Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

păteo, ŭi, 2, v. n. root pat. (perh. orig. spat.; cf. spatium); Gr πεταννυμι, πιτνημι, to spread out; πετασμα, curtain; πεταλον, leaf; cf.: patulus, patina; also perh. pando (for pantdo)], to stand open, lie open, be open.

  1. I. Lit.: januae, aedes patent, Plaut. As. 1, 3, 89: facite totae plateae pateant, id. Aul. 3, 1, 2. nares semper propter necessarias utilitates patent, Cic. N. D. 2, 57, 145: omnibus haec ad visendum patebant cotidie, id. Verr 2, 4, 3, § 5: cur valvae Concordiae non patent? id. Phil. 2, 44, 112: semitae patuerant, Caes. B. G. 7, 8: ne fugae quidem patebat locus, Liv. 27, 18: patuere fores, Ov. M. 2, 768: (fenestrae) sine injuriā patent, Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 16 et saep.
    1. B. In partic.
      1. 1. To lie open, be exposed to any thing: patens vulneri equus, Liv. 31, 39, 12: latus ictui, Tac. H. 5, 11.
      2. 2. To stretch out, extend (cf. porrigor): Helvetiorum fines in longitudinem milia passuum CCXL. patebant, Caes. B. G. 1, 2; 1, 10: schoenus patet stadia XL., Plin. 12, 14, 30, § 53.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen., to be open, free, allowable, accessible, attainable: si nobis is cursus pateret, Cic. Att. 10, 12, 4: ad quos omnis nobis aditus, qui paene solis patuit, obstructus est, id. Brut. 4, 16: praemia quae pateant stipendiariis, id. Balb. 9, 24: ut intellegant omnia Ciceronis patere Trebiano, id. Fam. 6, 10, 3: alicui, to yield to: lux aeterna mihidabatur, Si mea virginitas Phoebo patuisset amanti, Ov. M. 14, 133; id. A. A. 1, 362; Auct. Priap. 83.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. Of the hearing, etc., to be open, ready to hear: (constare inter omnis video) patere aurīs tuas querelis omnium, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 8, § 25: si cujus aures ad hanc disputationem patent, id. Fam. 3, 8, 3: meas aurisomnium praeceptis patuisse. id. Phil. 14, 7, 20: tamquam nullo magis tempore ad simplices cogitationes pateat animus, Tac. G. 22, 2: semita Tranquillae per virtutem patet unica vitae, Juv. 10, 364.
      2. 2. To be exposed or subject to any thing, Cic. Off. 1, 21, 73: longis morbis senectus, acutis adulescentia magis patet, Cels. 2, 1: qui vanus et excors est patebit contemptui, Vulg. Prov 12, 8.
      3. 3. To extend: in quo vitio latissime patet avaritia, Cic. Off. 1, 7, 20: late patet et ad multos pertinet, id. de Or. 1, 55, 235.
      4. 4. To be clear, plain, well known, evident, manifest (cf.: appareo, detegor): operta quae fuere, aperta sunt, patent praestigiae, Plaut. Capt. 3, 3, 9: cum illa pateant in promptuque sint omnibus, etc., Cic. de Or. 1, 6, 23: quod in tabulis patebat, id. Phil. 2, 37, 93: in adversariis (hoc nomen) patere contendit, id. Rosc. Com. 2, 5.
        With subject-clause: cum pateat aeternum id esse, quod, etc., Cic. Tusc. 1, 23, 54.
        Absol.: quid porro quaerendum est? factumne sit? at constat: a quo? at patet, Cic. Mil. 6, 15.
        Hence, pă-tens, entis, P. a., open, accessible, unobstructed, passable.
    1. A. Lit.: caelum ex omni parte patens atque apertum, Cic. Div. 1, 1, 2: campi patentes, Sall. J. 101, 11.
      Comp.: in locis patentioribus, Caes. B. G. 7, 28: via patentior, Liv. 7, 36.
      1. 2. Transf., open, wide: dolium quam patentissimi oris, Col. 12, 6.
    2. B. Trop.
      1. 1. Open, exposed: domus patens, et exposita cupiditati et voluptatibus, Cic. Quint. 30, 93: pelagoque volans da vela patenti, Verg. G. 2, 41: urbs patens, unwalled, Vulg. Prov. 25, 28.
      2. 2. Evident, manifest: causa, Ov. M. 9, 536.
        * Adv.: pătenter, openly, clearly; in comp.: patentius et expeditius (opp: implicite et abscondite), Cic. Inv. 2, 23, 69