nī (old orthography nei, v. in the foll.), adv. and conj. [identical with ne and the prim. form, whence nisi, i. e. si ni].
I Adv., like ne, an absolutely negative particle, not. —So only in the combinations,
A Quid ni? or, in one word, quidni? why not? quid ego ni ita censeam? Plaut. Mil. 4, 3, 27: quid ego ni fleam? id. ib. 4, 8, 1: quidni, inquit, meminerim? etc., Auct. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 67, 273 et saep.; v. quidni.—
B Nimirum, lit. not wonderful; v. nimirum.—
II Conj. , like ne, in imperative and intentional clauses, not, that not (ante-class. and poet.): ni quid tibi hinc in spem referas, Plaut. Ep. 3, 2, 3: vinum aliudve quid ni laudato, Varr. ap. Non. 281, 31: Numa constituit, ut pisces, qui squamosi non essent, ni pollucerent ... ni qui ad polluctum emerent, Cass. Hem. ap. Plin. 32, 2, 10, § 20; cf.: QVEM QVISQVE EORVM AGRVM POSIDEBIT, INVITIS EIS NIQVIS SICET NIVE PASCAT NIVE FRVATVR, etc., Inscr. Orell. 3121, p. 40: IS EVM AGRVM NEI HABETO NIVE FRVIMINO, ib.: ROGO PER DEOS, NI VELITIS OSSA MEA VIOLARE, Inscr. Grut. 996, 12; Cenotaph. Pis. ap. Inscr. Orell. 643: (lege) edictā flemus diu, ni nos divideret, Prop. 2, 7, 2: obstabat vallum, ni instent acies, Sil. 1, 374 (al. ne): monent ... ni teneant cursus, Verg. A. 3, 686 (antiqui ni pro ne ponebant, Serv. ad loc.).—
III As a conditional negative (= si non, nisi), if not, unless, but that .
A In gen.
α With indic.: SI IN IVS VOCAT, NI IT, ANTESTATOR, IGITVR EM CAPITO, if he summon him before court, if he go not, then he shall , etc., Tab. XII. 1 init. : nam ni illum recipit, nihil est quo me recipiam, Plaut. Capt. 1, 1, 35: ni offerumentas habebis plures in tergo tuo, etc., id. Rud. 3, 4, 48: mirum ni domi est, Ter. And. 598: moriar ni puto, etc., Cic. Fam. 7, 13, 1: ni frustra augurium vani docuere parentes, Verg. A. 1, 392: si is homo moritur, probe factum ... ni moritur, tum, etc., Liv. 8, 10, 12; 13.—
β With subj.: quid ploras, pater?—Mirum ni cantem: condemnatus sum, it's a wonder I don't sing (ironically), Nov. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 69, 279: dicerem, quae ante futura dixissem, ni vererer, ne, etc., Cic. Fam. 6, 6, 4: ni ita se res haberet, id. Tusc. 5, 39, 115; cf. id. Fin. 3, 20, 66: ni tamen exciderit, id. poët. Fragm. ap. Quint. 8, 6, 73: ni faciat, Verg. A. 1, 58: omina ni repetant Argis numenque reducant, id. ib. 2, 178: nec Boi detrectāssent pugnam, ni fama ... animos fregisset, Liv. 32, 31, 2: ea se dicturum, quae ni fiant, nulla sit pacis condicio, id. 32, 33, 2; 2, 22, 1; 1, 22, 6.—
B In partic.
1 In formal lang. of law, in agreements, promises, stipulations, etc.: cum is sponsionem fecisset ni vir bonus esset, Cic. Off. 3, 19, 77: judicem ferre, ni vindicias dederit, Liv. 3, 57: tum illud quod dicitur sive nive irrident, etc., Cic. Caecin. 23, 65: cedo qui cum habeam judicem, Ni dolo malo instipulatus sis. nive etiam dum siem Quinque et viginti annos natus, Plaut. Rud. 5, 3 (4), 25 (v. the passage in connection); so id. ib. 3, 4, 9: id ni fit, mecum pignus, si quis volt, dato in urnam mulsi, that it is not so, bet me , etc., id. Cas. prol. 75; id. Ep. 5, 2, 35; id. Poen. 5, 4, 72. —
2 Ni quis scivit (if any one has not voted), the name of a centuria created by Servius Tullius for those to vote in who had not voted in their own centuriae, acc. to Paul. ex Fest. p. 177 Müll.—*
3 For nisi quod, Amm. 22, 11 fin. —
4 Ni forte, for nisi forte: ni forte satius est, etc., Curt. 5, 25, 12 (Foss, nisi), Quint. 11, 2, 27.