quidam

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English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin quīdam.

Noun

quidam (plural quidams)

  1. A nobody; a person of no importance. [from 16th c.]
    • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, III.12:
      A quidam gallant determined upon a time to surprise both my house and my selfe.

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ki.dam/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

quidam m (plural quidams)

  1. Used to designate persons whose name are unknown or not mentioned.
  2. Person whose identity is not indicated, in a conversation, a writing.
  3. Individual.

Latin

Etymology

From Latin quī (pronoun) + -dam (demonstrative ending).

Pronunciation

Pronoun

quīdam or quisdam (feminine quaedam or quadam, neuter quiddam); relative/interrogative pronoun (with m optionally → n in compounds) with an indeclinable portion

  1. someone, a certain one/thing; something

Usage notes

Not to be confused with quidem.

Declension

Relative/interrogative pronoun (with m optionally → n in compounds) with an indeclinable portion.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative quīdam1
quisdam 		quaedam
quadam2 		quiddam quīdam1 quaedam quaedam
quadam2
Genitive cuiusdam1 quōrundam
quōrumdam 		quārundam
quārumdam 		quōrundam
quōrumdam
Dative cuidam1 quibusdam
quīsdam1
Accusative quendam
quemdam 		quandam
quamdam 		quiddam quōsdam quāsdam quaedam
quadam2
Ablative quōdam quādam quōdam quibusdam
quīsdam1

1In Republican Latin or earlier, alternative spellings could be found for the following forms of quī/quis and its compounds: the masculine nominative singular or plural quī (old spelling quei), the genitive singular cuius (old spelling quoius), the dative singular cui (old spelling quoi or quoiei), the dative/ablative plural quīs (old spelling queis).
2When used as an indefinite word (pronoun or adjective), the feminine nominative singular and neuter nominative/accusative plural is usually qua (with short ă) instead of quae. Indefinite quă is generally only found directly after sī, nisi, num, or nē and may be considered to be either enclitic to the preceding word or (in Priscian's view) forming a compound with it; accordingly, sīqua, numqua, and nēqua are sometimes written together (as also are the masculines sīquis, numquis, and nēquis). The form quă is never used for the feminine plural, nor for any form of the relative pronoun or of the interrogative pronoun or adjective.

Adjective

quīdam or quisdam (feminine quaedam or quadam, neuter quoddam); relative/interrogative pronoun (with m optionally → n in compounds) with an indeclinable portion

  1. Certain (person or thing), some (person or thing), one [in the sense of "a specific"] (person or thing not previously introduced in the present discourse).

Declension

Relative/interrogative pronoun (with m optionally → n in compounds) with an indeclinable portion.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative quīdam1
quisdam 		quaedam
quadam2 		quoddam quīdam1 quaedam quaedam
quadam2
Genitive cuiusdam1 quōrundam
quōrumdam 		quārundam
quārumdam 		quōrundam
quōrumdam
Dative cuidam1 quibusdam
quīsdam1
Accusative quendam
quemdam 		quandam
quamdam 		quoddam quōsdam quāsdam quaedam
quadam2
Ablative quōdam quādam quōdam quibusdam
quīsdam1

1In Republican Latin or earlier, alternative spellings could be found for the following forms of quī/quis and its compounds: the masculine nominative singular or plural quī (old spelling quei), the genitive singular cuius (old spelling quoius), the dative singular cui (old spelling quoi or quoiei), the dative/ablative plural quīs (old spelling queis).
2When used as an indefinite word (pronoun or adjective), the feminine nominative singular and neuter nominative/accusative plural is usually qua (with short ă) instead of quae. Indefinite quă is generally only found directly after sī, nisi, num, or nē and may be considered to be either enclitic to the preceding word or (in Priscian's view) forming a compound with it; accordingly, sīqua, numqua, and nēqua are sometimes written together (as also are the masculines sīquis, numquis, and nēquis). The form quă is never used for the feminine plural, nor for any form of the relative pronoun or of the interrogative pronoun or adjective.

See also

Latin correlatives (edit)
type demonstrative anaphoric identity interrogative/
relative		 indefinite negative other
proximal medial distal relative indefinite universal free choice negative polarity
basic hic iste, istic ille, illic is ipse, īdem quis/quī quisquis, quīcumque quis, quī, quīdam, aliquis, aliquī, quispiam quisque quīvis, quīlibet quisquam, ūllus, °aliquisquam nēmō, nihil, nūllus alius
dual uter utercumque alteruter uterque utervīs, uterlibet neuter alter
place hīc istīc illīc ibī̆ ibī̆dem ubī̆ ubiubi, ubī̆cumque alicubī, uspiam ubīque ubivīs, ubilibet usquam nusquam, nūllibī alibī, aliās
source hinc istinc illinc inde indidem unde undecumque, undeunde alicunde undique °undelibet aliunde
destination hūc, °hōrsum istūc, °istōrsum illūc, °illōrsum eō eōdem quō, quōrsum quōquō, quōcumque aliquō, quōpiam, °aliquōvorsum quōvīs, quōlibet quōquam nusquam, nūllōrsum aliō, aliōrsum
method,
means,
path,
place 		hāc istāc illāc eā eādem quā quāquā, quācumque aliquā quāque quāvīs, quālibet nēquāquam, haudquāquam aliā
manner hōc modō istō modō illō modō ita, sīc,
eō modō		 item, itidem ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum utut, utcumque, quōmodocumque quī, quōdam modō, aliquō modō utique quōmodolibet ūllō modō nūllō modō aliter, aliōquī, alterō/aliō modō
time num, nunc ōlim tum, tunc simul quandō, ‡cum cumque, quandōcumque, quandōque quondam, aliquandō quandōque quandōlibet umquam numquam aliās
quantity tam †tamen, †tandem quam †quamquam aliquam quamvīs, quamlibet
size tantus tantusdem quantus quantuscumque aliquantus quantusvīs, quantuslibet
quality tālis quālis quālis, quāliscumque aliquālis quālislibet
number tot totidem quot quotquot, quotcumque aliquot quotlibet
order totus quotus quotuscumque aliquotus quotuslibet
repetition totiēns quotiēns quotiēnscumque aliquotiēns quotiēnslibet
multiplication totuplex quotuplex
† Turned conjunction with original meaning somewhat dissimulated
° Rare
‡only used as a conjunction, not as an interrogative

References

  • “quidam”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “quidam”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • quidam in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • quidam in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
    • I have a few words to say on this: mihi quaedam dicenda sunt de hac re
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