ostendit

Ostendit is a Latin verb form meaning "he shows" or "he displays." It is the third-person singular present indicative active of ostendere, the verb meaning "to show, to reveal, to present." This form takes a direct object in the accusative and is often followed by an indirect object in the dative or by a prepositional phrase indicating to whom something is shown, as in "ostendit mihi" ("he shows me").

Principle parts of ostendere are: ostendo (I show), ostendere (to show), ostendi (I showed / I have shown), ostentum (shown). The present passive is ostenditur. Other tenses are formed by standard Latin endings, for example ostendebat ("he was showing"), ostendet ("he will show"). The supine form is ostentum, used in various compound constructions and in noun phrases.

Usage and scope: In classical Latin, ostendit is common in political, legal, and narrative contexts, meaning to display, reveal, prove, or point out. It can take literal objects (e.g., librum, “the book”) and figurative objects (e.g., consilia, “plans”) and can introduce indirect objects: "ostendit consilia legatis" ("he shows his plans to the ambassadors"). The sense can be both concrete and metaphorical, including demonstrations of argument or intention.

Examples: "Caesar consilia legatis ostendit." (Caesar shows his plans to the legates.) "Puer librum mihi ostendit." (The boy shows the book to me.) Ostendit remains a basic and frequently encountered verb in Latin texts. See also ostendere for the verb’s full range of forms and uses.