Tuesday, September 9, 2025

05.12.25: Level 3; indefinites [16] -que

quisque: each one, every one

There is a slight difference depending on whether the indefinite is [1] a pronoun or [2] an adjective

[1] -que: prefixed to quis, quae, quid > quisque, quaeque, quidque (or quicque) (singular only)

prō sē quisque id quod quisque potest (Plautus) │ Each (man / one) according to his ability does that which each (man / one) can

in suō quidque locō repōnitō (Cato) │ each (thing) in its proper place

iam quidem ¦ in suō quicque locō ¦ nisi erit mihi situm supellectilis (Plautus) │ now in truth if things are not arranged exactly as they should be [ = literally: each (thing) in its own place ]

[2] -que: prefixed to quis, quae, quod > quisque, quaeque, quodque (singular); quīque [masc.], quaeque [fem. / neut.] (plural)

Suam quisque homō rem meminit (Plautus) │ Each man remembers his own affairs

quō maius quodque animal, eō rōbustior ex eō cibus est (Celsus) │ the larger the animal [each animal (is)] the stronger the food it yields

Notes:

[i] It is frequently used with ūnus; ūnus + quisque may be written together as a single word)

Respondet ūnus quisque ut erat praeceptum (Cicero) │ Each one answers as it had been instructed

[ii] With an ordinal number:

Necāvērunt mīlitem decimum quemque │ They killed every tenth soldier

Igitur tertiō quōque diē cibus aegrō … datur (Celsus) │ Therefore, on every third day (every three days) food is given to the patient

[iii] With a superlative:

complūrēsque ducēs ac fortissimus quisque interfectī vulnerātīque sunt (African War) │ and several of the enemy leaders and all their bravest men were either killed or wounded [ = literally: each bravest (man), but the implication is every one within a group considered the bravest]

Equōs dehinc fortissimō cuique bellātōrī trādit (Tacitus) │ Hence he gives horses to the bravest fighters [= literally: each bravest fighter i.e. each one within the group of bravest fighters]

[iv] Don’t forget one of the first words you will have seen in Latin, and which is not an indefinite: quoque (also)

The tables show all forms for reference, but simply bear in mind the concept of “each / every” expressed by -que even if translations vary and / or do not convey the idea specifically

Examples:

Itaque suō quisque ¦ hōrum locō sententiam rogātus … (Cicero) │ Accordingly as each (one) ¦ of them was asked an opinion …

Nunc enim tantum quisque laudat quantum sē posse spērat imitārī (Cicero) │ Nowadays everyone [i.e. each individual] praises only what he thinks he can imitate.

ūnum quemque cōnfirmāns, excitāns (Cicero) │ encouraging and cheering them one by one [= each one]

Decimum quemque mīlitem sorte ductum fustī percussit (Frontinus) │ He hit with a stick one of every ten soldiers [= each tenth soldier] taken out by lot

Pōnite ante oculōs ūnum quemque rēgum (Cicero) │ Set before your eyes each (one) of the kings.

Intereā ūnamquamque turmam manipulum cohortem temptābam quid facere possent (Cato) │ Meanwhile I was testing every single squadron, maniple, cohort, what they could do

sagittāriīsque ex omnibus nāvibus Ityrēīs, Syrīs et cuiusque generis ductīs in castra (African War) │ From all his ships he brought archers into camp — Ityreans, Syrians and men of diverse races [of each and every race] —

Sua cuique cīvitātī religiō, Laelī, est, nostra nōbīs (Cicero) │ Each city has its own religion, Laelius, we have ours [= literally: to each city there is …]

quid quisque eōrum ¦ quāque rē ¦ audierit … quaerant (Caesar) │ and they inquire what ¦ each of them ¦ may have heard … ¦ about each matter 

certē enim recentissima quaeque sunt corrēcta et ēmendāta maximē (Cicero) │ for certainly the most recent things are the most corrected and most amended [i.e. every one of the most recent things]

The dental hygiene of the Celtiberians …

Nunc Celtibēr es: Celtibēriā in terrā,
quod quisque mīnxit, hōc sibī solet māne
dentem atque russam dēfricāre gingīvam

(Catullus 39)

Now you are a Celtiberian: in the land of Celtiberia,
whatever each man has urinated, with this he is accustomed
in the morning to rub his teeth and his red gums

Image: some of the 86 cavity-filled teeth found in a shop drain in the Roman Forum (1st century AD)




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