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quidam. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
quidam, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
quidam in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
From Latin quīdam.
Noun
quidam (plural quidams)
- A nobody; a person of no importance.
1603, Michel de Montaigne, translated by John Florio, Essays, III.12:A quidam gallant determined upon a time to surprise both my house and my selfe.
1792, Thomas Holcroft, Anna St. Ives, vol. IV, letter 77:She singing a miserable ditty, a bead-roll of lamentable rhymes, strung together by this Quidam!—This Henley!
French
Pronunciation
Noun
quidam m (plural quidams)
- used to designate persons whose name are unknown or not mentioned
- a person whose identity is not indicated, in a conversation, a writing
- individual
Further reading
Latin
Etymology
From quis + -dam (indefinite adverbial suffix). Compare quondam (“at one time”).
Pronunciation
Pronoun
quīdam (feminine quaedam, neuter quiddam); relative/interrogative pronoun (with m optionally → n in compounds) with an indeclinable portion
- someone, a certain one/thing; something
Usage notes
Not to be confused with quidem.
Declension
Indefinite pronoun.
1An alternative masculine nominative/accusative plural form quēsdam occurs in Accius.
2The genitive singular was spelled quoiusdam before the Augustan period.
3The dative singular was spelled quoidam before the Augustan period.
4The dative/ablative plural has a rare alternative form quīsdam/queisdam.
Adjective
quīdam (feminine quaedam, neuter quoddam); relative/interrogative pronoun (with m optionally → n in compounds) with an indeclinable portion
- a 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)
c. 62 BCE, Cicero, chapter 1, in Pro Archia Poeta, §2:etenim omnes artes, quae ad humanitatem pertinent, habent quoddam commune vinculum et quasi cognatione quadam inter se continentur.- Indeed all the arts, which pertain to humanity, have some common link and by a certain almost-kindred are held together.
Declension
Indefinite determiner.
1The genitive singular was spelled quoiusdam before the Augustan period.
2The dative singular was spelled quoidam before the Augustan period.
3The dative/ablative plural has a rare alternative form quīsdam/queisdam.
See also
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, London: Macmillan and Co.
- I have a few words to say on this: mihi quaedam dicenda sunt de hac re