prospicio

Latin

Etymology

From prō- +‎ speciō (“observe, look at”).

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [proːsˈpɪ.ki.oː]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [prosˈpiː.t͡ʃi.o]

Verb

prōspiciō (present infinitive prōspicere, perfect active prōspexī, supine prōspectum); third conjugation iō-variant

to look far off; to see into the distance
to watch or look out for
to discern, descry or espy
(transferred) to foresee, see ahead, look forward or towards something
- c. 4 BCE – 65 CE, Seneca the Younger, Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium 1.1.2:
  In hōc enim fallimur, quod mortem prōspicimus: magna pars eius iam praeterit; quidquid aetātis retrō est mors tenet.
  For in this [matter] we are deceiving ourselves, how we foresee death: [rather,] a large part of it has already passed. Whatever stage of life is behind us is held by death.

Conjugation

Conjugation of prōspiciō (third conjugation iō-variant)

indicative		singular				plural
indicative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	prōspiciō	prōspicis		prōspicit	prōspicimus	prōspicitis		prōspiciunt
	imperfect	prōspiciēbam	prōspiciēbās		prōspiciēbat	prōspiciēbāmus	prōspiciēbātis		prōspiciēbant
	future	prōspiciam	prōspiciēs		prōspiciet	prōspiciēmus	prōspiciētis		prōspicient
	perfect	prōspexī	prōspexistī		prōspexit	prōspeximus	prōspexistis		prōspexērunt, prōspexēre
	pluperfect	prōspexeram	prōspexerās		prōspexerat	prōspexerāmus	prōspexerātis		prōspexerant
	future perfect	prōspexerō	prōspexeris		prōspexerit	prōspexerimus	prōspexeritis		prōspexerint
passive	present	prōspicior	prōspiceris, prōspicere		prōspicitur	prōspicimur	prōspiciminī		prōspiciuntur
	imperfect	prōspiciēbar	prōspiciēbāris, prōspiciēbāre		prōspiciēbātur	prōspiciēbāmur	prōspiciēbāminī		prōspiciēbantur
	future	prōspiciar	prōspiciēris, prōspiciēre		prōspiciētur	prōspiciēmur	prōspiciēminī		prōspicientur
	perfect	prōspectus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	prōspectus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	prōspectus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular				plural
subjunctive		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	prōspiciam	prōspiciās		prōspiciat	prōspiciāmus	prōspiciātis		prōspiciant
	imperfect	prōspicerem	prōspicerēs		prōspiceret	prōspicerēmus	prōspicerētis		prōspicerent
	perfect	prōspexerim	prōspexerīs		prōspexerit	prōspexerīmus	prōspexerītis		prōspexerint
	pluperfect	prōspexissem	prōspexissēs		prōspexisset	prōspexissēmus	prōspexissētis		prōspexissent
passive	present	prōspiciar	prōspiciāris, prōspiciāre		prōspiciātur	prōspiciāmur	prōspiciāminī		prōspiciantur
	imperfect	prōspicerer	prōspicerēris, prōspicerēre		prōspicerētur	prōspicerēmur	prōspicerēminī		prōspicerentur
	perfect	prōspectus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	prōspectus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular				plural
imperative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	—	prōspice		—	—	prōspicite		—
active	future	—	prōspicitō		prōspicitō	—	prōspicitōte		prōspiciuntō
passive	present	—	prōspicere		—	—	prōspiciminī		—
passive	future	—	prōspicitor		prōspicitor	—	—		prōspiciuntor
non-finite forms		infinitive				participle
non-finite forms		active		passive		active		passive
present		prōspicere		prōspicī		prōspiciēns		—
future		prōspectūrum esse		prōspectum īrī		prōspectūrus		prōspiciendus, prōspiciundus
perfect		prōspexisse		prōspectum esse		—		prōspectus
future perfect		—		prōspectum fore		—		—
perfect potential		prōspectūrum fuisse		—		—		—
verbal nouns		gerund					supine
		genitive	dative		accusative	ablative	accusative		ablative
		prōspiciendī	prōspiciendō		prōspiciendum	prōspiciendō	prōspectum		prōspectū

References

“prospicio”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“prospicio”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
prospicio in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
- to foresee the far distant future: futura or casus futuros (multo ante) prospicere
- to take measures for one's safety; to look after one's own interests: saluti suae consulere, prospicere
- to look after, guard a person's interests, welfare: rationibus alicuius prospicere or consulere (opp. officere, obstare, adversari)
- to foresee political events long before: longe prospicere futuros casus rei publicae (De Amic. 12. 40)
- to look after the commissariat: rei frumentariae prospicere (B. G. 1. 23)