English word origin

Etymology of quid

Borrowed from Latin quid (“what, something”), neuter singular of quis (“who”).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

The inherent nature of something. · A member of a section of the Democratic-Republican Party between 1805 and 1811, following John Randolph of Roanoke. (From tertium quid.) · Paired with quo, in reference to the phrase quid pro quo (“this for that”): something offered in exchange for something else.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Latin quid (“what, something”), neuter singular of quis (“who”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionquidla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "quid",
        "4": "",
        "5": "what, something"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin quid (“what, something”)"
    }
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      "quid",
      "quid#Latin"
    ],
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    ]
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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The inherent nature of something.",
        "A member of a section of the Democratic-Republican Party between 1805 and 1811, following John Randolph of Roanoke. (From tertium quid.)",
        "Paired with quo, in reference to the phrase quid pro quo (“this for that”): something offered in exchange for something else."
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Pound (currency). (usually used with a whole number of pounds) · A sovereign or guinea, that is, a certain coin or amount of money. · Various national currencies typically known by the name "pound". · Euro.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Likely derives from the phrase quid pro quo (“this for that”), referring to the exchange of goods/services for money.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    [
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    ]
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Pound (currency). (usually used with a whole number of pounds)",
        "A sovereign or guinea, that is, a certain coin or amount of money.",
        "Various national currencies typically known by the name \"pound\".",
        "Euro."
      ],
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        "colloquial",
        "historical",
        "Commonwealth",
        "Ireland",
        "broadly"
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

A piece of material for chewing, especially chewing tobacco. · The act of chewing such tobacco.

verb

To chew tobacco. · To let food drop from the mouth whilst chewing.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English quide, quede, from Old English cwidu, cwudu (“that which is chewed, cud”). Doublet of cud.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionquideenm
Inherited-form mentioncwiduang
Doublet mentioncuden

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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    ],
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      "quede#English"
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for quid →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-cXVpZA