quid

• IPA^(key): /kwɪd/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪd

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

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).

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

quid (plural quid or quids)

1. (historical) A sovereign or guinea.
   • Charles Reade

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

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

   Five quid for a sandwich? You're having a laugh!

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

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

• quids in

Variant of cud.

quid (plural quids)

1. A piece of chewing tobacco.
   • 1901, W. W. Jacobs, chapter 1, in Light Freights, page 1:

     He broke off to open a small brass tobacco-box and place a little quid of tobacco tenderly into a pouch in his left cheek, ...

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

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

1. To chew tobacco
   • 1902, John Masefield, A Ballad of John Silver

     Ah! the pig-tailed, quidding pirates and the pretty pranks we played

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

From Latin quid.

• IPA^(key): /kwid/

quid

1. (formal) what about

   Quid de la transparence du programme ?

• Et pour...
• Qu'en est-il de...
• Qu'est-il advenu de...

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

quid m (invariable)

1. A certain something (that is somehow undefinable)

From Proto-Indo-European *kʷid, compare *kʷis.

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /kʷid/, [kᶣɪd]

• Audio (Classical)

  (file)

quid

1. inflection of quis:
   1. neuter nominative singular
   2. neuter accusative singular

   Quid dico?

   What do I say?

• 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?

quid

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 gladio pugnas incurvo?

     Why do you fight with a bent sword?

• quid ni?/quidni? (why not?)
• quid ita? (why so?)

• quod
• quis

• 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, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • (ambiguous) if anything should happen to me; if I die: si quid (humanitus) mihi accidat or acciderit
    
  • (ambiguous) what will become of him: quid illo fiet?
    
  • (ambiguous) what am I to do with this fellow: quid huic homini (also hoc homine) faciam?
    
  • (ambiguous) how came it that...: quid causae fuit cur...?
    
  • (ambiguous) what is the use of: quid attinet? with Infin.
    
  • (ambiguous) give me your opinion: dic quid sentias
    
  • (ambiguous) I am undecided..: incertus sum, quid consilii capiam
    
  • (ambiguous) what do you mean to do: quid tibi vis?
    
  • (ambiguous) what is the meaning of this: quid hoc sibi vult?
    
  • (ambiguous) what is the meaning of this: quid hoc rei est?
    
  • (ambiguous) to determine the nature and constitution of the subject under discussion: constituere, quid et quale sit, de quo disputetur
    
  • (ambiguous) what is the meaning, the original sense of this word: quid significat, sonat haec vox?
    
  • (ambiguous) what do we mean by 'virtue': quid est virtus?
    
  • (ambiguous) what sort of humour are you in: quid tibi animi est?
    
  • (ambiguous) what will become of me: quid (de) me fiet? (Ter. Heaut. 4. 3. 37)
    
  • (ambiguous) how are you: quid agis?
    
  • (ambiguous) what is going on? how are you getting on: quid agitur? quid fit?
    
  • (ambiguous) let the consuls take measures for the protection of the state: videant or dent operam consules, ne quid res publica detrimenti capiat (Catil. 1. 2. 4)
    
  • (ambiguous) what is your opinion: quid censes? quid tibi videtur?
    
  • (ambiguous) what is your opinion: quid de ea re fieri placet?
    
  • (ambiguous) to say the least..: ne (quid) gravius dicam
    
  • (ambiguous) in short; to be brief: ne multa, quid plura? sed quid opus est plura?
    
  • (ambiguous) no wonder: nec mirum, minime mirum (id quidem), quid mirum?
    

quid m (plural quids or quid)

1. gist; point; crux