quaeso

Forms

quaesō (present infinitive quaesere, perfect active quaesīvī or quaesiī, supine quaesītum); third conjugation^[1] The first person singular is by far the commonest;^[2] Lucretius and Sallust have quaesit, and Cicero and Livy the plural quaesumus.^[2]

Etymology

It is an old form of quaerō (“to seek, ask”), and de Vaan treats them together.^[3][2][4] For him the verb is inherited from Proto-Italic *kwai-s-e/o-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂-i- (“to acquire”), cognate with Doric Greek πέπαμαι (pépāmai, “to acquire”) and Lithuanian kviẽsti (“to invite”).^[4] Wiktionary suggests ⟨*quaessō⟩, a desiderative like vīsō (“to go to see”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Ennius has nautīs … marī quaesentibus vītam, “for sailors seeking their living on the sea”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In early Latin quaesō is “to try to obtain, seek”, and then “to ask for, pray for” (Lucretius: the frightened sailor prece quaesit ventōrum pāvidus pācēs, “begs in prayer for calm winds”).^[2][3][1] Its usual use is parenthetical, in the first person, with an imperative or a request: “I beg you, please” (Plautus: quaesō hercle properā, “hurry, please!”, Cicero: id, quaesō, ex ipsōrum testimōniō cognōscite, “learn this, I beg you, from their own testimony”).^[2][1]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius: marī quaesentibus vītam.^[2][5]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: quaesō hercle properā.^[2][5]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius: prece quaesit.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero: id, quaesō, … cognōscite.^[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To seek, try to obtain.^[2][3][1]
2. To ask for, beg, pray for.^[2][3][1]
3. (first person, parenthetical) I beg you, please.^[2][1]

Related words

• quaerō
• quaestor

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de