quoquo

Forms

quōquō (not comparable)^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin quisquis (“whoever, whatever”), used in its ablative form as an adverb of direction.^[1][2] The OLD compares the simple adverb quō (“whither”) and the pronoun itself,^[3] and Wiktionary also compares quā (“by which way”).^[1] De Vaan lists it among the derivatives of the relative pronoun quī (“who, which”), with the meaning “to whatever place”.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus on,^[4] and Plautus already uses it for movement “to whatever place”, as in quoquo ibo, “wherever I go”, in the Aulularia.^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it means “no matter to what place, in whatever direction”,^[3][2] and Cicero writes that he finds traces of a friend's affection wherever he turns (quoquo me verti).^[2] With a genitive such as gentium or terrarum it means “to whatever place in the world”;^[5][7] without a verb it means “anywhere at all”, as in Tacitus.^[3] A doubtful passage of Pliny the Elder seems to use it for “in each direction”.^[3]

British Medieval Latin kept the Classical sense: Bede has it of permission to go wherever people wished.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it for “to whatever place”.^[5][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero: quoquo me verti, “wherever I turned”.^[2][6]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it without a verb, with terrarum, for “anywhere in the world”.^[3][6]
• 1st third of the 8th century – Bede uses it in his Ecclesiastical History.^[8][6]

Meanings

Adverb

1. To whatever place, in whatever direction, wherever.^[3][5]
2. (without a verb, often with a genitive such as gentium, terrarum) To any place at all, anywhere in the world.^[3][5]
3. (doubtful) In each direction.^[3]

Usage notes

In good manuscripts quoquo is also a spelling of coquō “to cook”, for instance in Horace's Satires (2.1.74).^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University 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 e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b 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
9. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn