quispiam Latin · revision 31334

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=c. 250–184 BC, Plautus|origins=ine-pro *kʷis}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * Classical: [ˈkʷɪs.pi.ãː]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Ecclesiastical: [ˈkʷis.pi.am]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''quispiam''' (feminine quaepiam, neuter quidpiam or quippiam); interrogative/indefinite pronoun with an indeclinable portion^(Wiktionary)

+ The plural is rare.^(OLD 2012)

+ Plautus has ''quempiam'' as a feminine.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed from [[m|la|quis|t=who, anyone]], the particle [[m|la|-pe]] (as in [[m|la|nempe|t=surely]]) and [[m|la|iam|t=now, already]]; the adjective is declined like [[m|la|quī|t=which]].^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) De Vaan derives ⟨quis⟩ from [[itc-pro|*kʷis]] and [[ine-pro|*kʷis|t=who, someone]], matching [[osc|pis|t=who, anyone]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Plautus has “if there is some other Amphitruo” in the ''Amphitruo'' and “I'll be here, if my husband or anyone asks” in the ''Casina'';^(OLD 2012) Köbler also gives Plautus.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ As a pronoun it is someone or something unspecified, mostly in conditional, relative and temporal clauses, and in negative contexts, as Plautus' “I fear he may have heard something of this”; the neuter ''quippiam'' is used as an adverb, “at all”.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary) It is also a particular but unnamed person or thing, and with a genitive a little of something, as Apuleius' “give this friend a drop of wine”.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ As an adjective it is some or other, and a certain, as Gellius' “some rather important matter”.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) Lewis and Short note that it has the sense of ''aliquis''.^(Lewis & Short 1879) Church Latin glosses it “anyone, anything; any”.^(Stelten 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of “anyone” and “something”.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero has a plural.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 165 AD – Gellius of “some matter”.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius of a bit of wine.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # [[m|en|someone|alt=Someone]], something; anyone, anything;^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)^(Stelten 1995) ''quippiam'', at all.^(OLD 2012)

+ # A certain (unnamed) person or thing; a bit (of).^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ===Determiner===

+ # Some, any; a certain.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)^(Stelten 1995)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[aliquis]]

+ * [[quisquam]]

+ * [[quis]]

+ * [[nempe]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}