cui

See also: Appendix:Variations of "cui"

Classical Nahuatl

Verb

cui

1. (transitive) To take.
2. (transitive, of a man) To have sex with.
   • 1555, Alonso de Molina, Aqui comienca un vocabulario en la lengua castellana y mexicana, f. 137v:

     Hazerlo hõbre ala muger. nite,teca.nite,y ecoa.tetechn,aci.niccui. uiccuicui. [sic]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Synonyms

• (sex) teca, yecoa, tetech ahci, cuicui

Derived terms

• cuicui
• cuiloni

References

• Andrews, J. Richard (2003) Workbook for Introduction to Classical Nahuatl, rev. ed. edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, page 220
• Karttunen, Frances (1983) An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl, Austin: University of Texas Press, page 71
• Lockhart, James (2001) Nahuatl as Written: Lessons in Older Written Nahuatl, with Copious Examples and Texts, Stanford: Stanford University Press, page 216

Italian

Etymology

From Latin cui. Compare Sicilian cui.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ku.i/, /ˈku.i/
• Rhymes: -ui
• Hyphenation: cu‧i, cù‧i

Pronoun

cui (relative)

1. prepositional of che: whom; which

   Synonym: il quale

   • 13^th century, Giacomo da Lentini, untitled poem; collected in “Rime di Giacomo da Lentino, il notaio [Rhymes of Giacomo da Lentini, notary]”, in Ernesto Monaci, editor, Crestomazia italiana dei primi secoli, con prospetto delle inflessioni grammaticali e glossario, volume 1, Città di Castello: S. Lapi, 1889, section III, page 45, lines 13–16:

     Und’eo prego l’amore / a cui pregha ogni amanti, / li miei sospiri e pianti / vi pungano lo core. (Old Italian, Sicily)

     Thus I beg Love, to which every lover prays, that my sighs and cries pierce your heart.

   • 1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto I”, in Inferno [Hell]‎^[1], lines 106–108; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate]‎^[2], 2^nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:

     Di quella umile Italia fia salute / per cui morì la vergine Cammilla, / Eurialo e Turno e Niso di ferute.

     It shall be the salvation of that poor Italy for which the virgin Camilla, Euryalus, and Turnus, and Nisus, died of their wounds.

   • mid 1560s [29–19 BCE], “Libro quinto”, in Annibale Caro, transl., Eneide, translation of Aeneis by Publius Vergilius Maro (in Classical Latin), lines 87–89; republished as L’Eneide di Virgilio‎^[3], Florence: G. Barbera, 1892:

     […] ove gli s’erga un tempio, / In cui sian quest’essequie e questi onori / Rinovellati eternamente ogni anno.

     […] where a temple to them should be built, in which these rites and these honours are eternally renewed every year.

2. (exclusively literary) dative of che: to whom; to which

   Synonyms: a cui, al quale

   • 12^th century, anonymous author, untitled document; collected in “Cantilena di un giullare toscano [Song of a Tuscan jester]”, in Ernesto Monaci, editor, Crestomazia italiana dei primi secoli, con prospetto delle inflessioni grammaticali e glossario, volume 1, Città di Castello: S. Lapi, 1889, page 9, lines 21–24:

     se mi dà caval balçano / monsterroll’ al bon Galgano, / al vescovo volterrano, / cui benedicente bacio la mano. (Old Italian, Tuscan)

     if he gives me a white-socked horse, I will show it to the good Galgano, the bishop of Volterra, whose blessing hand I kiss.

     (literally, “ […] to whom I kiss the blessing hand.”)

   • 1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto III”, in Inferno [Hell]‎^[4], lines 133–136; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate]‎^[5], 2^nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:

     La terra lagrimosa diede vento, / che balenò una luce vermiglia / la qual mi vinse ciascun sentimento; / e caddi come l’uom cui sonno piglia.

     That tearful land gave off air [was struck by an earthquake], which emitted a vivid red light that overwhelmed all my senses; and I fell like a man overcome by sleep.

     (literally, “ […] like a man to whom sleep comes.”)

Derived terms

• per cui

Determiner

cui (invariable) (relative)

1. (with definite article) whose

   la donna il cui nome ho scordato ― the woman whose name I’ve forgotten

   la donna le cui amiche sono incinte ― the woman whose friends are pregnant

   • 13^th century, Guittone d'Arezzo, untitled work; collected in “Rime e prose di Guittone d'Arezzo [Rhymes and proses by Guittone d'Arezzo]”, in Ernesto Monaci, editor, Crestomazia italiana dei primi secoli, con prospetto delle inflessioni grammaticali e glossario, volume 1, Città di Castello: S. Lapi, 1889, pages 175–176, lines 33–35:

     o reina de le cità, corte di diritura, scola di sapiensia, specchio de vita e forma di costumi, li cui figlioli erano regi, regniando inn ogni terra […] (Old Italian, Tuscan)

     O queen of the cities, court of righteousness, school of knowledge, model of living and way of habits, whose children were kings, reigning over every land […]

   • 1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto VII”, in Inferno [Hell]‎^[6], lines 73–76; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate]‎^[7], 2^nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:

     Colui lo cui saver tutto trascende, / fece li cieli e diè lor chi conduce / sì, ch’ogne parte ad ogne parte splende, / distribuendo igualmente la luce.

     He whose knowledge transcends all created the heavens, and gave them the ones who drive them, so that every part shines on every part, distributing light equally.

   • mid 1560s [29–19 BCE], “Libro secondo”, in Annibale Caro, transl., Eneide, translation of Aeneis by Publius Vergilius Maro (in Classical Latin), lines 64–66; republished as L’Eneide di Virgilio‎^[8], Florence: G. Barbera, 1892:

     […] Capi e gli altri, il cui più sano avviso / O per insidïose, o per sospette, / Quantunque sacre, avea le greche offerte […]

     […] Capys and the others, whose more sensible opinion regarded the Greek offerings, however sacred, as insidious or suspicious […]

Further reading

• cui (Enciclopedia Dantesca) in Treccani.it – Enciclopedia Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Latin

Alternative forms

• quoi, quoei, quoiei (Old Latin)

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈkui̯/, [ˈkʊi̯]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈkuj/, [ˈkuj]

Pronoun

cui

1. to whom? (interrogative); dative singular of quis

Pronoun

cui

1. to whom, to which (relative); dative singular of quī

Adjective

cui

1. to what?, to which? (interrogative); dative singular of quī

Related terms

• cui bonō (“who benefits”)
• cui malō (“who suffers”)

Descendants

• Italian: cui
• Old French: cui
• Romanian: cui

See also

• cui bono on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[9], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • who gets the advantage from this? who is the interested party: cui bono?
    
  • the creditor: creditor, or is cui debeo
    
  • this shows, proves..: documento, indicio est (without demonstr. pron. but cui rei documento, indicio est)
    

Lombard

Alternative forms

• cuu (Milanese classical orthography)
• cüü (Ticinese orthography)
• cüi (Eastern modern orthographies)

Pronunciation

• (Western Lombard) IPA^(key): /kyːi/, [kyː(i̯)]
• (Eastern Lombard) IPA^(key): /kyːi/, [ky(ː)i̯]

Noun

cui

1. plural of cul (“arse, bum”)

Mandarin

Romanization

cui

1. Nonstandard spelling of cuī.
2. Nonstandard spelling of cuí.
3. Nonstandard spelling of cuǐ.
4. Nonstandard spelling of cuì.

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Old French

Pronoun

cui

1. Alternative form of qui

Old Occitan

Pronoun

cui

1. who; whom
   • c. 1145, Bernard de Ventadour, Lo rossinhols s'esbaudeya:

     Mas no sai de que ni de cui,

     But I don't know of what or of whom,

See also

• que

Romanian

Alternative forms

• cuni (Banat Dialect)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kuj/

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin cuneus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱū (“sting”).

Noun

cui n (plural cuie)

1. nail (metal fastener), pin
2. (slang) marijuana cigarette

Declension

Declension of cui

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	cui	cuiul		cuie	cuiele
genitive-dative	cui	cuiului		cuie	cuielor
vocative	cuiule			cuielor

Derived terms

• cuier
• cuia
• cuișor

Related terms

• încuia
• descuia

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin cui.

Pronoun

cui (genitive/dative form of cine)

1. whose
2. to whom

Sicilian

Alternative forms

• cu (Misspelled)

Etymology

From Latin quis. Compare Italian chi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ku.i/
• IPA^(key): /ku/ (Apocopic form)
• Rhymes: -cui
• Hyphenation: cù‧i

Pronoun

cui

1. who, whom

Usage notes

The apocopic form cu' is prevalent in usage because it is used to create a more fluent sound of the sentence, becoming a reduced vowel and taking a secondary stress, in the same manner as for dui and du'.

Derived terms

• cu'
• cuegghiè
• cuegghiadè
• cuegghiarè

Spanish

Noun

cui m (plural cuis)

1. Alternative spelling of cuy

Further reading

• “cui”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10