-cumque creates the equivalent of English -ever
in the sense of whoever, whatever, whenever
quīcumque [m], quaecumque [f], quodcumque:
whoever / whosoever; whatever / whatsoever
quāliscumque: of whatever type (kind, sort)
quandōcumque: whenever; at whatever time; as soon as
quotiēnscumque: however often
ubicumque: wherever; in whatever place
quōcumque / quācumque: to wherever
undecumque: from wherever
quōmodocumque: howsoever; in any way whatever
Examples:
Singular
nam pūblicae reī
causā quīcumque id facit magis quam suī quaēstī … (Plautus) │
For whoever does this, more for the sake of the public than of his own
benefit …
quaecumque fortūna eius fuerit (Cicero) │
whatever his fortune will be
quodcumque hominī accidit līberē (Plautus) │
whatever freely comes into a man’s head [ = whatever whim …]
Quid enim verēris quemcumque
hērēdem fēcit (Cicero) │ Why should you fear whoever he has
appointed his heir
Multī autem sunt,
quī, quōcumque modō ad illōs sē recipere volent, recipientur
(Cicero) │ But there are many who, in whatever way
they wish to take themselves back to them, will be taken back
Ēripe mihi hunc
dolōrem, aut minue saltem aut cōnsōlātiōne aut cōnsiliō, aut quācumque rē
potes (Cicero)│ Take this grief away from me, or at any rate lessen it by your
sympathy or advice or by whatever means you can.
Plural and adverbs
Sed tamen, quīcumque
sunt … (Cicero) │Still, whoever they are …
Dī tibi dent quaecumque
optēs (Plautus) │ May the gods give you whatever (things)
you pray for
sed hominēs
benevolōs, quālēscumque sunt, grave est īnsequī contumēliā (Cicero) │
but it’s a serious thing to attack benevolent persons with insult whatever
their character [i.e. whatever sort / kind they are]
Adverbs
Ubi eris? / Ubicumque
libitum erit animō meō (Plautus) │ Where will you be? / Wherever it
takes my fancy [ = it will have been pleasing to my mind]
Poteris ergō, undecumque
coeperis ubicumque dēsierīs, quae deinceps sequentur … legere (Pliny the
Younger) │ So, from wherever you begin and wherever
you leave off, you will be able to read what follows next …
Quācumque iter fēcī … (Cicero) │
Wherever I went …
idque quandōcumque
animadversum est, terrēre nōs potest (Celsus) │ and whenever
this is observed, it can alarm us
quās quotiēnscumque cōnspiciō fleō (Plautus) │ Whenever (however often) I look at it, I weep
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