umquam

Latin

Alternative forms

• unquam (later)

Etymology

Perhaps from *quomquam, from quom (later cum) and quam (“any”). Compare cumque.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈum.kʷam/, [ˈʊŋkʷä̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈum.kwam/, [ˈumkwäm]

Adverb

umquam (not comparable)

1. (chiefly in the negative) at any time, ever; (with negative) never
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 2.246–247:

     “Tunc etiam fātīs aperit Cassandra futūrīs
     ōra deī iussū nōn umquam crēdita Teucrīs.”

     “Then once more Cassandra had spoken, revealing the future: A voice [which], by decree of a god, the Trojans were never to believe.”
     (See also: Cassandra.)

Usage notes

Most frequently in negative clauses, sometimes also in interrogations and in conditional clauses; but very seldom in affirmations

Synonyms

• quandō (following sī or num)

Derived terms

• numquam
• *dunquam

Related terms

Latin correlatives ^(edit)

type	demonstrative			anaphoric	identity	interrogative/ relative	indefinite					negative	other
	proximal	medial	distal				relative	indefinite	universal	free choice	negative polarity
basic	hic	iste, istic	ille, illic	is	ipse, īdem	quis/quī	quisquis, quīcumque	quis, quī, quīdam, aliquis, aliquī, quispiam	quisque	quīvis, quīlibet	quisquam, ūllus, °aliquisquam	nēmō, nihil, nūllus	alius
dual						uter	utercumque	alteruter	uterque	utervīs, uterlibet		neuter	alter
place	hīc	istīc	illīc	ibī̆	ibī̆dem	ubī̆	ubiubi, ubī̆cumque	alicubī, uspiam	ubīque	ubivīs, ubilibet	usquam	nusquam, nūllibī	alibī, aliās
source	hinc	istinc	illinc	inde	indidem	unde	undecumque, undeunde	alicunde	undique	°undelibet			aliunde
destination	hūc, °hōrsum	istūc, °istōrsum	illūc, °illōrsum	eō	eōdem	quō, quōrsum	quōquō, quōcumque	aliquō, quōpiam, °aliquōvorsum		quōvīs, quōlibet	quōquam	nusquam, nūllōrsum	aliō, aliōrsum
method, means, path, place	hāc	istāc	illāc	eā	eādem	quā	quāquā, quācumque	aliquā	quāque	quāvīs, quālibet		nēquāquam, haudquāquam	aliā
manner	hōc modō	istō modō	illō modō	ita, sīc, eō modō	item, itidem	ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum	utut, utcumque, quōmodocumque	quī, quōdam modō, aliquō modō	utique	quōmodolibet	ūllō modō	nūllō modō	aliter, aliōquī, alterō/aliō modō
time	num, nunc		ōlim	tum, tunc	simul	quandō, ‡cum	cumque, quandōcumque, quandōque	quondam, aliquandō	quandōque	quandōlibet	umquam	numquam	aliās
quantity				tam	†tamen, †tandem	quam	†quamquam	aliquam		quamvīs, quamlibet
size				tantus	tantusdem	quantus	quantuscumque	aliquantus		quantusvīs, quantuslibet
quality				tālis		quālis	quālis, quāliscumque	aliquālis		quālislibet
number				tot	totidem	quot	quotquot, quotcumque	aliquot		quotlibet
order				totus		quotus	quotuscumque	aliquotus		quotuslibet
repetition				totiēns		quotiēns	quotiēnscumque	aliquotiēns		quotiēnslibet
multiplication				totuplex		quotuplex
† Turned conjunction with original meaning somewhat dissimulated ° Rare ‡only used as a conjunction, not as an interrogative

Descendants

Several forms reflect the addition of an adverbial /-s/.

• Balkan Romance:
  • Romanian: încă
• Italo-Romance:
  • Old Italian: unqua, unque
    • Italian: -unque
• Gallo-Italic:
  • Old Ligurian: unca
  • Old Lombard: unca, uncha, unchan
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Franco-Provençal: onques
  • French: onc, onques (obsolete)
  • Norman: onc
• Occitano-Romance:
  • Old Occitan: oncas (central), onc, unques (Béarn)
    • Occitan: onc (Rouergue)

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “ŭmquam”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volumes 14: U–Z, page 26

Further reading

• “umquam”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “umquam”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• umquam in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • nothing will ever make me forgetful of him: memoriam eius nulla umquam delebit (obscurabit) oblivio (Fam. 2. 1)