quidam
English
Etymology
From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin quīdam.
Noun
quidam (plural quidams)
- 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.
- 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, III.12:
French
Pronunciation
Noun
quidam m (plural quidams)
- Used to designate persons whose name are unknown or not mentioned.
- Person whose identity is not indicated, in a conversation, a writing.
- Individual.
Latin
Etymology
From Latin quī (pronoun) + -dam (demonstrative ending).
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /ˈkʷiː.dam/, [ˈkʷiːd̪ä̃ˑ]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈkwi.dam/, [ˈkwiːd̪äm]
Pronoun
quīdam or quisdam (feminine quaedam or quadam, neuter quiddam); relative/interrogative pronoun (with m optionally → n in compounds) with an indeclinable portion
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
- 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
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
- I have a few words to say on this: mihi quaedam dicenda sunt de hac re
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