LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
interjection

quid1

quid
Classical[ˈkʷɪd]Ecclesiastical[ˈkʷid]

Meaning

  1. well, why, what?
    Quid, an nescīsWhat, you mean you don't know?
    (discussing moetacism) Plērumque enim aut suspēnsiōne prōnuntiātur aut exclūsiōne[…]Nōs quid sequī dēbēmus? Quid, per suspēnsiōnem tantum modo. Quā ratiōne? Quia si[…]It's mostly pronounced either by pausing or by leaving it out […] Which solution should we adopt? Why, only by pausing. What is the reason? Because if […]Pompeius, Commentum in Artis Donati partem tertiam Keil, GL V, p. 287/14 = Zago (2017), p. 16/7

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quōmodo vīvās
quid agās — in Epistulae, ch. 3

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kʷ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kʷís
  3. Proto-Indo-European*kʷid
  4. Proto-Italic*kʷid
  5. Latinquid

From Proto-Italic *kʷid, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷid; compare *kʷís. The sense “why” is an adverbial accusative; compare Ancient Greek τί (tí).

Northern Gallo-Romance
  • Frenchque
  • Frenchquoi
  • Franco-Provençalquei
  • Franco-Provençalque
  • Normanquei
  • Normanqui
  • Normanque
  • Picardquoé
Southern Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanquè
  • Occitanqué
Ibero-Romance
  • Portuguesequefrom Old Galician-Portuguese que
  • Spanishque
  • Aragoneseque
  • Asturianque
  • Mozarabicכי
  • Mozarabicכ
  • Falaquefrom Old Galician-Portuguese que
  • Galicianquefrom Old Galician-Portuguese que
  • Indo-Portuguesequefrom Old Galician-Portuguese que
Balkano-Romance
  • Romaniance
  • Aromaniantsi
  • Megleno-Romaniantse
  • Istro-Romanianče
Italo-Dalmatian
  • Italianche
  • Neapolitanche
  • Sicilianchi
  • Venetanché
Rhaeto-Romance
  • Friuliance
  • Romanshtge
Gallo-Italic
  • Piedmontesequei
  • Piedmonteseque
pronoun
quid2
quid
Classical[ˈkʷɪd]Ecclesiastical[ˈkʷid]

Meaning

  1. accusativeneuternominativesingularnominative/accusative neuter singular of quis
    Quid dīcam?What can I say?
  2. what, how?
    Aeneid 12.872 by VergilHow will your sister help you now, Turnus?

quid, v. 1. quis.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kʷ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kʷís
  3. Proto-Indo-European*kʷid
  4. Proto-Italic*kʷid
  5. Latinquid

From Proto-Italic *kʷid, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷid; compare *kʷís. The sense “why” is an adverbial accusative; compare Ancient Greek τί (tí).

adverb
quid3
quid (not comparable)
Classical[ˈkʷɪd]Ecclesiastical[ˈkʷid]

Meaning

  1. not comparablewhy? what for?
    quid frustraris civitatem?why do you cheat the citizens?27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita I.47
    Quid gladiō pugnās incurvō?Why do you fight with a bent sword?Gesta Danorum (“deeds of the Danes”) by Saxo Grammaticus (in Latin caput 8, liber 1, translation in English chapter 8, book 1)

Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.

quid adv. interrog.
acc n. of quis, in what respect? what? how? to what extent? : Quid! quid venire in mentem possit? T.: Quid comedent! ebibent! How! T.: quid si illud addimus? how if? : quid ita? How so? : quid deinde? what then? : quid tum?: quid igitur?: quid postea? what next? : quid enim? what of it? : quid ergo? Cs.— In view of what? why? wherefore? : quid festinas? what's your hurry? T.: sed quid ego argumentor? quid plura disputo?: me quid pudeat?—With ni (in rhet. questions; often written quidni; always with subj. or ellipt.), why not? : Clinia haec fieri videbat? Me . quid ni? T.: quidni, inquit, meminerim?: quidni iste neget?
quid nam or quidnam adv.
interrog, why, pray? why in the world? (old): quid nam Pamphi lum exanimatum video? T.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kʷ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kʷís
  3. Proto-Indo-European*kʷid
  4. Proto-Italic*kʷid
  5. Latinquid

From Proto-Italic *kʷid, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷid; compare *kʷís. The sense “why” is an adverbial accusative; compare Ancient Greek τί (tí).

Quick answers

What does quid mean in Latin?
quid, a interjection, means “well, why, what?”.
How do you pronounce quid?
In classical Latin, [ˈkʷɪd]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈkʷid].
Where does quid come from?
Proto-Indo-European *kʷ- → Proto-Indo-European *kʷís → Proto-Indo-European *kʷid → Proto-Italic *kʷid → Latin quid.