quī

quī

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /kʷiː/, [kʷiː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /kwi/, [kwiː]

Audio (Classical Latin, educated guess):

Duration: 2 seconds.0:02

Etymology 1

From earlier quei, from Proto-Italic *kʷoi, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷis, *kʷos.

Alternative forms

• quei (standard Republican spelling, later especially to distinguish the plural)
• quoi, qoi (Early Latin)

Pronoun

quī (feminine quae, neuter quod); relative/interrogative pronoun

1. (relative) who, that, which, what [ quotations ▼]

Usage notes

• See quis for the interrogative pronoun ("who?") or indefinite pronoun ("any(one)"), which share most but not all forms with the relative pronoun.

Declension

Irregular. Relative pronoun.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	quī	quae	quod		quī1	quae
Genitive	cuius1				quōrum	quārum	quōrum
Dative	cui1				quibus quīs1
Accusative	quem	quam	quod		quōs	quās	quae
Ablative	quō	quā	quō		quibus quīs1

¹In Republican Latin or earlier, alternative spellings could be found for the following forms of quī/quis and its compounds: the masculine nominative singular or plural quī (old spelling quei), the genitive singular cuius (old spelling quoius), the dative singular cui (old spelling quoi or quoiei), the dative/ablative plural quīs (old spelling queis).

• An archaic ablative singular form (possibly originally deriving from a locative or instrumental formation; see adverb below) is quī, whence quīcum (“with whom”).

Adjective

quī or quis (feminine quae or qua, neuter quod); relative/interrogative pronoun

1. (interrogative) who, what, which [ quotations ▼]
2. (indefinite, after si, nisi, num, ne) anyone, any [ quotations ▼]

Declension

Irregular. Interrogative/indefinite determiner.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	quī1 quis	quae qua2	quod		quī1	quae	quae qua2
Genitive	cuius1				quōrum	quārum	quōrum
Dative	cui1				quibus quīs1
Accusative	quem	quam	quod		quōs	quās	quae qua2
Ablative	quō	quā	quō		quibus quīs1

¹In Republican Latin or earlier, alternative spellings could be found for the following forms of quī/quis and its compounds: the masculine nominative singular or plural quī (old spelling quei), the genitive singular cuius (old spelling quoius), the dative singular cui (old spelling quoi or quoiei), the dative/ablative plural quīs (old spelling queis).
²When used as an indefinite word (pronoun or adjective), the feminine nominative singular and neuter nominative/accusative plural is usually qua (with short ă) instead of quae. Indefinite quă is generally only found directly after sī, nisi, num, or nē and may be considered to be either enclitic to the preceding word or (in Priscian's view) forming a compound with it; accordingly, sīqua, numqua, and nēqua are sometimes written together (as also are the masculines sīquis, numquis, and nēquis). The form quă is never used for the feminine plural, nor for any form of the relative pronoun or of the interrogative pronoun or adjective.

Derived terms

• ad quem
• aliōquī
• aliquī
• quā
• quī
• quīcum
• quīlibet
• quīvīs
• quō

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Related terms

• cuius
• cum
• quis
• quam
• ut