quasi

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin quasi (“as if, as it were, almost”), and in its first uses partly borrowed from Middle French quasi,^[2][3] formed from quam (“as, how”) and sī (“if”).^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Hoad explains it as a reduced form of quansei, from an accusative of the pronoun base that also gave who and what, and sei (“if”).^[7] Etymonline derives the first part from Proto-Indo-European *kʷo-, the stem of relative and interrogative pronouns, and the second from *swo- (“so”).^[4][8] The Latin word also survives in Italian quasi, Spanish casi and Portuguese quase.^[2] The adjective (1643) and the hyphenated combining form come from the adverb.^[2][3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Almost, virtually; as it were: 1485, in Caxton's translation of Paris and Vienne.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

From 1568 the adverb also introduced an etymological explanation, "as if it were", sometimes abbreviated q. or qu.^[2] Hoad dates the sense "a kind of" to the 17th century and "seemingly, almost" to the 19th.^[7] The adjective, "seeming, having some resemblance to", is recorded from 1643.^[3][5] Formations with the combining form appear from the first half of the 17th century and become very frequent from the early 19th century, according to the OED;^[2] Etymonline dates the prefix from the 18th century, most productive in the 20th.^[4] In music, from Italian use, quasi means "as if, almost" in directions to performers (early 20th century).^[9] In law it forms terms such as quasi-contract.^[9]

Timeline

• 1485 – adverb, almost, as it were.^[2][3]
• 1568 – introducing an etymological explanation.^[2]
• 1643 – adjective, seeming.^[3][5]
• early 17th century – first formations with the combining form.^[2]
• early 20th century – in musical directions.^[9]

Meanings

Adverb

1. As if; as it were; in some sense or degree; seemingly, almost.^[10][5][2]
2. (music) As if, like, in directions to performers.^[9]

Adjective

1. Having some likeness to a thing in function, effect or status without being it: a quasi alliance.^[5]

Combining form

1. Resembling but not really being; so-called: a quasi-official body.^[10][2][3]
2. Seemingly, partly or almost: quasi-permanent.^[10][2][9]

Related words

• quasi-
• quantity

Usage notes

Before another word it is usually joined to it with a hyphen.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
7. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
9. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins