quaero

Latin

Alternative forms

Etymology

Uncertain. According to Nussbaum and de Vaan, from Proto-Italic *kʷaizeō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- (“to acquire”), via a se/o-present built upon an i-present form *kʷeh₂-i- (“to acquire”). In this case, cognates would include Ancient Greek πέπαμαι (pépamai, “to get, acquire”), Old Prussian quoi (“I/you want”) and quāits (“desire”), Lithuanian kviẽsti (“to invite”).

In some sources etymologized as being from Proto-Indo-European *kʷoys-, *kʷeys- (“to see”), but this was deemed uncertain by Schrijver in 1991.

LIV accepts Szemerényi's 1960 etymology that it is a derivation of *h₂eys- (“to seek, ask”), via the form *koaiseo.

Pronunciation

Verb

quaerō (present infinitive quaerere, perfect active quaesīvī or quaesiī, supine quaesītum); third conjugation

  1. to seek, look for
    Synonyms: requīrō, studeō, spectō, petō, appetō, affectō, cupiō, concupiō, inquīrō, conquīrō, expetō, dēstinō, sitiō, aveō, voveō, circumspiciō, tendō, intendō
    Antonyms: āversor, abhorreō, dēclīnō
    Quaerendo invenietis ― By seeking ye shall find
    Quaerite Dominum ― Seek ye the Lord
  2. to ask, question, seek or search for a thing, inquire, query, interrogate
    Synonyms: scīscitor, percontor, investīgō, scīscō, indāgō, interrogō, requīrō, rogitō, scrūtor
    Quaeritur num mors malum sit. ― The question is whether death is an evil.
  3. to strive for; endeavor; seek to obtain
    Synonyms: lūctor, certō, ēlabōrō, cōnītor, cōnor, ēnītor, appetō, affectō, tendō, quaesō, temptō, studeō, circumspiciō, īnsequor, contendō, adnītor, labōrō, pugnō, molior, perīclitor, nītor, spectō
  4. to miss, lack
  5. to desire, require, want, aim at
    Synonyms: requīrō, affectō, cupiō, aveō, studeō, concupiō, indigeō, sitiō, petō, expetō, spectō, voveō, appetō, dēstinō

Conjugation
   Conjugation of quaerō (third conjugation)
indicative singular plural
first second third first second third
active present quaerō quaeris quaerit quaerimus quaeritis quaerunt
imperfect quaerēbam quaerēbās quaerēbat quaerēbāmus quaerēbātis quaerēbant
future quaeram quaerēs quaeret quaerēmus quaerētis quaerent
perfect quaesīvī,
quaesiī		 quaesīvistī,
quaesiistī,
quaesīstī1		 quaesīvit,
quaesiit,
quaesīt1		 quaesīvimus,
quaesiimus,
quaesīmus1		 quaesīvistis,
quaesiistis,
quaesīstis1		 quaesīvērunt,
quaesīvēre,
quaesiērunt,
quaesiēre,
quaesīrunt1
pluperfect quaesīveram,
quaesieram,
quaesīram1		 quaesīverās,
quaesierās,
quaesīrās1		 quaesīverat,
quaesierat,
quaesīrat1		 quaesīverāmus,
quaesierāmus,
quaesīrāmus1		 quaesīverātis,
quaesierātis,
quaesīrātis1		 quaesīverant,
quaesierant,
quaesīrant1
future perfect quaesīverō,
quaesierō,
quaesīrō1		 quaesīveris,
quaesieris,
quaesīris1		 quaesīverit,
quaesierit,
quaesīrit1		 quaesīverimus,
quaesierimus,
quaesīrimus1		 quaesīveritis,
quaesieritis,
quaesīritis1		 quaesīverint,
quaesierint,
quaesīrint1
passive present quaeror quaereris,
quaerere		 quaeritur quaerimur quaeriminī quaeruntur
imperfect quaerēbar quaerēbāris,
quaerēbāre		 quaerēbātur quaerēbāmur quaerēbāminī quaerēbantur
future quaerar quaerēris,
quaerēre		 quaerētur quaerēmur quaerēminī quaerentur
perfect quaesītus + present active indicative of sum
pluperfect quaesītus + imperfect active indicative of sum
future perfect quaesītus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive singular plural
first second third first second third
active present quaeram quaerās quaerat quaerāmus quaerātis quaerant
imperfect quaererem quaererēs quaereret quaererēmus quaererētis quaererent
perfect quaesīverim,
quaesierim,
quaesīrim1		 quaesīverīs,
quaesierīs,
quaesīrīs1		 quaesīverit,
quaesierit,
quaesīrit1		 quaesīverīmus,
quaesierīmus,
quaesīrīmus1		 quaesīverītis,
quaesierītis,
quaesīrītis1		 quaesīverint,
quaesierint,
quaesīrint1
pluperfect quaesīvissem,
quaesiissem,
quaesīssem1		 quaesīvissēs,
quaesiissēs,
quaesīssēs1		 quaesīvisset,
quaesiisset,
quaesīsset1		 quaesīvissēmus,
quaesiissēmus,
quaesīssēmus1		 quaesīvissētis,
quaesiissētis,
quaesīssētis1		 quaesīvissent,
quaesiissent,
quaesīssent1
passive present quaerar quaerāris,
quaerāre		 quaerātur quaerāmur quaerāminī quaerantur
imperfect quaererer quaererēris,
quaererēre		 quaererētur quaererēmur quaererēminī quaererentur
perfect quaesītus + present active subjunctive of sum
pluperfect quaesītus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative singular plural
first second third first second third
active present — quaere — — quaerite —
future — quaeritō quaeritō — quaeritōte quaeruntō
passive present — quaerere — — quaeriminī —
future — quaeritor quaeritor — — quaeruntor
non-finite forms active passive
present perfect future present perfect future
infinitives quaerere quaesīvisse,
quaesiisse,
quaesīsse1		 quaesītūrum esse quaerī quaesītum esse quaesītum īrī
participles quaerēns — quaesītūrus — quaesītus quaerendus,
quaerundus
verbal nouns gerund supine
genitive dative accusative ablative accusative ablative
quaerendī quaerendō quaerendum quaerendō quaesītum quaesītū

1At least one rare poetic syncopated perfect form is attested.

Derived terms

Descendants

References

Further reading
  • “quaero”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “quaero”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • quæro in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette, pages 1,288–9.
  • Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
    • to court a person's favour; to ingratiate oneself with..: gratiam alicuius sibi quaerere, sequi, more strongly aucupari
    • to be guided by ambition: laudem, gloriam quaerere
    • a theme, subject proposed for discussion: id quod quaerimus (quaeritur)
    • at this point the question arises: hoc loco exsistit quaestio, quaeritur
    • the question now is..: nunc id quaeritur, agitur
    • the question at issue: res, de qua nunc quaerimus, quaeritur
    • to give the etymological explanation of words: nomina enodare or verborum origines quaerere, indagare
    • to earn a livelihood by something: victum aliqua re quaerere
    • to court popularity: gratiam populi quaerere
    • to strive to gain popular favour by certain means: ventum popularem quendam (in aliqua re) quaerere
    • to hold an inquiry into a matter: quaerere aliquid or de aliqua re
    • to have a person tortured: quaerere tormentis de aliquo
    • to examine slaves by torture: de servis quaerere (in dominum)
    • to put it exactly: si quaeris, si verum quaerimus
  • “quaerō” on page 1,533 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (1st ed., 1968–82)
  • Niermeyer, Jan Frederik (1976) “quaerere”, in Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden, Boston: E. J. Brill, page 877
  • De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 503

Anagrams
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.