obtempero

Latin

Alternative forms

optemperō

Etymology

From ob- +‎ temperō (“show restraint, moderate”).

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ɔpˈtɛm.pɛ.roː]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [obˈtɛm.pe.ro]

Verb

obtemperō (present infinitive obtemperāre, perfect active obtemperāvī, supine obtemperātum); first conjugation

(often with dative) to comply with; to conform to, obey
Synonyms: oboediō, exaudiō, pāreō

Antonym: recalcitrō
- 106 BCE – 43 BCE, Cicero, Letters to Friends 107.2:
  tecum loquere, [et] te adhibe in consilium, te audi, tibi obtempera
  Speak with yourself, consult yourself in counsel, listen to yourself, obey yourself
- c. 190 BCE – 185 BCE, Plautus, Amphitryon 1.1.448:
  non ego illi optempero quod loquitur
  I will not obey what he says

Usage notes

The term can be impersonal in the passive:

44 BCE, Cicero, De Officiis 1.35:
In quo si mihi esset optemperatum, si non optimam, at aliquam rem publicam, quae nunc nulla est, haberemus.
- Translation by Walter Miller
  If my advice had been heeded on this point, we should still have at least some sort of constitutional government, if not the best in the world, whereas, as it is, we have none at all.

Conjugation

Conjugation of obtemperō (first conjugation)

indicative		singular				plural
indicative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	obtemperō	obtemperās		obtemperat	obtemperāmus	obtemperātis		obtemperant
	imperfect	obtemperābam	obtemperābās		obtemperābat	obtemperābāmus	obtemperābātis		obtemperābant
	future	obtemperābō	obtemperābis		obtemperābit	obtemperābimus	obtemperābitis		obtemperābunt
	perfect	obtemperāvī	obtemperāvistī, obtemperāstī¹		obtemperāvit, obtemperāt¹	obtemperāvimus, obtemperāmus¹	obtemperāvistis, obtemperāstis¹		obtemperāvērunt, obtemperārunt, obtemperāvēre¹
	pluperfect	obtemperāveram, obtemperāram¹	obtemperāverās, obtemperārās¹		obtemperāverat, obtemperārat¹	obtemperāverāmus, obtemperārāmus¹	obtemperāverātis, obtemperārātis¹		obtemperāverant, obtemperārant¹
	future perfect	obtemperāverō, obtemperārō¹	obtemperāveris, obtemperāris¹		obtemperāverit, obtemperārit¹	obtemperāverimus, obtemperārimus¹	obtemperāveritis, obtemperāritis¹		obtemperāverint, obtemperārint¹
passive	present	obtemperor	obtemperāris, obtemperāre		obtemperātur	obtemperāmur	obtemperāminī		obtemperantur
	imperfect	obtemperābar	obtemperābāris, obtemperābāre		obtemperābātur	obtemperābāmur	obtemperābāminī		obtemperābantur
	future	obtemperābor	obtemperāberis, obtemperābere		obtemperābitur	obtemperābimur	obtemperābiminī		obtemperābuntur
	perfect	obtemperātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	obtemperātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	obtemperātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular				plural
subjunctive		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	obtemperem	obtemperēs		obtemperet	obtemperēmus	obtemperētis		obtemperent
	imperfect	obtemperārem	obtemperārēs		obtemperāret	obtemperārēmus	obtemperārētis		obtemperārent
	perfect	obtemperāverim, obtemperārim¹	obtemperāverīs, obtemperārīs¹		obtemperāverit, obtemperārit¹	obtemperāverīmus, obtemperārīmus¹	obtemperāverītis, obtemperārītis¹		obtemperāverint, obtemperārint¹
	pluperfect	obtemperāvissem, obtemperāssem¹	obtemperāvissēs, obtemperāssēs¹		obtemperāvisset, obtemperāsset¹	obtemperāvissēmus, obtemperāssēmus¹	obtemperāvissētis, obtemperāssētis¹		obtemperāvissent, obtemperāssent¹
passive	present	obtemperer	obtemperēris, obtemperēre		obtemperētur	obtemperēmur	obtemperēminī		obtemperentur
	imperfect	obtemperārer	obtemperārēris, obtemperārēre		obtemperārētur	obtemperārēmur	obtemperārēminī		obtemperārentur
	perfect	obtemperātus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	obtemperātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular				plural
imperative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	—	obtemperā		—	—	obtemperāte		—
active	future	—	obtemperātō		obtemperātō	—	obtemperātōte		obtemperantō
passive	present	—	obtemperāre		—	—	obtemperāminī		—
passive	future	—	obtemperātor		obtemperātor	—	—		obtemperantor
non-finite forms		infinitive				participle
non-finite forms		active		passive		active		passive
present		obtemperāre		obtemperārī		obtemperāns		—
future		obtemperātūrum esse		obtemperātum īrī		obtemperātūrus		obtemperandus
perfect		obtemperāvisse, obtemperāsse¹		obtemperātum esse		—		obtemperātus
future perfect		—		obtemperātum fore		—		—
perfect potential		obtemperātūrum fuisse		—		—		—
verbal nouns		gerund					supine
		genitive	dative		accusative	ablative	accusative		ablative
		obtemperandī	obtemperandō		obtemperandum	obtemperandō	obtemperātum		obtemperātū

¹At least one rare poetic syncopated perfect form is attested.

Derived terms

Related terms

temperō

Descendants

→ English: obtemper
→ French: obtempérer
→ Spanish: obtemperar

References

“obtempero”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“obtempero”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
“obtempero”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Portuguese

Verb

obtempero

first-person singular present indicative of obtemperar