quorsum Latin · revision 33783

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=c. 250–184 BC, Plautus|origins=la quō, la versus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * Classical: [ˈkʷoːr.sũː]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Ecclesiastical: [ˈkʷɔr.sum]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''quōrsum''' (not comparable)^(Wiktionary)

+ Also ''quōrsus''.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) Accius has ''quōsum'', and ''corsum'' or ''corsus'' is a reading in Valerius Maximus.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|la|quō|vorsum|t1=whither|t2=turned towards]], with the archaic form of [[m|la|versus#2]], written as one word.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Plautus has it first.^(Köbler 2010) In the ''Poenulus'' it is relative, “in the direction in which”;^(OLD 2012) elsewhere he asks ''tenes quorsum haec tendant quae loquor?'', “do you see where what I am saying is heading?”.^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The literal question “in what direction, to what place?” appears in Pacuvius.^(OLD 2012) From there it turns to “to what end, to what point?”, often with a verb of saying left out: Cicero asks where so long a speech is heading, and why he is arguing this.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) In medieval texts it means simply “where”.^(Niermeyer 1976)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus, of where one's words are heading.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 220–130 BC – Pacuvius, of the direction of a journey.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero, “to what end?”.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * Medieval Latin – “Where”.^(Niermeyer 1976)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # In what direction? to what place? [[m|en|whither]]?^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To what point or condition? to what end? why?^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(relative)'' In the direction in which.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[quō]]

+ * [[versus#2]]

+ * [[vertō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}