quacumque

Forms

quācumque (not comparable)^[1] It is also spelled quācunque, and is split in tmesis by Lucretius and Virgil.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin quīcumque (“whoever, whatever”), its feminine ablative singular: quā (“by which way”) with ⟨-cumque⟩.^[2][1] De Vaan traces the feminine of quī (“who, which”) to Proto-Italic *kʷāi and Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first example is Lucilius, of whoever stands in someone's way wherever he goes.^[2] Köbler dates it from Cicero.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It means by whatever route or way, as Cicero's De lege agraria grants leave to wander wherever they wish, and wherever in one's progress, as his Verrines on wherever a man travelled.^[2][3] Lucretius uses it of whatever part or point, as wherever there is empty space there is no body.^[2] It also means in whatever manner, however, as Cicero's advice to make one's excuses however one can to those one offends against one's will.^[2] Church Latin glosses it wherever, in every manner.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius of wherever one goes.^[2][5]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius of wherever space is empty.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of any route and any manner.^[2][5]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil splits it in tmesis.^[3][5]

Meanings

Adverb

1. By whatever route; wherever, wheresoever.^[2][3][6][1]
2. In whatever manner, however.^[2][6][1]

Related words

• quā
• quīcumque

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson