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.

1. dēspectus, a, um, Part., from despicio.

2. dēspectus, ūs, m. [despicio].

  1. I. A looking down upon; hence, a view or prospect from an elevated place (repeatedly in Caes.; elsewh. rare; not in Cic.): erat ex oppido Alesia despectus in campum, Caes. B. G. 7, 79, 3: in mare, id. ib. 3, 14 fin.: sub terras, Lucr. 4, 417: qua longe pelago despectus aperto, Stat. Th. 5, 351.
    In plur., concr., points of view, heights: cum ex omnibus partibus altissimas rupes despectusque haberet (oppidum), Caes. B. G. 2, 29, 3.
  2. II. Transf. (only dat.), a spectacle, an object of contempt: despectui me habet, Vulg. Gen. 16, 5; id. 2 Esdr. 4, 4.
    1. B. A despising, contempt: ludibrio et despectui esse oppositum, Auct. Her. 4, 39, 51.

dē-spĭcĭo, exi, ectum, 3 (inf. perf. despexe, Plaut. Mil. 2, 6, 72), v. n. and a.

  1. I. To look down upon any thing (for syn. cf.: contemno, sperno, aspernor).
    1. A. Lit. (mestly poet.).
          1. (α) Neutr.: ad te per impluvium tuum, Plaut. Mil. 2, 6, 72; 2, 3, 16: de vertice montis in valles, Ov. M. 11, 504: a summo caelo in aequora, id. A. A. 2, 87: medios in agros, id. M. 1, 601: in vias, Hor. Od. 3, 7, 30 al.
            Absol.: vultus suspicientis et despicientis, Plin. 35, 8, 34, § 56.
            Pass. impers.: colles, qua despici poterat, Caes. B. G. 7, 36, 2; Liv. 44, 6; Amm. 19, 5.
          2. (β) Act.: si quis Pacuviano invehens curru multas et varias gentis et urbis despicere et oculis conlustrare possit, Cic. Rep. 3, 9, 14: Juppiter aethere summo Despiciens mare velivolum terrasque jacentis, etc., Verg. A. 1, 224 (v. Conington ad loc.); cf. Ov. M. 2, 178; id. F. 4, 569: e tumulis subjectam urbem, Sil. 12, 488: culmine cuncta, Luc. 5, 251: cavā montis convalle, Verg. G. 2, 187 (Forb. ad loc.): quos (populos) despicit Arctos, Luc. 1, 458.
            (Acc. to Lachm. ad Lucr. vol. 2, p. 236, despicio with acc. always has the trop. force, to despise; and in all these passages should be read dispicere; and so Rib. in Verg., Munro ad Lucr. 4, 418; cf. dispicio.)
    2. B. Trop. as v. act., to look down upon, to despise, disdain (class. and very freq. —syn.: contemnere, spernere): ut omnes despiciat, ut hominem prae se neminem putet, Cic. Rosc. Am. 46 fin.; cf. id. Fin. 3, 18 fin.; id. Rep. 1, 17: divitias (with contemnere honores), id. Lael. 23: suos, Caes. B. C. 3, 59, 3; ipsos, id. B. G. 1, 13, 5: legionem propter paucitatem, id. ib. 3, 2, 3; cf. copias, id. B. C. 3, 23; 87: paucitatem militum, id. ib. 3, 111; id. B. G. 6, 39 fin.: ullum laborem aut munus, to disdain, decline, shun, id. B. C. 3, 8 fin. et saep.: dum despicis omnes, Verg. E. 8, 32; Ov. M. 9, 438 et saep.
      In part. perf.: homines despecti et contempti, Cic. Sest. 40, 87; cf.: huic despecto saluti fuit, Nep. Thras. 2, 2 (corresp. with contemptus and contemnentibus).
      Partic. with the gen.: despiciens sui, Cic. de Or. 2, 89 extr.; and poet.: despectus taedae, Sil. 8, 54.
  2. * II. To look away, not to regard, not to attend: simul atque ille despexerit, Cic. Rosc. Am. 8, 22.
    Hence, P. a., dēspectus, a, um, contemptible, despicable: natura ejus, Tac. A. 13, 47: Euphrates, ingens modo, inde tenuis rivus, despectus emoritur, Mela, 3, 8, 5.
    Comp.: improbos despectiores facere, Boëth. Cons. Phil. 3, pros. 4, p. 47 Obbar.