quotiens

Forms

quotiēns (not comparable)^[1] It is also spelled quotiēs.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin quot (“how many”) + -iēns, like totiēns from tot.^[2][1] De Vaan derives quot from Proto-Italic *kwoti, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷe/o-ti (“how many”), cognate with Sanskrit कति (káti, “how many”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has quotiēns dīcendum est? ēlūsī mīlitem, inquam, in āleā, “how many times must I say it? I cheated the soldier at dice, I tell you”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Quotiēns asks “how many times? how often?”, and in exclamations means “how often!” (Terence: Pamphilus iūrābat quotiēns Bacchidī, “how often Pamphilus swore to Bacchis!”, Virgil: ō quotiēns et quae nōbīs Galatēa locūta est!, “oh, how often and what things Galatea told us!”).^[2][3][1] As a relative it means “as often as, whenever”, often answered by totiēns (Cato: quotiēns ībis, totiēns magis placēbit, “the more often you go, the more you will like it”).^[2][1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: quotiēns dīcendum est?.^[2][5]
• 234–149 BC – Cato: quotiēns ībis, totiēns magis placēbit.^[2][5]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it in exclamation.^[2][5]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil: ō quotiēns et quae nōbīs Galatēa locūta est!.^[3][5]

Meanings

Adverb

1. How many times? how often?^[2][3][1]
2. How often! (in exclamations).^[2][3]
3. As often as, whenever (often with totiēns).^[2][3][1]

Word family

• quotiēnscumque

Related words

• quot
• totiēns
• English quotient

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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f 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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de