Pronoun
quispiam (feminine quaepiam, neuter quidpiam or quippiam); relative/interrogative pronoun with an indeclinable portion
- anybody, anything
- somebody, something
Declension
Relative/interrogative pronoun with an indeclinable portion.
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1In Republican Latin or earlier, alternative spellings could be found for the following forms of quī/quis and its compounds: the masculine nominative singular or plural quī (old spelling quei), the genitive singular cuius (old spelling quoius), the dative singular cui (old spelling quoi or quoiei), the dative/ablative plural quīs (old spelling queis).
- The plural is very rare.
- The feminine nominative singular quaepiam may be unattested in Classical Latin as a pronoun (it is found as an adjective; see below).
Adjective
quispiam (feminine quaepiam, neuter quodpiam); relative/interrogative pronoun with an indeclinable portion
- any
- some
Declension
Relative/interrogative pronoun with an indeclinable portion.
More information Number, Singular ...
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1In Republican Latin or earlier, alternative spellings could be found for the following forms of quī/quis and its compounds: the masculine nominative singular or plural quī (old spelling quei), the genitive singular cuius (old spelling quoius), the dative singular cui (old spelling quoi or quoiei), the dative/ablative plural quīs (old spelling queis).
Quotations
- Marcus Tullius Cicero, in a letter at Varro. In: M. T. Ciceronis Epistolae ad Atticum, ad Quintum Fratrem, ad M. Brutum, et quae vulgo ad Familiares dicuntur, temporis ordine dispositae. Tomus IX. – M. Tullius Cicero's sämmtliche Briefe, übersetzt und erläutert von C. M. Wieland. Neunter Band, Wien und Triest, 1814, p. 232:
- Quamquam tum quidem vel aliae quaepiam rationes, honestas nobiset curas, et actiones darent: nunc autem quid est, sine his cur vivere velimus?
- Apulejus Madaurensis, Florida. In: Apuleii opera omnia ex editione oudendorpiana, vol. II., London, 1825, p. 922:
- Satis, inquit, mihi fuerit mercedis, Thales sapiens,4 si id, quod a me didicisti, cum proferre ad quospiam coeperis, tibi non asciveris,5 sed ejus inventi me potius, quam alium, repertorem praedicaveris.6
- 4 Post inquit voces Th. sapiens ponit Floridus. Id.—5 Abest non a Coll. Voss. Id.—6 Praedicaveris. Pith. praedicaris. Ed. Vic. praedicatis. Id.
- The wise Thales replied, It will be a sufficient reward to me, if you do not publish what I have taught you as a discovery of your own, but fairly declare that I am the inventor. [1]
- 'It is enough recompense,' replied Thales the wise, 'if you will refrain from claiming as your own the theory I have taught you, whenever you begin to impart it to others, and will proclaim me and no other as the discoverer of this new law.' [2]
See also
More information type, demonstrative ...
type | demonstrative | anaphoric | identity | interrogative/ relative | indefinite | negative | other |
proximal | medial | distal | relative | indefinite | free choice | universal | negative polarity |
basic |
hic | iste, istic | ille, illic | is | ipse, īdem | quis/quī | quisquis, quīcumque | quis, quī, quīdam, aliquis, aliquī, quispiam | quīvis, quīlibet | quisque | quisquam, ūllus, °aliquisquam | nēmō, nihil, nūllus | alius |
dual |
| | | | | uter | utercumque | alteruter | utervīs, uterlibet | uterque | | neuter | alter |
place |
hīc | istīc | illīc | ibī̆ | ibī̆dem | ubī̆ | ubiubi, ubī̆cumque | alicubī, uspiam | ubivīs, ubilibet | ubīque | usquam | nusquam, nūllibī | alibī, aliās |
source |
hinc | istinc | illinc | inde | indidem | unde | undecumque, undeunde | alicunde | °undelibet | undique | | | aliunde |
destination |
hūc, °hōrsum | istūc, °istōrsum | illūc, °illōrsum | eō | eōdem | quō, quōrsum | quōquō, quōcumque | aliquō, quōpiam, °aliquōvorsum | quōvīs, quōlibet | | quōquam | nusquam, nūllōrsum | aliō, aliōrsum |
method, means, path, place |
hāc | istāc | illāc | eā | eādem | quā | quāquā, quācumque | aliquā | quāvīs, quālibet | quāque | | nēquāquam, haudquāquam | aliā |
manner |
hōc modō | istō modō | illō modō | ita, sīc, eō modō | item, itidem | ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum | utut, utcumque, quōmodocumque | quī, quōdam modō, aliquō modō | quōmodolibet | utīque | ūllō modō | nūllō modō | aliter, aliōquī, alterō/aliō modō |
time |
num, nunc | | ōlim | tum, tunc | simul | quandō, ‡cum | cumque, quandōcumque, quandōque | quondam, aliquandō | quandōlibet | quandōque | umquam | numquam | aliās |
quantity |
| | | tam | †tamen, †tandem | quam | †quamquam | aliquam | quamvīs, quamlibet | | | | |
size |
| | | tantus | tantusdem | quantus | quantuscumque | aliquantus | quantusvīs, quantuslibet | | | | |
quality |
| | | tālis | | quālis | quālis, quāliscumque | aliquālis | quālislibet | | | | |
number |
| | | tot | totidem | quot | quotquot, quotcumque | aliquot | quotlibet | | | | |
order |
| | | totus | | quotus | quotuscumque | aliquotus | quotuslibet | | | | |
repetition |
| | | totiēns | | quotiēns | quotiēnscumque | aliquotiēns | quotiēnslibet | | | | |
multiplication |
| | | totuplex | | quotuplex | | | | | | | |
† Turned conjunction with original meaning somewhat dissimulated ° Rare ‡only used as a conjunction, not as an interrogative |
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References
The Dictionary Historical and Critical of Mr. Peter Bayle, 2nd edition, vol. V, S—Z, London, 1738, s.v. Tahles, p. 324. The Latin text is quoted as: "Satis, inquit, mihi fuerit mercedis, Thales sapiens, si id quod à me didicisti, cum proferre ad quospiam coeperis, tibi non adsciveris; sed ejus inventi me potius quam alium repertorem praedicaveris."
H. E. Butler, The Apologia and Florida of Apuleius of Madaura, Oxford, 1909 (Project Gutenberg)
Further reading
- “quispiam”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “quispiam”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- quispiam in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.