I.impers. (plur. rarely personal; v. II. infra) [res - fero; the ancients regarded rē in this word as derived from res; cf. Fest. s. v. refert, p. 282 Müll.]; prop., it follows from or in view of a thing, i. q. ex re est; hence, it is for one's interest or advantage, it profits; or, in gen., it befits, matters, imports, concerns, it is of importance or consequence (syn.: juvat, conducit, attinet; freq. and class.); constr.,
I. In all periods and in all kinds of composition, refert hoc (id, illud, etc., a subj.-clause) meā (tuā, etc., qs. fert re meā, tuā, etc.; cf. Prisc. p. 1077 P.) magni (pluris, quanti, etc., nihil, quid?), or absol.
(α).
Hoc meā refert, etc. (in Cic. very rare; “whereas interest meā occurs very freq.): tua istuc refert maxime,” Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 38: “tua istuc refert, si curaveris,” id. Am. 2, 2, 109: “id mea minime refert,” Ter. Ad. 5, 4, 27: “quod refert tua,” Plaut. Pers. 4, 3, 50: “nihilo pol pluris tua hoc, quam quanti illud refert meā,” id. Rud. 4, 3, 27: “meā quidem istuc nihil refert,” id. Pers. 4, 3, 68: “id tuā refert nihil, utrum illae fecerint,” Ter. Hec. 4, 3, 12: “tuā quod nihil refert, ne Cures,” Plaut. Stich. 2, 1, 48: “tuā quod nihil refert, percontari desinas,” Ter. Hec. 5, 3, 12: “non ascripsi id, quod tuā nihil referebat,” Cic. Fam. 5, 20, 5: “quid id meā refert?” Plaut. Curc. 3, 25; 4, 2, 44; id. Merc. 2, 3, 117: “quid id refert tuā?” id. Curc. 3, 88; id. Rud. 1, 2, 88; Ter. Phorm. 4, 5, 11.—With subj.-clause: “quid meā refert, hae Athenis natae an Thebis sient?” Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 41.—
(β).
Hoc refert, etc.: “quomodo habeas, illud refert, jurene an injuriā,” Plaut. Rud. 4, 4, 25: “ne illud quidem refert, consul an dictator an praetor spoponderit,” Liv. 9, 9: “illud permagni referre arbitror, Ut ne scientem sentiat te id sibi dare,” Ter. Heaut. 3, 1, 58: “primum illud parvi refert, nos publicanis amissis vectigalia postea victoria reciperare,” Cic. Imp. Pomp. 7, 18: “magni quod refert,” Lucr. 2, 760: “at quibus servis? refert enim magno opere id ipsum,” Cic. Cael. 23, 57: quanti id refert? Vatin. ap. Cic. Fam. 5, 9, 1. — With subject-clause: “parvi retulit Non suscepisse,” Ter. Phorm. 4, 3, 41; cf.: “parvi refert abs te ipso jus dici aequabiliter, nisi, etc.,” Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 7: “quanti refert, te nec recte dicere, qui nihili faciat?” Plaut. Ps. 4, 6, 23: “meminero, sed quid meminisse id refert?” id. Mil. 3, 1, 214: “quid mihi refert Chrysalo esse nomen, nisi, etc.,” id. Bacch. 4, 4, 53: “quid te igitur rettulit Beneficum esse oratione, si, etc.,” id. Ep. 1, 2, 13: “neque refert videre, quid dicendum sit, nisi, etc.,” Cic. Brut. 29, 110: “neque enim numero comprehendere refert,” nor indeed is it necessary, need we, Verg. G. 2, 104: nec dicaris aliquid, quod referret scire, reticuisse, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 10, 2.—With inf. pass.: “jam nec mutari pabula refert,” Verg. G. 3, 548; cf.: “plures e familiā cognosci referre arbitror,” Suet. Ner. 1. — With a rel. subj.-clause (so most freq. in the class. per.): “ipsi animi magni refert quali in corpore locati sint,” Cic. Tusc. 1, 33, 80: magni refert, hic quid velit, Caes. ap. Cic. Att. 14, 1, 2: “cum ego ista omnia bona dixero, tantum refert, quam magna dicam,” Cic. Fin. 5, 30, 90: “quasi vero referat quam id saepe fiat,” id. Div. 2, 29, 62: “quid refert, quā me ratione cogatis?” id. Lael. 8, 26: “quid refert, utrum voluerim fieri, an gaudeam factum?” id. Phil. 2, 12, 29: “quid refert, tanto post ad judices deferantur, an omnino non deferantur?” id. Fl. 9, 21: “quae (aves) pascantur nec ne, quid refert?” id. Div. 2, 34, 72: “tuo vitio rerumne labores, Nil referre putas?” Hor. S. 1, 2, 77: “cum referre negas, quali sit quisque parente Natus,” id. ib. 1, 6, 7 et saep.: “quod tu istis lacrimis te probare postulas, Non pluris refert, quam si imbrem in cribrum geras,” Plaut. Ps. 1, 1, 100; cf.: “tantum retulerit, ut in transferendis seminibus similem statum caeli locique observemus,” Col. 3, 9, 7. —
(γ).
Refert, etc.: Do. Hae (tabellae) quid ad me? To. Immo ad te attinent, Et tuā refert, Plaut. Pers. 4, 3, 28: Ep. Tua pol refert enim? Ge. Si quidem meā refert, operā utere, id. Stich. 4, 2, 36: “quid tuā refert, qui cum istac venerit?” id. Merc. 5, 2, 65: “non plus suā referre, quam si, etc.,” Cic. Quint. 5, 19: “quos, cum nihil refert, pudet,” Plaut. Ep. 2, 1, 1: “cum nihilo pluris referet, quam si, etc.,” id. Bacch. 3, 4, 20: “nego et negando si quid refert, ravio,” id. Poen. 3, 5, 33: “si servus est, numquid refert?” id. Ps. 2, 4, 28: “quid refert, si hoc ipsum salsum illi et venustum videbatur?” Cic. N. D. 1, 28, 79 et saep. — *
(δ).
Entirely absol.: “bona Sejani ablata aerario, ut in fiscum cogerentur, tamquam referret,” as though it mattered, as if there were any difference, Tac. A. 6, 2.—
II. Analogous to attinet, conducit, and interest; it is of importance; it belongs, relates, concerns, etc.; constr., refert hoc, id, etc. (once referunt haec), ad aliquem, alicui, alicujus, etc. (mostly ante-class. and post-Aug.; but, with alicujus, once in Sall. and once in Liv.): quam ad rem istuc refert? Plaut Ep. 2, 2, 91; cf.: “quid id ad me aut ad meam rem refert,” id. Pers. 4, 3, 44: “refert etiam ad fructus, quemadmodum vicinus in confinio consitum agrum habeat,” Varr. R. R. 1, 16 fin.— In plur.: “te ex puellā prius percontari volo, Quae ad rem referunt,” Plaut. Pers. 4, 4, 44: “quoi rei id te assimulare rettulit?” id. Truc. 2, 4, 40: “dic, quid referat intra Naturae fines viventi, jugera centum an Mille aret?” Hor. S. 1, 1, 49: “quin et verba Flavii vulgabantur, non referre dedecori, si citharoedus demoveretur et tragoedus succederet,” Tac. A. 15, 65: “faciundum aliquid, quod illorum magis quam suā retulisse videretur,” Sall. J.111, 1: “praefatus ... et ipsorum referre, si quos suspectos status praesens rerum faceret,” Liv. 34, 27, 6: “quorum nihil refert, ubi litium cardo vertatur,” Quint. 12, 8, 2: “neque refert cujusquam, Punicas Romanasve acies laetius extuleris,” Tac. A. 4, 33: “ipsius certe ducis hoc referre videtur,” Juv. 16, 58: “plurimum refert compositionis, quae quibus anteponas,” Quint. 9, 4, 44: “tu nihil referre iniquitatis existimas, exigas, quod deberi non oportuerit, an constituas, ut debeatur?” Plin. Pan. 40 fin.: “quem insignire exempli nonnihil, non insignire humanitatis plurimum refert,” id. Ep. 8, 22, 4: “nec minimo sane discrimine refert, Quo gestu lepores et quo gallina secetur,” Juv. 5, 123. — Rarely with a subst. as subj.: “adeo magni refert studium atque voluptas, et quibus in rebus consuerint esse operati homines,” Lucr. 4, 984: “adeo incessus in gravida refert,” Plin. 7, 6, 5, § 42: “longitudo in his refert, non crassitudo,” id. 18, 31, 74, § 317: “multum tamen in iis refert et locorum natura,” id. 11, 51, 112, § 267: “plurimum refert soli cujusque ratio,” id. 18, 21, 50, § 187.
