quaeso

Latin

Alternative forms

• quæso (Ecclesiastical Latin)
• quēsō (Medieval Latin)

Etymology

Related to quaerō. Perhaps for *quaessō, desiderative formation with Proto-Indo-European *-(h₁)seti (as in vīsō).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈkʷae̯.soː/, [ˈkʷäe̯s̠oː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈkwe.so/, [ˈkwɛːs̬o]

Verb

quaesō (present infinitive quaesere, perfect active quaesīvī or quaesiī, supine quaesītum); third conjugation

1. to beg or ask (for)

   Synonyms: exposcō, flagitō, efflagitō, exigō, rogō, ērogō, exorō, precor, petō, expetō, prehensō

2. to seek

   Synonyms: inquīrō, conquīrō, spectō, scrūtor, circumspiciō, quaerō, requīrō

3. (in first-person) please

   

   A Latin instruction manual for an ATM in the Vatican.

Usage notes

The verb was used normally by pre-Classical authors. Classically, however, it was used mainly in the first person singular present, quaesō. Other attested forms listed in the Oxford Latin Dictionary are:

• quaesit, third person singular present active indicative
• quaesumus, first person plural present active indicative (common in Ecclesiastical Latin)
• quaesitur, third person singular present passive
• quaesere, present active infinitive
• quaesentibus, dative or ablative plural of *quaesens, present active participle
• quaesendum, inflected form of *quaesendus, future passive participle (gerundive)

Conjugation

Conjugation of quaesō (third conjugation)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	quaesō	quaesis	quaesit	quaesimus	quaesitis	quaesunt
	imperfect	quaesēbam	quaesēbās	quaesēbat	quaesēbāmus	quaesēbātis	quaesēbant
	future	quaesam	quaesēs	quaeset	quaesēmus	quaesētis	quaesent
	perfect	quaesīvī, quaesiī	quaesīvistī, quaesiistī	quaesīvit, quaesiit	quaesīvimus, quaesiimus	quaesīvistis, quaesiistis	quaesīvērunt, quaesīvēre, quaesiērunt, quaesiēre
	pluperfect	quaesīveram, quaesieram	quaesīverās, quaesierās	quaesīverat, quaesierat	quaesīverāmus, quaesierāmus	quaesīverātis, quaesierātis	quaesīverant, quaesierant
	future perfect	quaesīverō, quaesierō	quaesīveris, quaesieris	quaesīverit, quaesierit	quaesīverimus, quaesierimus	quaesīveritis, quaesieritis	quaesīverint, quaesierint
passive	present	quaesor	quaeseris, quaesere	quaesitur	quaesimur	quaesiminī	quaesuntur
	imperfect	quaesēbar	quaesēbāris, quaesēbāre	quaesēbātur	quaesēbāmur	quaesēbāminī	quaesēbantur
	future	quaesar	quaesēris, quaesēre	quaesētur	quaesēmur	quaesēminī	quaesentur
	perfect	quaesītus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	quaesītus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	quaesītus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	quaesam	quaesās	quaesat	quaesāmus	quaesātis	quaesant
	imperfect	quaeserem	quaeserēs	quaeseret	quaeserēmus	quaeserētis	quaeserent
	perfect	quaesīverim, quaesierim	quaesīverīs, quaesierīs	quaesīverit, quaesierit	quaesīverīmus, quaesierīmus	quaesīverītis, quaesierītis	quaesīverint, quaesierint
	pluperfect	quaesīvissem, quaesiissem	quaesīvissēs, quaesiissēs	quaesīvisset, quaesiisset	quaesīvissēmus, quaesiissēmus	quaesīvissētis, quaesiissētis	quaesīvissent, quaesiissent
passive	present	quaesar	quaesāris, quaesāre	quaesātur	quaesāmur	quaesāminī	quaesantur
	imperfect	quaeserer	quaeserēris, quaeserēre	quaeserētur	quaeserēmur	quaeserēminī	quaeserentur
	perfect	quaesītus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	quaesītus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	quaese	—	—	quaesite	—
	future	—	quaesitō	quaesitō	—	quaesitōte	quaesuntō
passive	present	—	quaesere	—	—	quaesiminī	—
	future	—	quaesitor	quaesitor	—	—	quaesuntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		quaesere	quaesīvisse, quaesiisse	quaesītūrum esse	quaesī	quaesītum esse	quaesītum īrī
participles		quaesēns	—	quaesītūrus	—	quaesītus	quaesendus, quaesundus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		quaesendī	quaesendō	quaesendum	quaesendō	quaesītum	quaesītū

References

• “quaeso”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “quaeso”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• quaeso in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.