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, limited 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, only third-person forms in 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	—	—	respōnsus est	—	—	respōnsī sunt
	pluperfect	—	—	respōnsus erat	—	—	respōnsī erant
	future perfect	—	—	respōnsus erit	—	—	respōnsī erunt
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	—	—	respōnsus sit	—	—	respōnsī sint
	pluperfect	—	—	respōnsus esset, respōnsus foret	—	—	respōnsī essent, respōnsī forent
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	respondē	—	—	respondēte	—
	future	—	respondētō	respondētō	—	respondētōte	respondentō
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		respondēre	respondisse	respōnsūrum esse	respondērī	respōnsum esse	respōnsum īrī
participles		respondēns	—	respōnsūrus	—	respōnsus	respondendus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		respondendī	respondendō	respondendum	respondendō	respōnsum	respōnsū

¹At least one use of the archaic "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.