quīn — Lewis & Short
quīn,
I conj. [abl. quī and ne].
I As an interrog. particle, why not? wherefore not? (only in exhortation or remonstrance; not in inquiring for a fact; cf.: quidni, cur non).
1 Usu. with indic. pres.:
quid stas, lapis? Quin accipis?Ter. Heaut. 4, 7, 4:
quin experimur,id. Phorm. 3, 3, 5 Fleck. (Umpf experiemur):
quin continetis vocem?Cic. Rab. Perd. 6, 18:
quin potius pacem aeternam Exercemus?Verg. A. 4, 99:
quin igitur ulciscimur Graeciam?Curt. 5, 7, 4:
quin conscendimus equos?why not mount our horses? Liv. 1, 57.—
2 With imper.:
quin me aspice et contempla,Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 16:
quin uno verbo dic, quid est, quod me velis,just say in one word! Ter. And. 1, 1, 18:
quin tu hoc crimen obice ubi licet agere,i. e. you had better, Cic. Rosc. Com. 9, 25. —
3 With subj. only in orat. obliq.:
quin illi congrederentur acie inclinandamque semel fortunae rem darent,Liv. 3, 61, 14; 4, 43, 11; 40, 40, 4.—
II Transf.
A As a rel. particle, prop. quī or qui ne, and mostly where the rel. stands for a nom. masc. or for abl. of time, who ... not, that not, but that, but, often = Engl. without and a participial clause.
1 In gen.:
curiosus nemo est quin sit malevolus,Plaut. Stich. 2, 1, 54:
neque aequom est occultum id haberi, quin participem te,id. Aul. 2, 1, 13; id. Cas. 2, 8, 68:
nulla causast quin me condones cruci,id. Rud. 4, 4, 26:
ut nullo modo Introire possem, quin me viderent,Ter. Eun. 5, 2, 2:
facere non possum, quin ad te mittam,I cannot forbear sending to you, Cic. Att. 12, 27, 3:
cum causae nihil esset, quin secus indicaret,id. Quint. 9, 32:
nihil abest, quin sim miserrimus,id. Att. 11, 15, 3:
neminem conveni, quin omnes mihi maximas gratias agant,id. Fam. 9, 14, 1:
nemo est, quin ubivis quam ibi ubi est, esse malit,id. ib. 6, 1, 1:
repertus est nemo quin mori diceret satius est,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 36, § 88:
nemo, qui aliquo esset in numero, scripsit orationem quin redigeret omnis sententias, etc.,id. Or. 61, 208:
nihil praetermisi, quin enucleate ad te scriberem,id. Q. Fr. 3, 3, 1:
neque ullus flare ventus poterat quin aliquā ex parte secundum cursum haberent,Caes. B. C. 3, 47:
nulli ex itinere excedere licebat quin ab equitatu Caesaris exciperetur,without being cut off, id. ib. 1, 79:
nullum fere tempus intermiserunt, quin trans Rhenum legatos mitterent,without sending, id. B. G. 5, 55:
in castello nemo fuit omnino militum quin vulneraretur,id. B. C. 3, 53:
quid recusare potest, quin et socii sibi consulant,Liv. 32, 21: vix superat, quin triumphus decernatur, it wants little that, Quadrig. ap. Gell. 17, 13, 5:
paene factum est, quin castra relinquerentur,i.e. they were very near deserting their camp, id. ib. 17, 13, 5.— So quin (= quī non) stands for a rel. abl. of time:
neque ullum fere tempus intercessit quin aliquem de motu Gallorum nuntium acciperet,Caes. B. G. 5, 53.— More rarely quin stands for quae non, quod non, etc.: nulla est civitas quin ad id tempus partem senatus Cordubam mitteret. Caes. B. C. 2, 19:
nulla fuit Thessaliae civitas quin Caesari pareret,id. ib. 3, 81:
nulla (natura), quin suam vim retineat,Cic. Fin. 4, 13, 32:
horum autem nihil est quin intereat,id. N. D. 3, 12, 30; id. Rep. 1, 2, 2: nihil est quin male narrando possit depravari, Ter. Phorm. 4, 4, 16:
nihil tam difficilest quin investigare possiet,id. Heant. 4, 2, 8:
cum nemo esset, quin hoc se audisse liquido diceret,Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 59, § 136:
Messanam nemo venit, quin viderit,id. ib. 2, 4, 4, §
7: nego ullam picturam fuisse, quin inspexerit,id. ib. 2, 4, 1, § 1; cf. Gell. 17, 13, 2 sq., and Cato ap. Gell. ib. § 3.— 2. Esp. after words expressing hesitation (usu. with neg.):
non dubitaturum, quin cederet, Cic Mil. 23, 63: nolite dubitare, quin,id. Imp. Pomp. 23, 68:
et vos non dubitatis, quin,id. Agr. 2, 26, 69:
dubitatis, Quirites, quin hoc tantum boni in rem publicam conferatis?id. Imp. Pomp. 16, 49. —
3 Much more freq. after words expressing doubt, ignorance, etc.:
non dubitabat, quin,Cic. Att. 6, 2, 3:
cave dubites, quin,id. Fam. 5, 20, 6:
non dubitabat quin ... non posset,id. Att. 5, 11, 7; id. Tusc. 1, 36, 88:
non esse dubium, quin . . . possent,no doubt that, Caes. B. G. 1, 4; Ter. And. 2, 3, 17:
neque abest suspicio, quin,a suspicion that, Caes. B. G. 1, 4:
quis ignerat, quin?who is ignorant that? who does not know that? Cic. Fl. 27, 64:
dies fere nullus est, quin hic Satyrus domum meam ventitet,hardly a day passes that he does not come, id. Att. 1, 1, 3.—
B That not, as if not, as though not:
non quin ipse dissentiam, sed quod,not but that, Cic. Fam. 4, 7, 1: non quin breviter reddi responsum potuerit, Liv 2, 15. —
C For corroboration.
1 But, indeed, really, verily, of a truth:
Hercle quin tu recte dicis,Plaut. Merc. 2, 3, 77: credo;
neque id injuria: quin Mihi molestum est,Ter. Heaut. 3, 3, 20:
te nec hortor, nec rogo, ut domum redeas, quin hinc ipse evolare cupio,Cic. Fam. 7, 30, 1.— Esp. in reaching a climax or adding a stronger assertion or proof: quin etiam, yea indeed, nay even:
credibile non est, quantum scribam die: quin etiam noctibus,Cic. Att. 13, 26, 3; 14, 21, 3:
quin etiam necesse crit cupere et optare, ut, etc.,id. Lael. 16, 59:
quin etiam voces jactare,Verg. A. 2, 768: mortem non esse metuendam, quin etiam si, etc., nay, not even if, etc., Lact. 3, 27 fin.; cf.:
quin et Atridas Priamus fefellit,Hor. C. 1, 10, 13.—
2 Rather, yea rather:
nihil ea res animum militaris viri imminuit, quin contra plus spei naotus,Liv. 35, 26.—
D In corrections, nay, rather:
non potest dici satis quantum in illo sceleris fuerit, Quin sic attendite, judices, etc.,Cic. Mil. 29, 78 sq. (cf. Halm ad loc., and Lorenz ad Plaut. Most. 164).