Jump to content

-que

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Latin

[edit]

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From Proto-Italic *-kʷe (and), from Proto-Indo-European *-kʷe (and). Cognates include Sanskrit (ca), Ancient Greek τε (te), Faliscan -𐌂𐌖𐌄 (-cue), Proto-Germanic *-hw ( → English (thou)gh). Its alternative use as a generalizing particle "any, -every" with pronouns and adverbs may result from a shift from an earlier meaning along the lines of "as".[1] There are also a number of words that are etymologically suffixed with this particle but that have developed specific meanings not clearly analyzable in terms of either of these senses, such as dēnique (finally; at length).[1]

Pronunciation

[edit]

Conjunction

[edit]

-que (enclitic)

  1. and, coordinating conjunction
    Senatus Populusque Romanus.
    The Senate and the People of Rome
    (literally, “The Roman Senate and People”)
  2. (when repeated) "both... and", "whether... or"
    • 29 bc. Vergil. Georgics, III
      ...hominvmqve ferarvmqve...
      ...both of man and of beast...
  3. introducing an explanatory clause
    • 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita 1.2:
      Fretusque his animis.
      And so trusting to the pride of them.
    • c. 117 CE, Tacitus, Annales 6.1:
      tuncque primum ignota antea vocabula reperta sunt sellariorum et spintriarum ex foeditate loci
      • 1598 translation by Richard Greenway[2]
        Then first of all were those vnknowen words of Sellaries and Spintries found out of the filthines of the place.
  4. (rare) used in an answer
    • c. 190 BCE – 185 BCE, Plautus, Amphitryon 879–880:
      Ain heri nos advenisse huc? — Aio, adveniensque ilico me salutasti.
      Do you say that we arrived here yesterday? — I do say so, and on your arrival (lit. and arriving) you instantly greeted me.

Usage notes

[edit]

Derived terms

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Particle

[edit]

-que

  1. -ever; every-, any-; every, each ('universalizing'[1] or 'generalizing'[3] particle found in a fixed set of indefinite pronouns and adverbs)
    quis (who) + ‎-que (-ever) → ‎quisque (whoever; anyone; each one)
    cum (when) + ‎-que (-ever) → ‎cumque (whenever; however)
    ubī (where) + ‎-que (-ever) → ‎ubīque (wherever, anywhere, everywhere)

Derived terms

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Tore Jansen (1979), Mechanisms of Language Change in Latin[1], pages 102-103
  2. ^ Harm Pinkster (2015), The Oxford Latin Syntax, volumes 2. The Complex Sentence and Discourse, page 627
  3. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “-que”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 506