rē-spīro — Lewis & Short
rē-spīro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. and n.
I Lit., to blow or breathe back; to breathe out, exhale (class.; esp. in the trop. signif.):
quod nisi respirent venti, vis nulla refrenet Res ... nunc quia respirant, etc.,Lucr. 6, 568 sq.:
cum aspera arteria ad pulmones usque pertineat excipiatque animam eam, quae ducta sit spiritu eandemque a pulmonibus respiret et reddat,Cic. N. D. 2, 54, 136:
ex eā pars redditur respirando,id. ib. 2, 55, 138:
malignum aëra,to exhale, send forth, Stat. S. 2, 2, 78; cf. id. ib. 2, 4, 35; and poet.:
fistula,i. e. to sound, Calp. Ecl. 4, 74.—
II Transf., in gen., to take breath; to breathe, respire (only neutr.).
A Lit.:
propius fore eos ad respirandum,Cic. Fin. 4, 23, 64; 3, 14, 48:
sine respirem, quaeso,Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 20 (with recipere anhelitum); id. Pers. 3, 3, 12: O Clitopho, timeo. Clit. respiro, Ter. Heaut. 2, 2, 12; Quint. 8, 5, 14; Plin. 14, 22, 28, § 146:
ut non ter deciens respiret,Juv. 14, 28 al.—
B Trop., to fetch one's breath again, to recover breath; to recover, revive, be relieved or refreshed after any thing difficult (as labor, care, etc.); constr. absol. or ab aliquā re.
(a) Absol.:
(improbitas) cujus in animo versatur, numquam sinit eum respirare, numquam acquiescere,Cic. Fin. 1, 16, 52; cf.:
si armis positis civitas respiraverit,id. Fam. 6, 2, 2 (with recreari):
cum tot negotiis distentus sit, ut libere respirare non possit,id. Rosc. Am. 8, 22:
respiravi, liberatus sum,id. Mil. 18, 47:
homines respirasse videbantur,id. Sest. 38, 71; id. Att. 2, 24, 5; 7, 13, a, 3;
10, 1: spatium respirandi dare,Liv. 10, 28; 26, 26 fin.; 28, 31; Verg. A. 9, 813 al.:
quo animi respirant,Quint. 9, 4, 62.—Impers. pass.:
ita respiratum, mittique legationes coeptae,Liv. 29, 4.—
(b) With ab:
respirare a metu,Cic. Clu. 70, 200; id. Har. Resp. 23, 48:
ab eorum mixtis precibus minisque, Liv 4, 25: a continuis cladibus,id. 22, 18; cf.:
aures poëticis voluptatibus a forensi asperitate,Quint. 1, 8, 11.—
2 Transf., twice in Cic., of the exertion or passion itself, to abate, diminish, cease (syn.:
remittere, cessare): oppugnatio respiravit,Cic. Phil. 8, 7, 20:
cupiditas atque avaritia respirasset,id. Quint. 16, 53.