Etymologically
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praeterquam

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [prae̯ˈtɛr.kʷãː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [preˈtɛr.kʷam][1]

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]

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