respondeo

Latin

Etymology

From re- +‎ spondeō (“promise”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /resˈpon.de.oː/, [rɛs̠ˈpɔn̪d̪eoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /resˈpon.de.o/, [resˈpɔn̪d̪eo]

Verb

respondeō (present infinitive respondēre, perfect active respondī, supine respōnsum); second conjugation, third person-only in the passive

1. to reply, answer, respond

   Synonyms: refero, occurro

2. (figuratively) to measure up
3. to be present, to appear, attend
4. to meet or answer (a charge)
5. (of a sound) to re-echo, resound
6. to meet, agree, accord or correspond with, conform to, answer for
7. to make a return, yield

Conjugation

• The passive voice is limited to third-person forms.

   Conjugation of respondeō (second conjugation, third person-only in the passive)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	respondeō		respondēs		respondet		respondēmus		respondētis		respondent
	imperfect	respondēbam		respondēbās		respondēbat		respondēbāmus		respondēbātis		respondēbant
	future	respondēbō		respondēbis		respondēbit		respondēbimus		respondēbitis		respondēbunt
	perfect	respondī		respondistī		respondit		respondimus		respondistis		respondērunt, respondēre
	pluperfect	responderam		responderās		responderat		responderāmus		responderātis		responderant
	future perfect	responderō		responderis		responderit		responderimus		responderitis		responderint
	sigmatic future1	respōnsō		respōnsis		respōnsit		respōnsimus		respōnsitis		respōnsint
passive	present	—		—		respondētur		—		—		respondentur
	imperfect	—		—		respondēbātur		—		—		respondēbantur
	future	—		—		respondēbitur		—		—		respondēbuntur
	perfect	—		—		respōnsum est		—		—		respōnsa sunt
	pluperfect	—		—		respōnsum erat		—		—		respōnsa erant
	future perfect	—		—		respōnsum erit		—		—		respōnsa erint
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	respondeam		respondeās		respondeat		respondeāmus		respondeātis		respondeant
	imperfect	respondērem		respondērēs		respondēret		respondērēmus		respondērētis		respondērent
	perfect	responderim		responderīs		responderit		responderīmus		responderītis		responderint
	pluperfect	respondissem		respondissēs		respondisset		respondissēmus		respondissētis		respondissent
	sigmatic aorist1	respōnsim		respōnsīs		respōnsīt		respōnsīmus		respōnsītis		respōnsint
passive	present	—		—		respondeātur		—		—		respondeantur
	imperfect	—		—		respondērētur		—		—		respondērentur
	perfect	—		—		respōnsum sit		—		—		respōnsa sint
	pluperfect	—		—		respōnsum esset		—		—		respōnsa essent
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		respondē		—		—		respondēte		—
	future	—		respondētō		respondētō		—		respondētōte		respondentō
passive	future	—		—		respondētor		—		—		respondentor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		respondēre			respondērī			respondēns			—
future		respōnsūrum esse			respōnsum īrī			respōnsūrus			respondendum
perfect		respondisse			respōnsum esse			—			respōnsum
future perfect		—			respōnsum fore			—			—
perfect potential		respōnsūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		respondendī		respondendō		respondendum		respondendō		respōnsum		respōnsū

¹At least one use of the Old Latin "sigmatic future" and "sigmatic aorist" tenses is attested, which are used by Old Latin writers; most notably Plautus and Terence. The sigmatic future is generally ascribed a future or future perfect meaning, while the sigmatic aorist expresses a possible desire ("might want to").

Derived terms

• respondeat superior
• respōnsiō
• respōnsitō
• respōnsīvus
• respōnsō
• respōnsor
• respōnsōria
• respōnsum
• respōnsus

Related terms

• cōnspondeō
• dēspondeō
• spondeō

Descendants

• Late Latin: respondō (see there for further descendants)
• → Dutch: responderen

References

• “respondeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “respondeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• respondeo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • the rocks re-echo: saxa voci respondent or resonant
    
  • to return like for like: paria paribus respondere
    
  • the circumstances are described in language worthy of them: rebus verba respondent
    
  • to answer questions: ad interrogata respondere
    
  • to answer to this effect: respondere in hanc sententiam
    
  • to respond to expectations: exspectationi satisfacere, respondere
    
  • (ambiguous) to give an oracular response: responsum dare (vid. sect. VIII. 5, note Note to answer...), respondere
    
  • to fail to answer one's name: ad nomen non respondere (Liv. 7. 4)
    
  • (ambiguous) to extract an answer from some one: responsum ab aliquo ferre, auferre
    
  • (ambiguous) to give an oracular response: responsum dare (vid. sect. VIII. 5, note Note to answer...), respondere
    

Portuguese

Verb

respondeo

1. Obsolete spelling of respondeu.