quis, quid (old nom. plur. QVES, S. C. Bacch.), pron. interrog. [Sanscr. kis, in nakis = nemo; Gr. τίς], who? which? what? what man? (while qui, quae, quod, interrog. is used adject.; for exceptions, v. qui and infra.—Quis is properly used only of more than two; uter, which of two? v. infra).
I Masc. and fem. quis; lit.,
A As subst., in a direct question.
1 Of males: unde es? cujus es? whose are you? to whom do you belong? Plaut. Truc. 2, 7, 44: Da. Quis homo est? Pa. Ego sum Pamphilus, who is there? Ter. And. 965: quis clarior in Graeciā Themistocle? quis potentior? Cic. Lael. 12, 42; id. de Or. 3, 34, 137: quis Dionem doctrinis omnibus expolivit? non Plato? id. ib. 3, 34, 139.—
2 Quis, of females, as subst. and adj. (ante- and post-class.): et quis illaec est, quae? etc., Enn. ap. Non. 198, 3 (Trag. v. 133 Vahl.): quis tu es mulier, quae? etc., Pac. ap. Non. 197, 33; cf. Varr. L. L. 6, § 60 Müll.: quis ea est, quam? etc., who is she? Plaut. Aul. 2, 1, 48: quis haec est? id. Pers. 2, 2, 18: quis illaec est mulier, quae? etc., id. Ep. 4, 1, 6: sed haec quis mulier est? id. Truc. 1, 1, 76: quis nostrarum fuit, Caecil. ap. Gell. 2, 23: quis haec est simia? Afran. ap. Charis. 1, p. 84.—
B As adj.
1 Absol. , what? i. e. what sort of a person or thing? quis videor? Cha. Miser aeque atque ego, in what state or condition do I seem? what do you think of me now? Ter. And. 702: quis ego sum? aut quae in me est facultas? Cic. Lael. 5, 17. —
2 With nouns.
α With words denoting a person (class.): quis eum senator appellavit, Cic. Cat. 2, 6, 12: quis gracilis puer, Hor. C. 1, 5, 1.—
β In gen. (in Cic. only before a vowel, for qui): quis color, Verg. G. 2, 178: quisve locus, Liv. 5, 40: quod caedis initium? quis finis? Tac. A. 1, 48: quis esset tantus fructus? Cic. Lael. 6, 22. —
II In neutr.
A Lit.
1 In simple constr.: quid dicam de moribus facillimis, Cic. Lael. 3, 11: quid est judicium corrumpere, si hoc non est? what is bribing the court , if this be not? id. Verr. 1, 10, 28: quid ais? quid tibi nomen est? Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 208.—
2 With gen. partit. , what? i. e. what sort of? what kind of a? quid mulieris Uxorem habes? what sort of a woman have you for a wife? Ter. Hec. 643: quid illuc est hominum secundum litus? what is that knot of people? Plaut. Rud. 1, 2, 60: quid caelati argenti, quid stragulae vestis, quid pictarum tabularum ... apud illum putatis esse? Cic. Rosc. Am. 46, 133; cf. esp.: hoc enim, quis homo sit, ostendere est, non quid homo sit, dicere, i. e. to point out an individual , not to define a class , Gell. 4, 1, 12.—
3 Esp. in phrase quid dico? what do I say? in correcting or strengthening the speaker's own expression: Romae a. d. XIIII. Kal. volumus esse. Quid dico? Volumus? Immo vero cogimur, Cic. Att. 4, 13, 1; id. Fam. 5, 15, 2; id. Mil. 28, 76; id. de Or. 2, 90, 365; id. Lig. 9, 26.—
B Transf.
1 Quid? how? why? wherefore? quid? tu me hoc tibi mandasse existimas, ut? etc., Cic. Fam. 2, 8, 1: quid hoc? id. Tusc. 1, 11, 25: quid? eundem nonne destituisti? id. Phil. 2, 38, 99: eloquere, quid venisti? why? wherefore? Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 221: sed quid ego argumentor? quid plura disputo? Cic. Mil. 16, 44. —
2 In quid? wherefore? for what? Sen. Ben. 4, 13, 3. —
3 Quid, with particles : quid, quod? what shall be said to this , that? how is it that? and furthermore , moreover , Cic. Sen. 23, 83; id. Off. 3, 25, 94; id. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 29, 95 et saep.: quid ita? why so? id. N. D. 1, 35, 99: quid ni, also in one word, quidni? why not? (in rhet. questions, while cur non expects an answer); always with subj., Ter. Heaut. 907; Cic. de Or. 2, 67, 73; Sen. Tranq. 9, 3; id. Ira, 1, 6, 1; cf. separated: quid ego ni teneam? Plaut. Ps. 2, 2, 57; Ter. Ad. 662; and pleonastically: quid ni non, Sen. Ep. 52: quid si? how if? Caecin. ap. Cic. Fam. 6, 7, 4: quid si illud addimus, Cic. Lael. 14, 50: quid tum? what then? how then? id. Tusc. 2, 11, 26; Verg. A. 4, 543; id. E. 10, 38; Hor. S. 2, 3, 230: quid ergo, ironically, Caes. B. G. 7, 77; Cic. Fam. 9, 15, 14: quid enim, id. Fin. 2, 19, 62; Liv. 20, 9.—
III In indirect discourse: quis sim, ex eo quem ad te misi, cognosces, Sall. C. 44, 5: rogitat quis vir esset, Liv. 1, 7, 9: videbis, quid et quo modo, Cic. Att. 11, 21, 1: quis quem, who ... whom? who ... the other? considera, quis quem fraudasse dicatur, who is said to have defrauded whom? id. Rosc. Com. 7, 21: quos autem numeros cum quibus misceri oporteat, nunc dicendum est, what ... with what? id. Or. 58, 196: notatum in sermone, quid quo modo caderet, Quint. 1, 6, 16. — Quid with gen.: exponam vobis breviter, quid hominis sit, what sort of a man he is , Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 54, § 134: sciturum, quid ejus sit, what there is in it , how much of it may be true , id. Att. 16, 4, 3.— Rarely for uter, which of two , whether : incerti quae pars sequenda esset, Liv. 21, 39, 6: proelia de occupando ponte crebra erant, nec qui potirentur, satis discerni poterat, id. 7, 9, 7: ut dii legerent, qui nomen novae urbi daret, id. 1, 6, 4 Weissenb. ad loc.; id. 1, 24, 3; 9, 45, 8; 10, 12, 5; cf.: validior per Germaniam exercitus, propior aput Pannoniam; quos igitur anteferret? Tac. A. 1, 47.