Respexerunt

Respexerunt is the third-person plural perfect active indicative form of the Latin verb respicere, typically translated as “they looked back (at), they regarded, or they considered.” The form represents a completed past action and can be used in literal or figurative senses, depending on context.

Etymology and form: Respice re- means back, and spicere (or specere) means to look, yielding respicere “to look back at, to regard.” The perfect stem is respex- or respex-, with the standard suffix -erunt for the third person plural, giving respexerunt or respexerunt in classical texts. Both spellings are attested in Latin authors, with respexerunt appearing in some manuscripts and respexerunt in others.

Usage and nuance: Respicere is transitive and takes a direct object in the accusative, e.g., respexerunt hostes “they regarded/ looked back at the enemies.” Beyond literal looking back, the verb can convey regard, consideration, or contemplation of a person, idea, or action. The exact sense—physical looking, regard, or respect—depends on the surrounding context and object.

Examples:

- Respexerunt hostes. (They looked back at the enemies / they regarded the enemies.)

- Adversariorum consilia respexerunt. (They regarded the adversaries’ plans / considered the adversaries’ plans.)

In a Latin usage note, respexerunt is most commonly encountered in classical prose and poetry as a narrative perfect, while variations like respexerunt may occur in different authors or editions.