English

Noun

quidam ‎(plural quidams)

1. A nobody; a person of no importance. [from 16th c.]
   • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, III.12:

     A quidam gallant determined upon a time to surprise both my house and my selfe.

Latin

Etymology

From Latin quī (pronoun) + -dam (demonstrative ending).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈkʷiː.dam/

Pronoun

quīdam m, quaedam f, quiddam n

1. someone, a certain one/thing; something

Usage notes

Do not confuse with quidem.

Declension

Adjective

quīdam m, quaedam f, quoddam n

1. Certain (person or thing), some (person or thing), one [in the sense of "a specific"] (person or thing not previously introduced in the present discourse).

Declension

See also

• quondam

References

• quidam in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• quidam in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• QUIDAM in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “quidam”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
• Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • I have a few words to say on this: mihi quaedam dicenda sunt de hac re