different between quid vs quin

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kw?d/, [k?w??d]
• Rhymes: -?d

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin quid (“what, something”), neuter singular of quis (“who”).

Noun

quid (plural quids)

1. The inherent nature of something.
2. (US, historical) A section of the Democratic-Republican Party between 1805 and 1811 (from tertium quid).

Etymology 2

Likely derives from the phrase quid pro quo (“this for that”), referring to the exchange of goods/services for money.

Noun

quid (plural quid or (rare) quids)

1. (historical) A sovereign or guinea.
   • 1870, Charles Reade, Put Yourself in His Place

     They invited him to come to-morrow, […] and bring half a quid with him.

2. (Britain, colloquial, slang) Pound sterling.

3. (Australia, colloquial) pound (before the 1966 currency change)
4. (Ireland, colloquial) pound, punt
5. (Ireland, colloquial) euro

Synonyms

• (pound sterling):
  • pound, pound sterling
  • (slang): nicker, sov

Derived terms

• quids in

Etymology 3

From Middle English quide, quede, from Old English cwidu, cwudu (“that which is chewed, cud”). Doublet of cud.

Noun

quid (plural quids)

1. A piece of chewing tobacco.
2. (US, colloquial) the act of chewing such tobacco

Verb

quid (third-person singular simple present quids, present participle quidding, simple past and past participle quidded)

1. To chew tobacco
2. (of a horse) To let food drop from the mouth whilst chewing

See also

Anagrams

• Qidu

French

Etymology

From Latin quid.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kwid/

Pronoun

quid

1. (formal) what about

   Synonyms: qu'en est-il de, quoi

Further reading

• “quid” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Italian

Noun

quid m (invariable)

1. A certain something (that is somehow undefinable)

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *k?id; compare *k?is.

The sense “why” is an adverbial accusative; compare Ancient Greek ?? (tí).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /k?id/, [k??d?]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /kwid/, [kwid?]

Pronoun

quid

1. neuter nominative/accusative singular of quis

2. (internal accusative) what, how?
   • Aeneid 12.872 by Vergil

     Quid nunc t? tua, Turne, potest germ?na iuv?re?

     How will your sister help you now, Turnus?

Derived terms

• quid tibi nomen est?
• quid nomen tibi est?
• quid si? (what if?)

  Quid si illud addimus.

• quid tum? (what then? how then?)
• quid ergo (ironically)
• quid agis?
• quid ais?

Adverb

quid (not comparable)

1. why? what for?
   • Gesta Danorum (“deeds of the Danes”) by Saxo Grammaticus (in Latin caput 8, liber 1, translation in English chapter 8, book 1)

     Quid gladi? pugn?s incurv??

     Why do you fight with a bent sword?

Interjection

quid

1. well, why, what?

Derived terms

• quid n?, quidn?
• quid ita

Related terms

• quod
• quis

Descendants

References

• quid in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• quid in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• quid in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book?^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.

Spanish

Noun

quid m (plural quids or quid)

1. gist; point; crux

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kw?n/, [k?w??n]
• Rhymes: -?n
• Homophone: Quinn

Etymology 1

Noun

quin (plural quins)

1. (informal) A quintuplet.

Related terms

• quad

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

quin (plural quins)

1. A European scallop, Pecten opercularis, used as food.
   • 1973, N. L. Tranter, Population since the industrial revolution (page 104)

     Similarly the stocks of the free-living scallops and quins, which are caught by trawling, are threatened by over-fishing to supply the market for canned or frozen luxury sea-foods.

Catalan

Etymology

From Old Occitan, from Latin quinam.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central, Valencian) IPA^(key): /?kin/

Adjective

quin (feminine quina, masculine plural quins, feminine plural quines)

1. (interrogative) which, what
2. what a

Related terms

• qui

Further reading

• “quin” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??/

Interjection

quin

1. (Quebec, colloquial) (surprise, giving someone something) alternative form of tiens

Ido

Pronoun

quin

1. (interrogative) whom (plural) (object)

Usage notes

To ask for a subject, use qui instead.

Latin

Etymology

From instrumental qu? + ne.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /k?i?n/, [k?i?n]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /kwin/, [kwin]

Adverb

qu?n (not comparable)

1. (usually with present indicative) how come not, why don't I/you/he ..., how about? (in questioning suggestions)

   Synonyms: quid est quod n?n, c?r n?n, qu?r? n?n?

   1. (in commands with imperative, subjunctive or future) come on, let's, ...then! (adding force)

      Synonyms: age, fac
2. (emphatic) Used to corroborate or amplify the previous statement: and even, and in fact
   1. Strengthened by various adverbs:
   2. Used to emphasise an objection to the previous statement: why, but ...!

Conjunction

qu?n

1. (used with a negative like n?m? or n?llus) who does/can/would not (usually following a nominative)

   Synonym: qu?/quae/quod n?n (in the nominative mostly)
2. (used with a negative like numquam or n?n) without (something happening), (so) that...not

   Synonym: ut n?n
3. (preceded by n?n, followed by sed quod/quia) not because not...but, not that not...but

   Synonym: (n?n) quod/quia...n?n
4. (with negated verbs of stopping, hindering) from doing or happening

   Synonym: qu?minus, n?
5. (used with negated words of hesitation, doubting, not knowing) that

References

• “qu?n” on page 1712 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (2nd ed., 2012)

Further reading

• quin in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• quin in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• quin in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book?^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.

Occitan

Etymology

From Old Occitan, from Latin quinam (who, which). Cognate with Catalan quin and with Franco-Provençal quint from a merging of Latin quinam and quantus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kin/

Adjective

quin m (feminine singular quina, masculine plural quins, feminine plural quinas)

1. (interrogative) which

2. (interrogative) what

3. (exclamative) what

Synonyms

• qual (for animate objects)
• que (for inanimate objects)

Derived terms

• quinament