1. nī — Lewis & Short
nī (old orthography nei,
I v. in the foll.), adv. and conj. [identical with ne and the prim. form, whence nisi, i. e. si ni].
I Adv., like ne, an absolutely negative particle, not.—So only in the combinations,
A Quid ni? or, in one word, quidni? why not? quid ego ni ita censeam? Plaut. Mil. 4, 3, 27:
quid ego ni fleam?id. ib. 4, 8, 1: quidni, inquit, meminerim? etc., Auct. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 67, 273 et saep.; v. quidni.—
B Nimirum, lit. not wonderful; v. nimirum.—
II Conj., like ne, in imperative and intentional clauses, not, that not (ante-class. and poet.):
ni quid tibi hinc in spem referas,Plaut. Ep. 3, 2, 3: vinum aliudve quid ni laudato, Varr. ap. Non. 281, 31: Numa constituit, ut pisces, qui squamosi non essent, ni pollucerent ... ni qui ad polluctum emerent, Cass. Hem. ap. Plin. 32, 2, 10, § 20; cf.:
QVEM QVISQVE EORVM AGRVM POSIDEBIT, INVITIS EIS NIQVIS SICET NIVE PASCAT NIVE FRVATVR, etc.,Inscr. Orell. 3121, p. 40:
IS EVM AGRVM NEI HABETO NIVE FRVIMINO, ib.: ROGO PER DEOS, NI VELITIS OSSA MEA VIOLARE,Inscr. Grut. 996, 12; Cenotaph. Pis. ap. Inscr. Orell. 643:
(lege) edictā flemus diu, ni nos divideret,Prop. 2, 7, 2:
obstabat vallum, ni instent acies,Sil. 1, 374 (al. ne):
monent ... ni teneant cursus,Verg. A. 3, 686 (antiqui ni pro ne ponebant, Serv. ad loc.).—
III As a conditional negative (= si non, nisi), if not, unless, but that.
A In gen.
(a) With indic.: SI IN IVS VOCAT, NI IT, ANTESTATOR, IGITVR EM CAPITO, if he summon him before court, if he go not, then he shall, etc., Tab. XII. 1 init.:
nam ni illum recipit, nihil est quo me recipiam,Plaut. Capt. 1, 1, 35:
ni offerumentas habebis plures in tergo tuo, etc.,id. Rud. 3, 4, 48:
mirum ni domi est,Ter. And. 3, 4, 19:
moriar ni puto, etc.,Cic. Fam. 7, 13, 1:
ni frustra augurium vani docuere parentes,Verg. A. 1, 392:
si is homo moritur, probe factum ... ni moritur, tum, etc.,Liv. 8, 10, 12; 13.—
(b) With subj.: quid ploras, pater?—Mirum ni cantem: condemnatus sum, it's a wonder I don't sing (ironically), Nov. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 69, 279:
dicerem, quae ante futura dixissem, ni vererer, ne, etc.,Cic. Fam. 6, 6, 4:
ni ita se res haberet,id. Tusc. 5, 39, 115; cf. id. Fin. 3, 20, 66: ni tamen exciderit, id. poët. Fragm. ap. Quint. 8, 6, 73:
ni faciat,Verg. A. 1, 58:
omina ni repetant Argis numenque reducant,id. ib. 2, 178:
nec Boi detrectāssent pugnam, ni fama ... animos fregisset,Liv. 32, 31, 2:
ea se dicturum, quae ni fiant, nulla sit pacis condicio,id. 32, 33, 2; 2, 22, 1; 1, 22, 6.—
B In partic.
1 In formal lang. of law, in agreements, promises, stipulations, etc.:
cum is sponsionem fecisset ni vir bonus esset,Cic. Off. 3, 19, 77:
judicem ferre, ni vindicias dederit,Liv. 3, 57:
tum illud quod dicitur sive nive irrident, etc.,Cic. Caecin. 23, 65:
cedo qui cum habeam judicem, Ni dolo malo instipulatus sis. nive etiam dum siem Quinque et viginti annos natus,Plaut. Rud. 5, 3 (4), 25 (v. the passage in connection); so id. ib. 3, 4, 9: id ni fit, mecum pignus, si quis volt, dato in urnam mulsi, that it is not so, bet me, etc., id. Cas. prol. 75; id. Ep. 5, 2, 35; id. Poen. 5, 4, 72. —
2 Ni quis scivit (if any one has not voted), the name of a centuria created by Servius Tullius for those to vote in who had not voted in their own centuriae, acc. to Paul. ex Fest. p. 177 Müll.—*
3 For nisi quod, Amm. 22, 11 fin.—
4 Ni forte, for nisi forte:
ni forte satius est, etc.,Curt. 5, 25, 12 (Foss, nisi), Quint. 11, 2, 27.