I.to search out, seek to discover, to examine, investigate, explore (class.; in Cic. esp. freq. in the part. perf. and P. a.; syn.: speculor, scitor, sciscitor, percontor, quaero, interrogo).
I. In gen.
(α).
With acc.: “explora rem totam,” Cic. Att. 6, 8, 5: “fugam domini,” Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 17, § 44: “ambitum Africae,” Plin. 5, 1, 1, § 8: “altera (manus) motu caecum iter explorat,” Ov. M. 10, 456: “vehiculorum onera,” Suet. Tib. 18: “glebas gustu,” Col. 2, 2, 20: “panis potionisque bonitatem gustu,” Tac. A. 12, 66 et saep.: “ad explorandum idoneum locum castris,” for choosing out, Caes. B. C. 1, 81, 1: “insidias,” to seek out, Verg. G. 3, 537.—
(β).
With rel. clause: “explorare, qui homines inhabitarent,” Petr. 116: “apud se explorare, an expediat sibi consilium,” Dig. 17, 1, 2 fin.: “exploratum est, ubi controversia incipiat,” Quint. 7, 1, 8.—
b. In the part. perf., examined, ascertained, known: “exploratum et provisum,” Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 110: “jam explorata nobis sunt ea, quae, etc.,” Cic. Rep. 1, 13: “perspecta et explorata perscribere,” id. Att. 3, 15, 8; cf.: “res non incertis jactatae rumoribus, sed compertae et exploratae,” Liv. 42, 13, 1: “de numero eorum omnia se habere explorata Remi dicebant,” Caes. B. G. 2, 4, 4; id. B. C. 2, 31, 5.—In abl. neutr. absol.: explorato, it being ascertained, i. e. when he knew: “explorato, jam profectos amicos,” Tac. H. 2, 49.
II. In partic.
A. In milit. lang., to spy out, reconnoitre: “speculatoribus in omnes partes dimissis, explorat, quo commodissime itinere vallum transire possit,” Caes. B. G. 5, 49 fin.; cf. id. ib. 5, 50, 3: “itinera egressusque ejus, postremo loca atque tempora cuncta explorat,” Sall. J. 35, 5: “Siciliam adiit, Africam exploravit,” Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 12, 34: “occulte explorare loca,” Caes. B. C. 1, 66, 2: “explorato hostium consilio,” Hirt. B. G. 8, 18, 2.—In the neutr. absol.: “ante explorato et subsidiis positis,” Liv. 23, 42, 9; so id. 23, 43, 7; 27, 2 fin.—
B. To try, test, put to the proof (perh. not ante-Aug.): “et suspensa focis explorat robora fumus,” Verg. G. 1, 175: “taurus in adversis explorat cornua truncis,” Luc. 2, 603; cf.: “hoc jugulo dextram explora,” Sil. 11, 358: “animos,” Ov. A. A. 1, 456; Liv. 37, 7, 10: “explorans quid hostes agerent,” id. 37, 28, 6: “haec exploranda per impigros juvenes esse,” id. 22, 55: “secundae res animos,” Tac. H. 1, 15: “tyranni fidem,” Luc. 8, 582.—Hence, explōrātus , a, um, P. a. Lit., ascertained; hence, established, confirmed, certain, sure: “ut ei jam exploratus et domi conditus consulatus videretur,” Cic. Mur. 24, 49: magna et prope explorata spes, id. Phil. 10, 10, 20; id. Off. 3, 33, 117; id. Tusc. 5, 9, 27: “victoria,” Caes. B. G. 7, 52, 2: “ratio,” Cic. N. D. 1, 23, 64: “litterae exploratae a timore,” i. e. affording certainty, confidence, id. Att. 3, 17, 1 et saep.: “de quo mihi exploratum est, ita esse, ut scribis,” I am certain, convinced, id. Fam. 2, 16, 6; cf. id. Ac. 2, 17, 54: “quis est tam stultus, cui sit exploratum, se ad vesperum esse victurum?” id. de Sen. 19, 67: “in qua (amicitia) nihil fidum, nihil exploratum habeas,” id. Lael. 26, 97: “exploratam habere pacem,” id. Phil. 7, 6, 16: “(Deus) habet exploratum, fore, etc.,” id. N. D. 1, 19, 51: “pro explorato habebat, etc.,” Caes. B. G. 6, 5, 3.—Comp.: “facilior et exploratior devitatio legionum fore videtur, etc.,” Cic. Att. 16, 2, 4.—Sup.: “exploratissima victoria,” Vell. 84, 1.—Adv.: explōrātē , with certainty, for a certainty, securely, surely (for the most part only in Cic.): “haec ita sentio, judico, ad te explorate scribo,” Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 15, b. 3; cf. judicare, Planc. in Cic. Fam. 10, 8, 6: “satis explorate perceptum et cognitum,” Cic. N. D. 1, 1, 1: “navigare,” id. Fam. 16, 8, 1.—Comp.: “exploratius promittere,” Cic. Fam. 6, 1, 5.— Sup. seems not to occur.
