verbthird conjugation
quaerō
quaerō (present infinitive quaerere, perfect active quaesīvī or quaesiī, supine quaesītum)
Classical[ˈkʷae̯.roː]Ecclesiastical[ˈkʷɛː.ro]
quaeritur 3rd sg. pres. pass. ind.№ 113 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- to seek, look for
Quaerendo invenietis.
By seeking ye shall find.Quaerite Dominum.
Seek ye the Lord. - to ask, question, seek or search for a thing, inquire, query, interrogate
Quaeritur num mors malum sit.
The question is whether death is an evil.Quid quaeris? Vivo et regno, simul ista reliqui Quae vos ad caelum fertis rumore secundo, Utque sacerdotis fugitivus liba recuso,
What do you want from me? I live, I am my own master, I left behind the self same things you by common approval so eagerly covet, like the fugitive I have no right to the priest's blessed cake, but bread will quench my hunger over any honeyed delicacy.20 BCE – 14 BCE, Horatius, Epistulae IX.9–11 - to strive for; endeavor; seek to obtain
- to miss, lack
- to desire, require, want, aim at
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
rogō ut sciam; etiam: quod nōn habeō quaerō.quaerō -ere quaesīvī — in Mille Verba, Schola
mihi parōquaerō -ere, quaesītus — in IVLIANVS I: Gallia, ch. 11
petō, cōnor invenīrequaerō -ere — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 4
invenīre cōnorquaerō -ere — in Evangelium secundum Marcum, ch. 3
petō ut inveniamquaerō -ere — in Metamorphoses I, †
to look for
quaerō -ere — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 6, 23
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Rogare · Interrogare · Percontari · Sciscitari
Rogare, interrogare, and quærere, denote a simple questioning; rogare (ὀργᾶν, ὀρέγεσθαι), as willing to know; interrogare, as wishing to know; whereas percontari and sciscitari denote urgently asking; percontari (from γνῶναι) always from a desire of knowledge, with seriousness and calmness; sciscitari (redupl. of scitari) often from curiosity, with inquisitiveness, eagerness, or also with cunning, like pumping or ferreting out. (v. 125.)
Quærere · Scrutari · Rimari · Investigare · Indagare
1. Quærere denotes seeking, in a general sense, as the wish and want to get at something; whereas scrutari, rimari, investigare, and indagare, involve the accessory notion of taking pains. 2. Scrutari and rimari mean to search for something hidden; scrutari (from γρύτη) by rummaging, with evident interest and eagerness; rimari, by digging for, with evident exertion and skill on the part of the searcher; whereas investigare and indagare mean to search after something at a distance; investigare, like the huntsman, who cautiously follows the visible track of the wild animal; indagare (from δέχεσθαι, δήειν) like the hound who, guided by instinct, follows the scent. Curt. ix. 10. 11. Famem sentire cœperunt, radices palmarum ubique rimantes: comp. with ix. 9. 5. Scrutati omnia tuguria tandem latentes reperere. Or, Tac. Ann. vi. 3. Rimans secreta omnium; that is, what were intentionally kept secret; with xii. 52. Quasi finem principis per Chaldæos scrutaretur; which was done without opposition. (v. 121.)
Conjugation conjugation 3
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | quaerō | quaerēbam | quaeram | quaesīvī quaesiī | quaesīveram quaesīram, quaesieram | quaesīverō quaesīrō, quaesierō |
| 2nd sg. | quaeris | quaerēbās | quaerēs | quaesīvistī quaesīstī, quaesiistī | quaesīverās quaesīrās, quaesierās | quaesīveris quaesīris, quaesieris |
| 3rd sg. | quaerit | quaerēbat | quaeret | quaesīvit quaesīt, quaesiit | quaesīverat quaesīrat, quaesierat | quaesīverit quaesīrit, quaesierit |
| 1st pl. | quaerimus | quaerēbāmus | quaerēmus | quaesīvimus quaesīmus, quaesiimus | quaesīverāmus quaesīrāmus, quaesierāmus | quaesīverimus quaesīrimus, quaesierimus |
| 2nd pl. | quaeritis | quaerēbātis | quaerētis | quaesīvistis quaesīstis, quaesiistis | quaesīverātis quaesīrātis, quaesierātis | quaesīveritis quaesīritis, quaesieritis |
| 3rd pl. | quaerunt | quaerēbant | quaerent | quaesīvērunt quaesīrunt, quaesīvēre, quaesiērunt, quaesiēre | quaesīverant quaesīrant, quaesierant | quaesīverint quaesīrint, quaesierint |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | quaeram | quaererem | quaesīverim quaesīrim, quaesierim | quaesīvissem quaesīssem, quaesiissem |
| 2nd sg. | quaerās | quaererēs | quaesīverīs quaesīrīs, quaesierīs | quaesīvissēs quaesīssēs, quaesiissēs |
| 3rd sg. | quaerat | quaereret | quaesīverit quaesīrit, quaesierit | quaesīvisset quaesīsset, quaesiisset |
| 1st pl. | quaerāmus | quaererēmus | quaesīverīmus quaesīrīmus, quaesierīmus | quaesīvissēmus quaesīssēmus, quaesiissēmus |
| 2nd pl. | quaerātis | quaererētis | quaesīverītis quaesīrītis, quaesierītis | quaesīvissētis quaesīssētis, quaesiissētis |
| 3rd pl. | quaerant | quaererent | quaesīverint quaesīrint, quaesierint | quaesīvissent quaesīssent, quaesiissent |
| form | present | imperfect | future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | quaeror | quaerēbar | quaerar |
| 2nd sg. | quaereris quaerere | quaerēbāris quaerēbāre | quaerēris quaerēre |
| 3rd sg. | quaeritur | quaerēbātur | quaerētur |
| 1st pl. | quaerimur | quaerēbāmur | quaerēmur |
| 2nd pl. | quaeriminī | quaerēbāminī | quaerēminī |
| 3rd pl. | quaeruntur | quaerēbantur | quaerentur |
passive subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | quaerar | quaererer |
| 2nd sg. | quaerāris quaerāre | quaererēris quaererēre |
| 3rd sg. | quaerātur | quaererētur |
| 1st pl. | quaerāmur | quaererēmur |
| 2nd pl. | quaerāminī | quaererēminī |
| 3rd pl. | quaerantur | quaererentur |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | quaere | quaerere |
| pres. 2nd pl. | quaerite | quaeriminī |
| fut. 2nd sg. | quaeritō | quaeritor |
| fut. 3rd sg. | quaeritō | quaeritor |
| fut. 2nd pl. | quaeritōte | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | quaeruntō | quaeruntor |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | quaerere | quaerī |
| perfect infinitive | quaesīvisse quaesīsse, quaesiisse | quaesītum esse |
| future infinitive | quaesītūrum esse | quaesītum īrī |
| present participle | quaerēns quaerente, quaerentem, quaerentēs, quaerentī, quaerentia, quaerentibus, quaerentis, quaerentīs, quaerentium | — |
| perfect participle | — | quaesītus quaesīta, quaesītā, quaesītae, quaesītam, quaesītārum, quaesītās, quaesīte, quaesītī, quaesītīs, quaesītō, quaesītōrum, quaesītōs |
| future participle | quaesītūrus quaesītūra, quaesītūrā, quaesītūrae, quaesītūram, quaesītūrārum, quaesītūrās, quaesītūre, quaesītūrī, quaesītūrīs, quaesītūrō, quaesītūrōrum, quaesītūrōs, quaesītūrum | quaerendus quaerundus |
gerundquaerendī, quaerendō, quaerendumsupinequaesītum, quaesītū
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- gratiam populi quaerere
- to court popularity.
- laudem, gloriam quaerere
- to be guided by ambition.
- nunc id quaeritur, agitur
- the question now is...
- victum aliqua re quaerere
- to earn a livelihood by something.
- quaerere tormentis de aliquo
- to have a person tortured.
- id quod quaerimus (quaeritur)
- a theme, subject proposed for discussion.
- si quaeris, si verum quaerimus
- to put it exactly.
- quaerendum esse mihi visum est
- the question has forced itself on my mind.
7 more phrases
- de servis quaerere (in dominum)
- to examine slaves by torture.
- quaerere aliquid or de aliqua re
- to hold an inquiry into a matter.
- hoc loco exsistit quaestio, quaeritur
- at this point the question arises.
- res, de qua nunc quaerimus, quaeritur
- the question at issue.
- ventum popularem quendam (in aliqua re) quaerere
- to strive to gain popular favour by certain means.
- nomina enodare or verborum origines quaerere, indagare
- to give the etymological explanation of words.
- gratiam alicuius sibi quaerere, sequi, more strongly aucupari
- to court a person's favour; to ingratiate oneself with...
quaero (old orthogr. QVAIRO, Epitaphs of the Scipios, 6; for the original form and etym. quaeso, ĕre, v. quaeso), sīvi or sĭi, sītum, 3, v. a.,
I. to seek.
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: aliquem, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 20, 40 (Ann. v. 43 Vahl.); Plaut. Mil. 2, 3, 3:
te ipsum quaerebam, Ter. Heaut. 4, 8, 3: escam in sterquilinio, Phaedr. 3, 12 init.— B. In partic.
1. To seek to get or procure, to seek or search for a thing, Ter. Heaut. 3, 1, 38:
rem mercaturis faciendis, Cic. Par. 6, 2, 46.—Absol.: contrivi in quaerendo vitam atque aetatem meam, Ter. Ad. 5, 4, 15; 5, 3, 27; Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 57; id. A. P. 170.— b. Transf., to get, procure, obtain, acquire a thing:
uxores liberorum quaerendorum causā ducere, Suet. Caes. 52: liberorum quaerundorum causā ei uxor data est, Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 109; cf.: quaerunt litterae hae sibi liberos, id. Ps. 1, 1, 21.—2. To seek for something missing, to miss:
Siciliam in uberrimā Siciliae parte, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 18, § 47: optatos Tyndaridas, Prop. 1, 17, 18: Phoebi comam, Tib. 2, 3, 20: amnes, Stat. Th. 4, 703.—3. To ask, desire, with ut and subj.:
quaeris ut suscipiam cogitationem quidnam istis agendum putem, Cic. Att. 14, 20, 4.—II. Trop.
A. In gen., to seek, i. e. to think over, meditate, aim at, plan a thing:
dum id quaero, tibi qui filium restituerem, Ter. Heaut. 3, 1, 83: quonam modo maxime ulti sanguinem nostrum pereamus, Sall. C. 33,5: fugam, Cic. Att. 7, 17, 1; id. Mur. 37, 80: sibi remedium ad rem aliquam, id. Clu. 9, 27: de gratiā quid significares, mecum ipse quaerebam, id. Att. 9, 11, A, 1.—With inf.: tristitiae causam si quis cognoscere quaerit, seeks, strives, endeavors, Ov. Tr. 5, 4, 7; id. Am. 1, 8, 51; Hor. C. 3, 4, 39; id. Ep. 1, 1, 2 al.—B. In partic.
1. To look for, seek to gain any thing; to get, acquire, obtain, procure:
laudem sibi, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 74: salutem alicui malo, id. Ad. 3, 2, 2: negabant ullā aliā in re nisi in naturā quaerendum esse illud summum bonum, Cic. Ac. 1, 5, 19: pudentem exitum suae impudentiae, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 1, § 2: invidiam in aliquem, id. Rab. Post. 17, 46. —2. Of inanim. and abstr. subjects, to demand, need, require, = requirere:
quod cujusquam oratoris eloquentiam quaereret, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 10, § 29: lites ex limitibus judicem quaerant, Varr. R. R. 1, 15, 1: bellum dictatoriam majestatem quaesivisset, Liv. 8, 30: quaerit Boeotia Dircen, Ov. M. 2, 239. —3. To seek to learn from any one; to ask, inquire, interrogate (cf.: interrogo, percontor).
(a). With ab:
cum ab iis saepius quaereret, made inquiries, Caes. B. G. 1, 32: quaero abs te nunc, Hortensi, cum, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 83, § 191: quaesivit a medicis, quemadmodum se haberet, Nep. Dion, 2, 4: a quo cum quaesisset, quo se deduci vellet, id. Epam. 4, 5; cf. Cic. N. D. 1, 22, 60. —(b). With de:
quaerebat paulo ante de me, quid, etc., Cic. Pis. 9, 18: de te ipso quaero, Vatini, utrum, etc., id. Vatin. 4, 10: quaero de te, arbitrerisne, etc., Liv. 4, 40: cura tibi de quo quaerere nulla fuit, Ov. P. 4, 3, 18.— (g). With ex:
quaesivi ex Phaniā, quam in partem provinciae putaret, etc., Cic. Fam. 3, 6, 1: quaerit ex solo ea, quae, etc., Caes. B. G. 1, 18.—(d). With a rel.-clause:
ille baro te putabat quaesiturum, unum caelum esset an innumerabilia, Cic. Fam. 9, 26, 3: natura fieret laudabile carmen, an arte, Quaesitum est, Hor. A. P. 409: quaeritur inter medicos, cujus generis aquae sint utilissimae, Plin. 31, 3, 21, § 31.—4. To desire,
a. With inf. (post-Aug.):
e monte aliquo in alium transilire quaerens, Plin. 8, 53, 79, § 214: qui mutare sedes quaerebant, Tac. G. 2.—b. Transf., of animals, plants, etc., to desire, prefer, seek:
salictum et harundinetum ... umidum locum quaerunt, Varr. R. R. 1, 23, 5: glires aridum locum quaerunt, id. ib. 3, 15, 2; Col. 1, praef. § 26: lupinum quaerit maxime sabulosa, Plin. 18, 14, 36, § 134; so of the soil: ager aquosus plus stercoris quaerit, demands, Pall. 1, 6, 15.—5. To examine or inquire into judicially, to investigate, institute an investigation; with acc. (rare):
hunc abduce, vinci, rem quaere, Ter. Ad. 3 (4), 36: non dubitabat Minucius, quin iste (Verres) illo die rem illam quaesiturus non esset, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 29, § 72. —With de and abl. (class.; cf. Krebs, Autibarb. p. 962 sq.): de pecuniis repetundis, Cic. Verr. 1, 9, 27: de morte alicujus, id. Rosc. Am. 41, 119: de servo in dominum, to question by torture, put to the rack, id. Mil. 22, 59: aliquid per tormenta, Suet. Tib. 58: legibus, to investigate according to the laws, impartially, Plin. Ep. 5, 21, 3. — b. Transf.: si quaeris, si quaerimus (prop., if we, or you, look well into the matter; if we, or you, would know the truth), to say the truth, in fact, to speak honestly:
omnino, si quaeris, ludi apparatissimi, Cic. Fam. 7, 1, 2: at sunt morosi, et anxii, et difficiles senes: si quaerimus, etiam avari, id. Sen. 18, 65: si quaeritis, id. de Or. 2, 62, 254; so, too, si verum quaeris, id. Fam. 12, 8, 1: si verum quaeritis, id. de Or. 2, 34, 146: si verum quaerimus, id. Tusc. 2, 23, 55: noli quaerere or quid quaeris? in short, in one word: noli quaerere: ita mihi pulcher hic dies visus est, id. Fam. 4, 4, 3: quid quaeris? biduo factus est mihi familiaris, id. ib. 3, 1, 2.— Hence, quaesītus, a, um, P. a., sought out. A. In a good sense, select, special, extraordinary (mostly post-Aug.): epulae quaesitissumae, Sall. ap. Macr. S. 2, 9, 9 (Sall. H. 2, 23, 4 Dietsch); comp.:
leges quaesitiores (opp. simplices), Tac. A. 3, 26: quaesitior adulatio, id. ib. 3, 57.—Sup.: quaesitissimi honores, Tac. A. 2, 53.—B. In a bad sense (opp. to what is natural), far-fetched, studied, affected, assumed (class.):
vitabit etiam quaesita nec ex tempore ficta, sed domo allata, quae plerumque sunt frigida, Cic. Or. 26, 89: ut numerus non quaesitus, sed ipse secutus esse videatur, id. ib. 65, 219: comitas, Tac. A. 6, 50: asperitas, id. ib. 5, 3.— C. Subst.: quaesītum, i, n.
2. A question as a rhetorical figure, = πύσμα, Mart. Cap. 5, § 524.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
quaerō sīvī, sītus, ere
QVAES-, to seek, look for : quaerenti (deae) defuit orbis, O.: te ipsum quaerebam, was looking for , T.: suos notos, Cs.: ab ostio quaerens Ennium, asking for : cum praetor quaereretur: quem quaeritis, adsum, V.: liberi ad necem quaerebantur: escam in sterquilinio, Ph.: per imas Quaerit iter vallīs (Ufens), V.: cauda colubrae . . . moriens dominae vestigia quaerit, O.— To seek to obtain, look for, strive for, seek : sibi alium imperatorem, S.: in regnum quaeritur heres, V.: milites ducem quaerentes: in eum invidia quaesita est, i. e. prejudice is excited : ad ornatum ludorum aurum: regia potestas hac lege quaeritur: ne quaeratur latebra periurio: voce pericula, provoke , O.: defensorem suae salutis eum.—With inf, to seek, strive, endeavor, ask : ne quaere doceri Quam poenam, etc., V.: Antequam . . . speciosa quaero Pascere tigrīs, i. e. let me rather , H.: classibus advehebantur, qui mutare sedes quaerebant, Ta.— To strive to gain, earn, win by effort, acquire : Conserva, quaere, parce, T.: Quaerit ac timet uti, H.: victum volgo, T.: confiteri sibi quaesito opus esse, that he must earn something.—To feel the want of, miss, lack : Siciliam in uberrimā Siciliae parte: ne ille saepe Persas et Indos quaesisset, L.: quaerit Boeotia Dircen, O.— To ask, desire, require, demand, need, call for : quid sibi hic vestitus quaerit? i. e. what do you mean by? T.: collis pauca munimenta quaerebat, S.: qui tumultus dictatoriam maiestatem quaesisset, made necessary , L.: nego esse quicquam, quod cuiusquam oratoris eloquentiam quaereret: quaeris ut suscipiam cogitationem, quidnam istis agendum putem.—Fig., to seek mentally, think over, meditate, aim at, plan, devise, find : consilium, T.: quonam modo maxime ulti sanguinem nostrum pereamus, S.: remedium: rationes eas, quae ex coniecturā pendent.— To seek to learn, make inquiry, ask, inquire, interrogate : item alio die Quaerebam, T.: quaerendo cognoveram: vide, quaere, circumspice!: quaesiturus, unum caelum esset an innumerabilia: Naturā fieret laudabile carmen, an arte, Quaesitum est, has been made a question , H.: cum ab iis saepius quaereret, made inquiries , Cs.: quaero abs te nunc, Hortensi, cum, etc.: quaesivit a medicis, quem a modum se haberet, N.: quaero de te, num, etc.: Cura tibi de quo quaerere nulla fuit, O.: in dominos quaeri de servis iniquom est, i. e. to examine under torture : quaerit ex solo ea, quae, etc., Cs.: habes, quod ex me quaesisti.— To examine, inquire into, make inquiry, investigate : coëgit consules circa fora proficisci ibique quaerere, L.: hunc abduce, vinci, quaere rem, T.: scrutatus sum quae potui et quaesivi omnia: rem illam: quorum de naturā Caesar cum quaereret, sic reperiebat, Cs.—Esp., of judicial investigation: de pecuniis repetundis: dum de patris morte quaereretur: ut veteribus legibus, tantum modo extra ordinem, quaereretur, the investigation should be made .—In parenthet. clauses, to inquire, consider : omnino, si quaeris, ludi apparatissimi: noli quaerere: ita mihi pulcher hic dies visus est, in short : si verum quaeritis, to speak the truth : si verum quaerimus.
Origins
Uncertain. According to Nussbaum and De Vaan, from Proto-Italic *kʷaizō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- (“to acquire”), via a se/o-present built upon an i-present form *kʷeh₂y- (“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.
Italo-Romance
- Italiancherere
- Italianchierere
- Italianchiedere
- Corsicanchera
- Corsicanchere
Insular Romance
- Sardiniancherere
- Sardinianquerere
- Sardinianchèrri
Gallo-Romance
- Frenchquérirfrom Old French querre
- Englishquestfrom Old French querre
- Occitanquèrrefrom Old Occitan querre
- Old Catalanquerre
- Old Catalanquerir
- Old Catalanquerer
- Bourguignonquerifrom Old French querre
- Champenoisquerifrom Old French querre
- Franc-Comtoistchrifrom Old French querre
- Sabirquérirfrom Old French querre
Balkan Romance
- Romaniancere
- Romaniancerere
- Aromaniantser
- Aromaniantsireari
Ibero-Romance
- Portuguesequererfrom Old Galician-Portuguese querer
- Spanishquerer
- Aragonesequerer
- Asturianquerer
- Extremaduranquerel
- Leonesequerere
- Mirandesequerer
- Mozarabicكارش
- Galicianquererfrom Old Galician-Portuguese querer
Borrowings
- Englishqueryfrom Middle English quaere
- Albanianqeroj
North Italian
- Friuliancirî
- Ladincrì
- Old Lombardquerir
- Old Venetanquerir
Vulgar Latin
- unknown*acquaerere
In English words that came into English from quaerō
- questionquaestiōnem
- acquireacquirō
- request*requaesita
- conquerconquaero
- questquaesta
- queryquaere
- exquisiteexquīsītus
- requirerequīrō
- inquireinquīrō
- inquiryinquīrō
- questionnairequaestionarius
- requisiterequīsītus
- inquestinquiro
- perquisiteperquisitum
- disquisitiondisquīsītiō
- inquisitioninquisitio
- quaestorquaestor
- queristquaerō
- inquirentinquirens
- querentquaerens
- acquest*acquaerere
- quaesitumquaesitum
- quaerequaere
- inquirendoinquirendo