Spira, spiræ. Plin. A rundle: a circle, or winding compasse: the turning of cables and roapes winded up: a band or lace about a cappe or hatte. A base of a piller: a cake made like a trendle. A multitude of people.Anguis se colligit in spiram. Vir. The adder wrapped him selfe rounde.
Spiro, spiras, spirâre. Plin. To breathe: to blow as wind doth: to send forth odour or sauour: to liue.Valentius spirat. Eurns. Ouid.Bloweth haeder or stronger.Aequatæ spirant auræ.Virg.Clementius spirant Austri.Stat.Blowe more mildely.Flamina spirant. Ouid, Aræ spirant odoratis floribus.Stat.The Aultars sanour of sweete floures.Tetrum odorem spirare. Col. To cast out a stinking sauor.Amores spirare. Hor. Ira spirat sanguinem. Sen. Anger desireth to shed bloud.Dum anima spirabo mea.Cic.Solong as I shall liue.Dum quidem spirare potero, Idem.Cic. Spirare tribunatum.Liu.To aspire, or endeuor to attaine to the Tribuneship.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
spīra, ae, f., = spei=ra. I.That which is wound, wreathed, coiled, or twisted; a coil, fold, twist, spire (cf. orbis); of a serpent, Verg. G. 2, 154; id. A. 2, 217; Ov. M. 3, 77.—Of the grain of wood, Plin. 16, 39, 76, 198.—Of the intestines, Lact. Opif. Dei, 11, 16.—II. Concr.: spira dicitur et basis columnae unius tori aut duorum, et genus operis pistorii, et funis nauticus in orbem convolutus, ab eādem omnes similitudine. Pacuvius: Quid cessatis, socii, ejicere spiras sparteas? Ennius quidem hominum multitudinem ita appellat, cum ait: spiras legionibus nexunt, Fest. p. 300 Müll. (Ann. v. 501 Vahl., where the read. is nexit).—So, A.The base of a column, Vitr. 3, 3; 4, 1; Plin. 36, 23, 56, 179.—B.A kind of twisted cake, a twist, cracknel, Cato, R. R. 77.—C.A coil of rope, Pac. ap. Fest. l. l.—D.A braid of hair, Plin. 9, 35, 58, 117; Val. Fl. 6, 396.—E.A twisted tie for fastening the hat under the chin, Juv. 8, 208.—F.A confused crowd of men, Enn. ap. Fest. l. l.
spīro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. and a. [etym. dub.]. I.Neutr., to breathe, blow, etc. (cf. flo). A.Lit.1. In gen. (only poet. and in postAug. prose): freta circum Fervescunt graviter spirantibus incita flabris, Lucr. 6, 428; Ov. M. 7, 532: obturatis, quā spiraturus est ventus, cavernis, Plin. 8, 38, 58, 138: emicat ex oculis, spiratque e pectore flamma,
breathes forth
,
bursts forth
, Ov. M. 8, 356: aequatae spirant aurae, Verg. A. 5, 844: graviter spirantis copia thymbrae,
strongscented
, Verg. G. 4, 31; cf.: semper odoratis spirabunt floribus arae, Stat. S. 3, 3, 211: seu spirent cinnama surdum,
emit a slight fragrance
, Pers. 6, 35: quā vada non spirant, nec fracta remurmurat unda,
roar
,
rage
, Verg. A. 10, 291; cf.: fervet fretis spirantibus aequor,
boiling up
,
foaming
, id. G. 1, 327.—2. In partic., to breathe, draw breath, respire (the class. signif. of the word; cf. anhelo): cum spirantes mixtas hinc ducimus auras, Lucr. 6, 1129: quae deseri a me, dum quidem spirare potero, nefas judico, Cic. N. D. 3, 40, 94: ne spirare quidem sine metu possunt, id. Rosc. Am. 23, 65; id. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 1: vehementer et crebro spirare, Cels. 2, 4: querulum spirat,
breathes plaintively
, Mart. 2, 26, 1.—b.Transf.(a). Like the Engl. to breathe, = to live, be alive (usu. in the part. pres.): sunt qui ab eo (Clodio) spirante forum putent potuisse defendi, cujus non restiterit cadaveri curia (corresp. to vivus), Cic. Mil. 33, 91: ut in vivi etiam et spirantis capite bustum imponeret, id. Dom. 52, 134; cf.: margarita viva ac spirantia saxis avelli, Tac. Agr. 12 fin.: Catilina inter hostium cadavera repertus est, paululum etiam spirans, Sall. C. 61, 4: spirantia consulit exta,
still panting
, Verg. A. 4, 64: artus, Luc. 3, 732: corpora, id. 1, 363: non sunt ausi admovere (corpori), velut spiranti, manus, Curt. 10, 10, 13; Sil. 2, 430; cf. in verb. finit.: spirant venae corque adhuc paviduin salit, Sen. Thyest. 756.— (b). Of aspirated letters: quibus (litteris) nullae apud eos dulcius spirant,
sound
, Quint. 12, 10, 27.—B.Trop.1. (Acc. to I. A. 1.) To be favorable, to favor (the fig. taken from a favorable wind): quod si tam facilis spiraret Cynthia nobis, Prop. 2, 24 (3, 18), 5: di maris et terrae ... spirate secundi, Verg. A. 3, 529.—2. (Acc. to I. A. 2.) To breathe, live, be alive: videtur Laelii mens spirare etiam in scriptis, Galbae autem vis occidisse, Cic. Brut. 24, 94; cf.: spirat adhuc amor Vivuntque calores Aeoliae puellae, Hor. C. 4, 9, 10.—Of life-like representations by painting, sculpture, etc.: excudent alii spirantia mollius aera, Verg. A. 6, 847: Parii lapidis spirantia signa, id. G. 3, 34: spirat et arguta picta tabella manu, Mart. 7, 84, 2; 11, 10, 7.—3.To be poetically inspired, to have the lyric spirit: quod spiro, et placeo, si placeo, tuum est, Hor. C. 4, 3, 24 (Orell. ad loc.).—4. Spirare alte, altius, to be puffed up, proud, or arrogant, Flor. 2, 2, 27: Eusebium alte spirantem addixere poenae, Amm. 22, 3, 12.— II.Act., to breathe out, exhale, emit (mostly poet. and post-Aug.; not in Cic.; syn. exhalo). A.Lit.: Diomedis equi spirantes naribus ignem, Lucr. 5, 29: flammam spirantes ore Chimaerae, id. 2, 705; so, flammas spirantes boves, Liv. 22, 17: flamina, Ov. F. 4, 18: Zephyros spirare secundos, Verg. A. 4, 562: tenuem animam,
, Verg. A. 1, 404; Claud. Rapt. Pros. 2, 81.—B.Trop., to breathe forth, exhale: pinguia Poppaeana, Juv. 6, 466: mendacia, id. 7, 111: ut vidit vastos telluris hiatus Divinam spirare fidem (i. e. oracula), Luc. 5, 83.—2.To breathe into: ficto Corpori animam, Lact. 2, 11, 3.—3.Transf., like the Engl. to breathe, i. e. to be full of; to show, express, manifest; to design, intend a thing (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): tantum spirantes aequo certamine bellum. Lucr. 5, 392: mollem spirare quietem, Prop. 1, 3, 7: quae spirabat amores, Hor. C. 4, 13, 19: inquietum hominem et tribunatum etiam nunc spirantem, Liv. 3, 46: fratris facta spirans,
imitating
, Sil. 15, 411; cf.: fratrem spirat in armis, id. 3, 740: spirantes proelia dira effigies, id. 17, 398.— Often with neutr. adj. used adverb.: magnum, Prop. 2, 15 (3, 7), 53: majora, Curt. 6, 9, 11: immane, Verg. A. 7, 510: tragicum satis, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 166; cf. id. C. 4, 3, 24: quiddam indomitum, Flor. 1, 22, 1: cruenta, Amm. 16, 1, 5.