Definitions and meaning of quid
quid
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kwɪd/, [kʰw̥ɪd]
-
- Rhymes: -ɪd
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Latin quid (“what, something”), neuter singular of quis (“who”).
Noun
quid (plural quids)
- The inherent nature of something.
- (US, historical) A member of a section of the Democratic-Republican Party between 1805 and 1811, following John Randolph of Roanoke. (From tertium quid.)
- Synonym: Quiddist
- Paired with quo, in reference to the phrase quid pro quo (“this for that”): something offered in exchange for something else.
Etymology 2
Likely derives from the phrase quid pro quo (“this for that”), referring to the exchange of goods/services for money.
Noun
quid (plural quid or (rare) quids)
- (historical) A sovereign or guinea, that is, a certain coin or amount of money.
- (British, colloquial) Pound sterling. (usually only used with a whole number of pounds)
- Synonyms: pound, (slang) nicker, (slang) sov
- (Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, colloquial, historical) Various national currencies typically known by the name "pound".
- (Ireland, colloquial, by extension) Euro.
- (Australia, New Zealand, colloquial, by extension, rare) Dollar, dollars.
Derived terms
Etymology 3
From Middle English quide, quede, from Old English cwidu, cwudu (“that which is chewed, cud”). Doublet of cud.
Noun
quid (plural quids)
- A piece of material for chewing, especially chewing tobacco.
- (US, colloquial) The act of chewing such tobacco.
Verb
quid (third-person singular simple present quids, present participle quidding, simple past and past participle quidded)
- To chew tobacco.
- (of a horse) To let food drop from the mouth whilst chewing.
See also
Anagrams
Catalan
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin quid. Doublet of que.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencian) [ˈkit]
Noun
quid m (plural quids)
- crux, gist, core
- Synonyms: nus, viu
Further reading
- “quid” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin quid.
Pronunciation
Pronoun
quid
- (formal) what about
- Synonyms: qu’en est-il de, quoi
Further reading
- “quid”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Italian
Noun
quid m (invariable)
- a certain something (that is somehow undefinable)
Latin
Etymology
From Proto-Indo-European *kʷid; compare *kʷis.
The sense “why” is an adverbial accusative; compare Ancient Greek τί (tí).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /kʷid/, [kʷɪd̪]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /kwid/, [kwid̪]
Pronoun
quid
- neuter nominative/accusative singular of quis
- (internal accusative) what, how?
- Aeneid 12.872 by Vergil
- Quid nunc tē tua, Turne, potest germāna iuvāre?
- How will your sister help you now, Turnus?
Derived terms
- quid tibi nomen est?
- quid nomen tibi est?
- quid si? (what if?)
- Quid si illud addimus.
- quid tum? (what then? how then?)
- quid ergo (ironically)
- quid agis?
- quid ais?
Adverb
quid (not comparable)
- why? what for?
-
- Gesta Danorum (“deeds of the Danes”) by Saxo Grammaticus (in Latin caput 8, liber 1, translation in English chapter 8, book 1)
- Quid gladiō pugnās incurvō?
- Why do you fight with a bent sword?
Interjection
quid
- well, why, what?
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
References
- “quid”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “quid”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- quid in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
- Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
Spanish
Noun
quid m (plural quids or quid)
- gist; point; crux
Further reading
- “quid”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Source: wiktionary.org