praeterquam

Forms

praeterquam (not comparable)^[1] It is also written separately, praeter quam, sometimes with a word between.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a compound of praeter (“beyond, except”) and quam (“than”).^[2][1][4] Wiktionary traces ⟨quam⟩ to the pronoun stem Proto-Indo-European *kʷos.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first quotation is from Naevius, of hearing something from afar other than one wished;^[2][4] Köbler dates it from Terence.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Followed by a verb it means beyond the way in which, except that.^[2] Introducing a clause it is apart from him who, apart from the fact that: in Terence one character is warned not to say a single word beyond what is asked, and another says that all his labours were light except being without the one he addresses.^[2][3] Lucretius uses it with sī, except if.^[2] Before a phrase it is apart from, beyond, except, as Cicero's question whether a man had been accused of any charge except poisoning.^[2] Church Latin glosses it besides, except, beyond, other than.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius.^[2][4]
• 190–159 BC – Terence.^[2][4]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius, except if.^[2]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero, except poisoning.^[2]

Meanings

Conjunction

1. Beyond, besides; except that.^[2][3][1]
2. Except, save, apart from.^[2][3][1][5]

Related words

• praeter
• quam
• praetereā

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson