adverb
immō
immō (not comparable)
Classical[ˈɪm.moː]Ecclesiastical[ˈim.mo]
Mille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- negativenot comparableon the contrary, nay (rather), no indeed
“Servī sunt!” Immō hominēs. “Servī sunt!” Immō contubernālēs. “Servī sunt!” Immō humilēs amīcī. “Servī sunt!” Immō cōnservī, sī cōgitāverīs tantundem in utrōsque licēre Fortūnae.
“They’re slaves!” [someone might say]. Rather, [they’re] human beings. “They’re slaves!” No, housemates. “They’re slaves!” Instead, humble friends. “They’re slaves!” On the contrary, fellow slaves — if you have considered that Fortune is allowed just as much [power] over both [slaves and freemen]. (Given Seneca’s rhetorical styling of rhythmic repetition in compact Latin, a translator must decide whether to repeat the same word or phrase, or to vary the word choices — as seen here.)c. 4 BCE – 65 CE, Seneca Minor, Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium 1.47.1SŌSIA: Dictum putā: / nempe ut cūrentur rēctē haec? SĪMŌ: Immō aliud.
SOSIA: Consider it as said: namely, that these [preparations] be properly taken care of? SIMO: On the contrary, [there’s] something else.166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 29–30 - not comparableactually, what is more, even (often intensified with edepol, hercle, ecastor, vero, potius, etc.)
vīvit? immō vērō etiam in senātum venit;
Not only is Catiline alive, truly he even comes into the senate!63 BCE, Cicero, In Catilinam orationes 1.2
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
vērius dīcamimmō — in IVLIANVS I: Gallia, ch. 18
quīn potius, contrāimmō — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 13
quīn etiam, potiusimmō — in Evangelium secundum Marcum, ch. 9
no, rather
immō — in Seneca, ch. II
immo, incorrectly written īmo perh. sup. form from in, with ending mo; cf.: summus, primus; hence,
I. on the contrary, no indeed, by no means, or yes indeed, by all means (more commonly contradicting or essentially qualifying what precedes; but never, like minime, as an independent negative, being regularly accompanied by a clause defining the meaning; v. Krebs, Antibarb. p. 551).
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: Tr. Etiam fatetur de hospite? Th. Immo pernegat, Plaut. Most. 3, 1, 19: An. Ubi? domin'? Ch. Immo apud libertum Discum, Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 60: Do. Hae quid ad me? To. Immo ad te attinent, Plaut. Pers. 4, 3, 27: De. Faciat, ut voles. Nau. Immo ejus judicio permitto omnia, Ter. Phorm. 5, 8, 54; id. Heaut. 4, 3, 28.—Esp., in a reply extending or amplifying the preceding thought (cf.: potius, quin potius): expedies? nempe ut modo? D. Immo melius spero, Ter. Hec. 3, 4, 22; Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 80: Si. Quid? hoc intellextin'? an nondum etiam ne hoc quidem? Da. Immo callide, Ter. And. 1, 2, 30:
non igitur faciat, dixerit quis, quod utile sit, quod expediat? Immo intelligat nihil nec expedire nec utile esse, quod sit injustum, Cic. Off. 3, 17, 76: causa igitur non bona est? Immo optima, id. Att. 9, 7, 4; cf.: quem hominem? levem? immo gravissimum. Mobilem? immo constantissimum. Familiarem? immo alienissimum, id. Rosc. Com. 16, 49; id. Att. 10, 12, 4: cum ille dixisset, se vero non exspectare; Immo, inquit, rogo exspectes, Quint. 9, 3, 68: quid tu? Nullane habes vitia? Immo alia. Et fortasse minora? Hor. S. 1, 3, 20; Plin. Pan. 36, 3.—So in retorting a question: Me. Quid apud hasce aedes negotii est tibi? So. Immo quid tibi'st? Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 194; id. Bacch. 2, 2, 29: Ph. An amabo meretrix illa est, quae illam sustulit? La. Immo meretrix fuit; sed ut sit, de ea re eloquar, id. Cist. 2, 3, 22; cf. id. Most. 3, 2, 41: Si. Paucis te volo. So. Dictum puta: Nempe ut curentur recte haec. Si. Immo aliud, Ter. And. 1, 1, 2.—2. Strengthened by edepol, hercle, ecastor, vero, potius, etc.: Ol. Ecquid amas nunc me? St. Immo edepol me quam te minus, Plaut. Cas. 2, 8, 19; id. Capt. 2, 1, 16: St. Quod bonum atque fortunatum mihi sit. Ol. Ita vero et mihi. Ch. Non. Ol. Immo hercle. Ch. Immo mihi hercle, id. Cas. 2, 6, 51; Ter. Ad. 5, 8, 5: Pa. Mala es. Ph. Immo ecastor, Plaut. Mil. 2, 5, 33: Pa. Nescis, Parmeno, Quantum hodie profueris mihi, etc. ... Par. Immo vero scio, neque hoc imprudens feci, Ter. Hec. 5, 4, 37:
quid? si tyrannidem occupare, si patriam prodere conabitur pater: silebitne filius? Immo vero obsecrabit patrem, ne id faciat, Cic. Off. 3, 23, 90; id. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 1: Tr. Sub dio coli absque sole perpetuum diem. Si. Immo edepol vero, cum, etc., Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 79: Tr. Ecquid placent? Th. Ecquid placeant me rogas? immo hercle vero perplacent, id. ib. 4, 1, 4: senatus haec intelligit, consul videt: hic tamen vivit. Vivit? immo vero etiam in senatum venit, Cic. Cat. 1, 1, 2; id. Att. 12, 43, 1: De. Juben' hanc hinc abscedere? Ph. Immo intus potius, Plaut. As. 5, 2, 89: immo hercle abiero potius, id. Bacch. 2, 2, 33: sed vos nihilne attulistis inde auri domum? Immo etiam, id. ib. 2, 3, 82: immo etiam, id. Mil. 4, 2, 23; Ter. And. 4, 1, 46: immo vero etiam, v. above: immo est quoque, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 8, 51: an infirmissimi omnium tamquam, quos nuper subjecit, Dolopes? Immo contra ea, etc., Liv. 41, 24, 8: immo contra, Dig. 33, 7, 5; 38, 2, 51; 41, 3, 49.—B. In partic.
1. As an expression of dislike or surprise (ante-class.): Ch. Verum vis dicam? Da. Immo etiam Narrationis incipit mihi initium, no indeed! now he is going to begin a long story, Ter. And. 4, 2, 25:
idne est verum? immo id est genus hominum pessimum, id. ib. 4, 1, 5: Pe. Euge, euge, lepide: laudo commentum tuum. Pa. Ut, si illanc concriminatus sit advorsum Militem, etc. ... Pe. Immo optume, no! capital! Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 86.—2. Immo si scias or immo si audias, if you only knew, had only heard, intimating that such is not the case (ante-class.):
immo si scias, Plaut. Curc. 2, 3, 42: St. Scelestissimum Me esse credo. Pa. Immo si scias dicta, quae dixit hodie, id. Cas. 3, 5, 35; Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 64: Ly. Bene hercle factum et gaudeo. De. Immo si scias, Plaut. Merc. 2, 2, 27; so ellipt., id. Ps. 2, 4, 59; Ter. Heaut. 3, 3, 38: immo si audias Meas pugnas, fugias demissis manibus domum, Plaut. Ep. 3, 4, 15.—II. Transf. (perh. not before the Aug. period), for vel potius, in the middle of a sentence, to correct or add emphasis to what has been said, nay rather; nay, I should rather say:
immo ita sit, nay, Ov. M. 7, 512: simulacra deum, deos immo ipsos convulsos ex sedibus suis ablatos esse, Liv. 48, 43, 6: ipse aliquid, immo multa quotidie dicat, Quint. 2, 2, 8; 6, 2, 10; Plin. Pan. 85, 5: qui pauculis diebus gestum consulatum, immo non gestum abiciebant per edictum, id. ib. 65, 3: nihil causae est, cur non illam vocis modulationem fidibus ac tibiis, immo hercle, cymbalis adjuvemus, Quint. 11, 2, 59; Curt. 4, 1: immo vero, Plin. 34, 1, 1, § 1.—In forming a climax: quanta verborum nobis paupertas, immo egestas sit, Sen. Ep. 58: Agrippinam nihilo tractabiliorem, immo in dies amentiorem, Suet. Aug. 65; Plin. Pan. 23, 2.!*? Rarely after a word in the clause (first in Livy): nihil immo, Liv. 35, 49, 13: non immo, Quint. 11, 1, 50; cf.: non habet immo suum, Mart. 6, 94, 4: vivit immo vigetque, Liv. 39, 40, 7: statueretur immo, Tac. A. 12, 6: frueretur immo his, id. ib. 11, 30: quaedam immo virtutes, id. ib. 15, 21: illos quin immo, id. Or. 6; cf.: ipsam quin immo curam, id. ib. 39: quin immo, Plin. Ep. 1, 8, 3; Quint. 1, 1, 31; 12, 11, 27; 7, 10, 8.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
immō (not īmō), adv.
for * ipsimō; ipse.
I. I. In contradiction or denial, no indeed, by no means, on the contrary, nay, in reality: An. ubi? domin? Ch. immo apud libertum, T.: dictum puta, Nempe . . . Si. immo aliud, nay, something very different, T.: ubi fuit Sulla? num Romae? immo longe afuit, oh no!: silebitne filius? immo vero obsecrabit patrem, ne id faciat: an . . . quos nuper subiecit, Dolopes? immo contra ea, L.: Immo haec Carmina descripsi, these (i. e. not such as you call for), V.—Expressing impatience, no indeed, nay verily: Idnest verum? immo id hominumst genus pessimum, etc., is that straightforward? ah no! T.—
II. II. Extending or qualifying what precedes, yes indeed, assuredly, nay more, by all means, and that too, and even, yes—but: Si. Quid, hoc intellextin? . . . Da. immo callide, T.: vivit immo vigetque, L.: quid tu? Nullane habes vitia? immo alia, H.: num quid est aliud? Immo vero, inquit, est.—In emphatic correction, nay rather, I may even say: simulacra deum, deos immo ipsos ablatos esse, L.: vivit? immo vero etiam in senatum venit: Immo ego videar tibi amarior, etc., V.: cui tanta deo permissa potestas? Immo . . . Mortalem eripiam formam (i. e. at eripiam, etc.), V.—In the phrase, immo si scias, Ah! if you only knew, T.
Origins
May be for *ipsimō, from ipse. Otherwise the ablative singular of īmus with unexpected geminate /mm/, or conflated therewith. Some comparativists, including Götze & Pedersen (1934) and more recently Kimball (1999) and Kloekhorst (2008), have compared Hittite 𒅎𒈠 (im-ma, “truly, really, indeed”) and Luwian 𒅎𒈠 (im-ma), hieroglyphic [script needed] (ima, “indeed”). The details of this connection are unclear at best, but if valid it would point to common inheritance from Proto-Indo-European. E.g., Kimball suggests to reconstruct *im*-moh₂, comparing the second element with Ancient Greek μᾰ́ (mắ). A major problem with this etymology is that the preservation of the geminate /mm/ all the way from PIE to Classical Latin is an unknown phenomenon.
Descendants
- Sardinianemmo