nequiquam

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Latin

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Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Adverb

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nēquīquam (not comparable)

  1. In vain, vainly, needlessly, uselessly, fruitlessly, pointlessly; to no purpose or effect, without ground or reason
    Synonyms: īnfēlīciter, frūstrā, supervacuō
    • Gaius Valerius Catullus, Catullus 101:
      et mūtam nequīquam alloquerer cinerem.
      And (to) talk in vain to silent ash.
    • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.208–209:
      “[...] an tē, genitor, cum fulmina torquēs, / nēquīquam horrēmus [...].”
      “Or when you hurl thunderbolts, Father [Jupiter], [do we] tremble vainly?”

References

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  • nequiquam”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • nequiquam”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • nequiquam in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.