quādam: litterae syllabaeque ... orationem sponte quādam sequantur, Quint 5, 10, 125.
* Absol.: ut numeri sponte fluxisse videantur,Quint. 9, 4, 147.
* To be one's own master, at one's own disposal (very rare and mostly post-Aug.; not in Cic. or Caes.): quod suae spontis statuerant finem,Varr. L. L. 6, § 71 Müll.: sanus homo, qui suae spontis est, nullis obligare se legibus debet,Cels. 1, 1.
* In Columella, of things, = suā sponte, of itself, spontaneously: altera (cytisus est) suae spontis,springs up spontaneously,Col. 9, 4, 2: ubi loci natura neque manu illatam neque suae spontis aquam ministrari patitur,id. 11, 3, 10.