different between quim vs quid

English

Etymology 1

Origin uncertain; perhaps an alteration of queme. The English Dialect Dictionary has a citation of "quim and cosh" from 1723 which it glosses as "intimate and familiar". Compare also quaint, cunt. Derivation from Welsh cwm (“hollow”) is sometimes suggested, but the OED notes that this is "unlikely on both semantic and phonological grounds".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kw?m/
• Rhymes: -?m

Noun

quim (plural quims)

1. (vulgar, slang) The female genitalia; the vulva.
   • 1879, Anonymous, "The Wanton Lass" in The Pearl No. 1:

     For one day, when amusing herself with this whim

     The carrot it snapped, and part stuck in her quim.

   • 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses, page 938:

     Ho! What do I here behold? Were you brushing the cobwebs off a few quims?
2. (vulgar, derogatory) A derogatory term (see cunt).
   • 2012, Joss Whedon, The Avengers, Tom Hiddleston as "Loki":

     (to Black Widow)...In every way, [ Clint Barton ] knows your fear! And then he'll wake...to see his good work...When he screams, I'll split his skull! This is my bargain, you mewling quim!

Translations

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Scots queem. Compare English queem.

Adjective

quim

1. (Ulster) Affectedly nice, prim.
2. (Ulster) Moving with ease and precision.

See also

• queem

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