05.12.25: Level 3; indefinites [17] -quam

[1] Images #1 and #2: I got as far as negative polarity counterpart and downward entailment, two terms used in linguistics. Hats off to whoever researched that tsunami of information which is from Wiktionary because it is most likely accurate and will be of use to whoever wants to explore every word of a language in minutiae of detail. However, it well illustrates the point I made in the first post on this topic: it creates the impression that the little word quisquam is of monumental importance, that everything written there needs to be known, and (falsely) that even a single word is an uphill struggle. This aspect of the way in which Latin can be presented was also discussed here:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/06/020724-level-2-is-ea-id-1-introduction.html

It’s an issue that can be particularly acute if, as I was, you are studying by yourself, because there is nobody to say to you “This part doesn’t matter, but this part does”. As a general rule, if you see pages and pages of information, ignore them (I did) and search for sources that present the key ideas.  

[2] As with all the other indefinites, focus on its basic meaning:

-quam: any-

quisquam: anyone; quidquam (quicquam): anything

[i] It functions as a pronoun and is most often found in negative sentences.

numquam edepol quisquam illam habēbit (Plautus) │ By Heavens, never will anybody have her

… nec posthāc quisquam damnābitur (Cicero) │… nor in the future will anybody be condemned

… neque tamen scit quisquam (Cicero) │ … nor does anybody know it, however

… neque mē tibi neque quemquam antepōnō (Cicero) │ … and I put neither myself nor anybody (else) above you

Nam neque edēs quicquam neque bibēs apud mē hīs decem diēbus! (Plautus) │ for you’ll neither eat nor drink anything in my house for the next ten days!

Here’s another welcoming comment from Plautus:

exspectātum eum salūtat magis haud quicquam quam canem │  She welcomes him about as warmly as she would a dog [ = not any more than …] (P.S. The image is of Agrippina; Plautus wasn’t talking about her, but I can imagine she’s the sort of person he has in mind!)

[ii] Keep in mind the concept of (not) … anybody although the Latin can often be reworked into English nobody:

… neque quisquam est vulnerātus (Nepos) │ … and nobody [ = and not anybody] was hurt

Domum suam istum nōn ferē quisquam vocābat (Cicero) │ Literally: almost not anybody invited him to his house > hardly anyone / almost nobody invited him to his house

Eam intrāre haud ferē quisquam praeter ducem ipsum audēbat (Livy) │ [literally: almost not anybody …] hardly anybody / almost nobody except the general himself dared to go into it

[iii] A number of examples from Plautus show the neuter of the pronoun being used with the adjective in the genitive case:

Dī mē perdant, sī ego tuī quicquam abstulī │ May I be damned, if I carried off anything of yours

Neque dīvīnī neque mī hūmānī posthāc quicquam accrēduas │ From now on don’t believe anything either divine or human from me

[iv] Note again in this example the genitive of the adjective:

ut nōn faciās nōbīs quicquam ¦ malī (Vulgate) │ that you will not do anything bad to us

Examples (all from the Vulgate):

nōn quia Patrem vīdit quisquam │ not that anybody has seen the Father

nōn poterat facere quicquam │ he could not do anything

Et nōn potuit respondēre eī quidquam, quia metuēbat illum │ And he could not say anything to him in reply, because he feared him.

et nōn admīsit quemquam sequī sē  │ and he did not allow anyone to follow him

nōn enim subtrahet persōnam cuiusquam Dominus … │ For the Lord will not show partiality to any man [ = literally: for the Lord will not take away the status of any (man / one)] …

 … nec reverēbitur magnitūdinem cuiusquam │ …nor will he revere any man's / one’s greatness

et surrēxī nocte ego et virī paucī mēcum et nōn indicāvī cuiquam quid Deus dedisset in corde meō │ and I got up at night, I and a few men with me, and I did not tell anybody what God had put in my heart

quōquam (adverb): (to) anywhere

Et dīxit Eliseus: Unde venīs, Giezī? Quī respondit: Nōn īvit servus tuus quōquam. │ And Eliseus said: Where are you coming from, Giezi? And he replied: “Your servant did not go anywhere.”

[3] I have given the table for the singular forms of quisquam, but were there plural forms? Again, information in note form from Wiktionary illustrates my point:

“Only attested in postclassical Latin. In Classical Latin, forms of ūllus were used instead. Only attested as a feminine form in the preclassical Latin of authors like Plautus. Attested only once in Classical Latin. Usually ūllam was used instead. Attested, but rare in Classical Latin. Usually ūllō was used instead.”

Whoever wrote this is covering every base, but, in the end, what it is saying is that plural forms of quisquam are so rare as to be neglible and it is certainly not worth poring over a grammatical table that lists them.

Exercise: complete the Latin quotations with the appropriate form of quisquam; apart from [iv], they are all from Plautus. The answers are at the end of the post.

[i] Hang it all, I haven’t taken nor touched anything │  nōn hercle equidem __________ sūmpsī nec tetigī

[ii] … nor did any one of us notice │ neque nostrum __________ sēnsimus

[iii] …and I can’t find anybody at his house or in the city who has seen him │ neque domī neque in urbe inveniō __________ quī illum vīderit 

[iv] … nor would they comply with anybody’s order │ neque __________ imperiō obtemperātūrōs (Caesar)

[v] She is not to pass the dice to any man apart from you │ tālōs nē __________ hominī admoveat nisi tibi

[vi] Please keep an eye on that one inside there, my lads, and don't let him set a foot out here anywhere without a guard │ servāte istum sultis* intus, servī, nē __________ pedem ecferat sine cūstōdēlā

*contraction of sī + vultis: if you want

cuiquam; cuiusquam; quemquam; quicquam; quisquam; quōquam

[i] nōn hercle equidem quicquam sūmpsī nec tetigī

[ii] neque nostrum quisquam sēnsimus

[iii] neque domī neque in urbe inveniō quemquam quī illum vīderit

[iv] neque cuiusquam imperiō obtemperātūrōs

[v] tālōs nē cuiquam hominī admoveat nisi tibi

[vi] nē quōquam pedem ecferat sine cūstōdēlā

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 ¦ dē 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 (1^st century AD)

05.12.25: Level 3; a retort; genitive of indefinite value

Venit ōlim quīdam ad Aristippum philosophum, eīque dīxit: "Vīsne fīlium meum artēs tuās docēre?" Respondit Aristippus, "Hoc equidem faciam acceptīs duōbus talentīs." Pater autem pretiō exterritus, dīxit, "At servum minōris emere possum." Contrā Aristippus, "Fac hoc: ita duōs servōs habēbis."

contrā: (here) in reply; note also the omission of any verb meaning “said” e.g. inquit

Expressing price / value:

[1] a specific cost or a noun that expresses a monetary equivalent is in the ablative case:

Agrum vēndidit sēstertium sex mīlibus. │ He sold the land for 6000 sesterces.

sānē [i] magnō pretiō, [ii] nummīs aureīs quadringentīs (Livy) │ of course [i] at a great price, [ii]  for four hundred gold coins

Antōnius rēgna addīxit pecūniā. │ Antony sold thrones for money.

Logōs rīdiculōs: quis cēnā poscit? │ Jokes: who wants them for the price of a dinner?

17.06.25: Level 3; summary of of the uses of the ablative case [16]: the ablative of price

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/03/170625-level-3-summary-of-of-uses-of_13.html

[2] From the text: At servum minōris [genitive] emere possum │ But I can buy a slave for less

[i] The term genitive of indefinite value can refer to (1) a non-specific monetary amount, or (2) the extent to which something is “valued” i.e. regarded

Compare:

(1) Cicero, referring to the monetary value of a property:

Vērum tamen ego illud, quamquam est bellum, minōris [genitive] aestimō, … │ But, though it is (a) pretty (property), I rate it at a lower value …

(2) Cicero, referring to the value of someone’s approval:

Per enim magnī [genitive] aestimō tibi firmitūdinem animī nostrī* et factum nostrum probārī │ For I attach very great weight to your approval of *my firmness of mind and my action. (*Cicero often uses “we” when referring to himself)

Two further examples where the reference can be to (1) an indefinite monetary value, or (2) the extent to which something is of importance or relevance:

(1) Quantī hoc ēmit? │ How much did he buy this for?

(2) Sed, tū id quantī aestimēs, tuum iūdicium est (Cicero) │ But how much you value that is your judgement. [i.e. But it is for you to decide what weight you should give to the matter.]

Further examples:

Magnī aestimō (Cicero) │ I consider (it) of great value

Permagnī nostrā* interest (Cicero)│ It is of the highest importance to *me

Illud parvī refert │ That matters little

Parvī refert mē │ It is of little use / value to me

Est mihi tantī │ It is worth it to me [it is of such value to me]

Verrēsne tibi tantī fuit? (Cicero) │ Was Verres really worth that much to you? [i.e. Did you value / regard him so highly?]

Plūris ea dūxit quam omnem pecūniam (Cicero) │ He regarded them of more worth than any money

[ii] Both the genitive and the ablative are being used in the following extract from Plautus:

Quantī [genitive] eam ēmit? vīlī [genitive] . . . quot minīs? [ablative i.e. reference to a specific price] Quadrāgintā minīs [ablative]. │ How much did he buy her for? Cheap. For how many minae? For forty minae.

[iii] Certain nouns can convey indefinite value:

(1) Catullus 5

as, assis [3/m]: a Roman coin that is of very low value e.g. Engl. penny, farthing etc.

However, Catullus is not referring literally to a cost, but to rumours that should be considered worthless.

Vīvāmus, mea Lesbia, atque amēmus, │ Let us live, my Lesbia, and let us love,

rūmōrēsque senum sevēriōrum │ And the rumours of rather stern old men

omnēs ūnius aestimēmus assis! │ Let us value them all at one penny!

(2) A similar use is with floccus, -ī [2/m]: [i] a lock (e.g. of hair) [ii] a trifle; something unimportant

floccī nōn faciō │ I don’t care; I don’t give a damn; I consider it worthless

nec tamen floccī faciō (Cicero) │ however, I don’t really care / I couldn’t give a straw

In Catullus 5, the poet’s declarations of love did not meet with the reply “Floccī nōn faciō” from his on-off girlfriend, Lesbia, but read more of his poems and you’ll know that was exactly what she thought!

____________________

Once upon a time a certain man came to Aristippus, the philosopher, and said to him: ‘Are you willing to teach my son your sciences?’ Aristippus replied, ‘I will do so on receiving two talents.’ But the father, terrified at the price, said, ‘Why, I can buy a slave for less.’ Aristippus (said) in reply, ‘Do so; thus you will have two slaves.