quantumvis

Forms

quantumvīs (not comparable); the neuter of quantusvīs, also written separately as quantum vīs^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin quantusvīs (“as great as you like”), its neuter used as a noun and an adverb.^[2][1][4] That adjective joins quantus (“how great”) and vīs (“you wish”).^[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest examples are in Plautus, as a noun meaning “as much as you like”: in the Truculentus, whatever you give a courtesan disappears (dēs quantumvīs, nusquam appāret).^[2][6][4]

Semantic evolution

As a noun it took a partitive genitive, “any amount of”, in Plautus, Cicero and Apuleius,^[2] and Horace tells a guest to take as much as he likes (quantum vīs tolle).^[2][3] As an adverb it strengthened an adjective, “as … as you like, very”: Seneca has homō quantumvīs vafer, a man as cunning as you please,^[2][3] and Suetonius speaks of an extraordinary chance.^[2][4] In Horace it is also a concessive conjunction, “however much, although”, the same as quamvīs.^[2][4][7] Lewis & Short note that in Cicero and Seneca the better reading is quamvīs.^[6][4]

Medieval writers kept the adverbial use, “to whatever degree you like”.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it as a noun, “as much as you like”.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it with a partitive genitive.^[2][5]
• 65–8 BC – Horace uses it as a concessive conjunction.^[2][4][5]
• 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses it as an intensifying adverb.^[2][5]
• c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius uses the adverb with an adjective.^[2][4][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. As much as you like, ever so much; with a genitive, any amount of.^[2][6]

Adverb

1. To any degree you like; very, extremely.^[2][4][7]

Conjunction

1. However much, although.^[2][4][7]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
5. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
8. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press