Etymologically
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quantus

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈkʷan.tʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈkʷan.tus][1]

Forms

quantus (feminine quanta, neuter quantum); first/second-declension adjective[1] An inscription spells it quamt-.[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *kʷānto- (“how great”), from ⟨*kʷeh₂-nt-⟩, built on the feminine stem of the relative pronoun (see quam) with the suffix of tantus.[3][2][1] Wiktionary gives two analyses: a thematized Proto-Indo-European *kʷéh₂onts (“how much”), or a ⟨*-tos⟩ derivative.[1]

Compare Umbrian panta (“how much”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Ennius;[4] Plautus has quanta istaec hominum summast? “how large is that number of men?”[2]

Semantic evolution

Quantus asks “how great? how much?” and exclaims “how great!” (also of smallness); in indirect questions and relative clauses it means “of what size, as great as”, in the plural “how many”.[2][5] It is the correlative of tantus (tantus … quantus “as great as”), and quantum maximum potest means “as great as possible”.[2]

Its neuter quantum is used as a noun and adverb, and quantō … tantō means “the more … the more”.[1][5] From it come quantitās “quantity” and quantulus “how little”.[1]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – First found in Ennius.[4]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: quanta istaec hominum summast?[2][4]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence: conveniet numerus quantum dēbuī, “the sum will match what I owed”.[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (interrogative) How great? how much?[2][6]
  2. (exclamatory) How great![2]
  3. (relative) Of what size, as great as;[2] (plural) how many, as many as.[2][1]
  4. tantus … quantus, as great as.[2]
  5. quantum maximum, quantum potest, as great as possible.[2]

Word family

  • quantillus
  • quantīsper
  • quantitās
  • quantōcius
  • quantopere
  • quantulus
  • quantuscumque
  • quantuslibet
  • quantusquantus
  • quantusvīs
  • aliquantus
  • quantō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d 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
  6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press