noun · masculinefourth declension
quaestus
quaestus m (genitive quaestūs)
Meaning
- masculinegain, acquisition, profit, advantage
- figurativelymasculineoccupation, employment, job
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Lucrum · Emolumentum · Quæstus · Compendium
Lucrum and emolumentum denote gain, in any condition of life; lucrum (from lucar, locare,) gain deserved and earned by one’s self, in opp. to damnum; Cic. Fin. v. 30, etc.; like κέρδος; emolumentum (from molere) gain falling to one’s share without any exertion of one’s own, in opp. to detrimentum; Cic. Fin. i. 16, like ὠφέλημα; whereas quæstus and compendium denote gain in the course of trade; quæstus, rather the steadily continued gains of a regular occupation, earnings, in opp. to sumptus; Cic. Parad. vi. 3. Hor. Sat. i. 2. 19, like χρηματισμός; compendium, more a single gain of considerable amount, in opp. to dispendium. (v. 257.)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | quaestus | quaestūs |
| genitive | quaestūs | quaestuum |
| dative | quaestuī | quaestibus |
| accusative | quaestum | quaestūs |
| ablative | quaestū | quaestibus |
| vocative | quaestus | quaestūs |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- rem publicam quaestui habere
- to enrich oneself at the expense of the state.
- quaestum facere (Fam. 15. 14)
- to make money.
- quaestui aliquid habere (Off. 2. 3. 13)
- to make a profit out of something.
quaestus, ūs (archaic
I. gen. quaesti, Plaut. Aul. 1, 2, 5; id. Poen. prol. 95; Ter. Hec. 5, 3, 38; Titin., Nov., Turp., and Caecil. ap. Non. 483, 19 sq.; Varr. ib. 492, 20.— Gen. quaestuis, Varr. ap. Non. 483, 32), m. quaero, a gaining, acquiring; gain, acquisition, profit, advantage (quite class.; syn.: lucrum, emolimentum).
I. Lit.:
quaestus pecuniae, Caes. B. G. 6, 17, 1: emendi aut vendendi quaestu et lucro duci, Cic. Tusc. 5, 3, 9: pauperes homines, quibus nec quaestus est, nec, etc., Plaut. Rud. 2, 1, 2: ad suom quemque hominem quaestum esse aequomst callidum, id. As. 1, 3, 34: quaestus ac lucrum unius agri, et unius anni, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 44, § 106: cum quaestu compendioque dimittere, id. ib. 2, 2, 3, § 6: quibus fides, decus, pietas, postremo honesta atque inhonesta omnia quaestui sunt, are venal, are turned to gain, Sall. J. 31, 12: quaestui deditum esse, id. C. 13, 5: quaestui servire, Cels. 3, 4: ad suom quaestum callere, Plaut. Truc. 2, 5, 40: in quaestu esse, to bring gain, be turned to profit, Quint. 1, prooem. § 13: quaestui habere rem publicam, to derive advantage, enrich one's self, by the administration of public affairs, Cic. Off. 2, 22, 77: pecuniam in quaestu relinquere, to let out money at interest, on usury, id. Pis. 35, 86.— Prov.: non potest quaestus consistere, si eum sumptus superat, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 74; cf.: is (sumptibus suis) vel Herculi conterere quaestum possiet, i. e. he could spend all the tithes offered to Hercules, id. Most. 4, 2, 68: omnes homines ad suom quaestum callent et fastidiunt, every one looks to his own interest, id. Truc. 2, 5, 40; cf. id. ib. 2, 4, 62.— B. Transf., a way of making money, a business, occupation, employment, trade:
meretricius, Cic. Phil. 2, 18, 44.— Plur.: meretricii quaestus, Sen. Contr. 1, 2, 4: de quaestibus, qui liberales habendi, Cic. Off. 1, 42, 150; Plaut. Rud. 4, 3, 50: malus, id. Most. 3, 2, 92.— Of a prostitute (freq. and class.): corpore indignum quaestum facere, Plaut. Poen. 5, 3, 21; Liv. 26, 33, 8; Tac. A. 2, 85; Val. Max. 6, 1, 6: quaestum corpore factitare, id. 6, 1, 10; so without corpore: uti quaestum faceret, Ter. Heaut. 4, 1, 27: quaestum occipit, id. And. 1, 1, 52; id. Ad. 2, 1, 52; Plaut. Capt. 1, 1, 30.—Of a parasite: antiquom quaestum meum alimoniae servo, Plaut. Pers. 1, 2, 1. — II. Trop., gain, profit, advantage: qui sui quaestus causā fictas suscitant sententias, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 40, 88 (Trag. v. 447 Vahl.):
ut quaestui habeant male loqui melioribus, Plaut. Poen. 3, 3, 12: nullum in eo facio quaestum, Cic. Fam. 15, 14, 1: est autem quaestus magnus pietas, Vulg. 1 Tim. 6, 6.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
quaestus ūs (old gen. quaestuis, T.; quaestī, T.), m
a gaining, acquiring, gain, acquisition, profit, advantage: ad quaestūs pecuniae mercaturasque vis, Cs.: consequendi quaestūs studio: quaestus ac lucrum unius anni et unius agri: quibus fides, decus, omnia quaestui sunt, are venal, S.: quaestui habere rem p., to use public office for personal gain: iudicio abuti ad quaestum: pecuniam in quaestu relinquere, to let money at interest: hos quaestūs recipere: decumanorum nomine ad suos quaestūs esse abusum.—A way of making money, business, occupation, employment, trade: meretricius: de quaestibus, qui liberales habendi. —Of courtesans: quaestum corpore facere, L.: quaestum occipit, T.: in quaestu pro meretrice sedet, O.—Fig., gain, profit, advantage: qui sui quaestūs causā fictas suscitant sententias, Enn. ap. C.: nullum in eo facio quaestum.
Origins
Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin quaestus From quaerō + -tus (forming action nouns). Doublet of quaesītus.
Borrowings
- Italianquestuare
- Portuguesequesta
- Spanishcuesta
- Spanishcuestación
Italo-Romance
- Italianchesta