I. To hold forth, tender, present; to deliver, give up, produce (class.; syn.: praebeo, porrigo, praesto, tribuo, ministro, do, dono, dedo, etc.).
A. Lit.: ait Praetor: QVEM HOMINEM DOLO MALO RETINES, EXHIBEAS.... Exhibere est in publicum producere, et videndi tangendique hominis facultatem praebere; “proprie autem exhibere est extra secretum habere,” Dig. 43, 29, 1 and 3, § 8: jam periculum est ne cogantur ad exhibendum formulam accipere, i. e. to acknowledge legal notice, etc. Sen. Ep. 50, 1: “alicui omnia integra,” Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 25, § 63: “exhibe librarium illud legum vestrarum,” id. Mil. 12, 33: “pallium,” Petr. 15: “tabulas testamenti,” Suet. Vit. 14: “rationes,” Dig. 40, 5, 41 fin.: “fratres exhibe,” Cic. Fl. 15, 35; so, “fugitivos apud magistratus,” Dig. 11, 4, 1: “aliquem apud acta,” ib. 2, 4, 17: “debitorem in judicium,” ib. 12, 2, 28 quadringentos senatores ad ferrum, Suet. Ner. 12 et saep.: “vias tutas,” i. e. to make safe, Ov. Pont. 4, 5, 34: “toros,” i. e. to furnish, allow, id. H. 17, 194: “exhibuit querulos ore gemente sonos,” uttered, id. Tr. 3, 11, 54.—
B. Transf.
1. To show, to display, to exhibit: “exhibuit gemino praesignia tempora cornu,” Ov. M. 15, 611: “notam linguae,” id. ib. 14, 526: exhibuit linguam paternam, displayed, i. e. used the language of her father, id. ib. 6, 213: “faciem sucumque,” Plin. 15, 13, 12, § 41: “malui me tribunum omnibus exhibere quam paucis advocatum,” Plin. Ep. 1, 23, 4: “se ministratorem alicui,” Suet. Vit. 17: “se adorandum adeuntibus,” id. Calig. 22 (but not in Cic. Sest. 50, 107, where the right reading is praebuit, v. Halm. ad h. l.).—In the latter (reflexive) sense sometimes without se: “quid me putas populo nostro exhibiturum?” how I shall exhibit, show myself, Cic. Ac. 1, 5, 18; cf.: “qui vere civilem virum exhibeat,” shows, proves himself, Quint. 12, 2, 7 Spald.; Ov. M. 6, 44: “pro fratre hostem exhibuit,” Just. 27, 2.—
2. To maintain, support, sustain (post-class.; “esp. freq. in jurid. Lat.): si quis a liberis ali desideret, vel liberi, ut a parente exhibeantur,” Dig. 25, 3, 5; so, “aliquem,” ib. 1, 12, 1; 3, 5, 33 al.; cf.: “Scythas alimentis,” Just. 9, 2: “vitam,” id. 11, 10; 22, 1.
II. To show, exhibit, employ; to procure, occasion, cause: “rem salvam exhibebo,” I will set it all right, Plaut. As. 2, 4, 51: quorum virtus exhibet solidum decus, Phaedr. 4, 23, 24: “vocis fidem,” id. 3, 19 Epil. 9: “munificentiam,” Suet. Tib. 48: “liberalitatem, clementiam, comitatem,” id. Ner. 10; cf.: “liberalitatem et justitiam,” Plin. Pan. 33, 2: “vicem spodii,” i.e. to supply the place of, Plin. 23, 7, 63, § 125; cf.: “vicem testamenti,” Dig. 29, 6, 16: “humanitatem,” to exercise, exhibit, Plin. Ep. 5, 19, 2: “diligentiam,” Dig. 18, 6, 2: “imperium,” to exercise, Plaut. Cas. 2, 6, 57: “alicui molestiam,” to cause, Cic. Att. 2, 1, 2; Plaut. Pers. 2, 4, 3; id. Capt. 4, 2, 37: “negotium hominibus,” to produce, occasion, id. Poen. 1, 2, 30; cf.: “qui deum nihil habere ipsum negotii (dicunt), nihil exhibere alteri,” Cic. Off. 3, 28, 102; id. ib. 3, 31, 112: “negotium alicui,” Plaut. Am. 3, 2, 14; id. Most. 3, 1, 38; id. Men. 5, 9, 13; id. Pers. 2, 5, 14; “and once reflexively: jam se exhibebit hic mihi negotium,” will present itself, id. Rud. 2, 6, 72: “argutias mihi,” id. Most. 1, 1, 2: “difficilem laborem alicui,” Col. 5, 5, 17: “curam alicui,” Tib. 2, 1, 61 et saep.