quaestio

Latin > English (Lewis & Short)

quaestĭo: ōnis, f. quaero,
I a seeking.
I In gen. (Plautin.): cave, fuas mi in quaestione, lest you suffer yourself to be to seek, lest I have to look after you, Plaut. Pers. 1, 1, 52: tibi ne in quaestione essemus, id. Capt. 2, 2, 3; id. Ps. 2, 2, 68.—
II In partic., an inquiry, investigation, a questioning, question, subject of inquiry: quaestio est appetitio cognitionis, quaestionisque finis inventio, Cic. Ac. 2, 8, 26; 2, 36, 115: quae veri simillima (sententia sit), magna quaestio est, id. Tusc. 1, 11, 23; id. Fin. 2, 11, 34: rem in disceptationem quaestionemque vocare, to investigate, id. de Or. 3, 32, 129: res in quaestione versatur, is under investigation, id. Clu. 58, 159: de moribus ultima fiet quaestio, Juv. 3, 141: res in quaestionem venit, comes under investigation, Quint. 5, 14, 16: modo aliquam quaestionem poëticam ei proponeret, Nep. Att. 20, 2; cf. Cic. Att. 7, 19 fin.; Sen. Ben. 5, 8, 6; id. Ep. 48, 1; Suet. Tib. 56: quaestionem instituere, to institute an investigation, Quint. 7, 1, 6: quaestionem solvere, Sen. Ep. 48, 11; Quint. 5, 10, 26.—
   2    A public judicial investigation, examination by torture, a criminal inquiry, inquisition; the crime is usu. constr. with de: cum praetor quaestionem inter sicarios exercuisset, instituted a trial for assassination, Cic. Fin. 2, 16, 54: verberibus ac tormentis quaestionem habuit pecuniae publicae, id. Phil. 11, 2, 5: quaestionem mortis paternae de servis paternis habere, id. Rosc. Am. 28, 78: quaestionem fugitare, id. ib. 28, 78: servos in quaestionem polliceri, id. ib. 28, 77: quaestionem ferre in aliquem, to appoint, institute, make a motion for, id. de Or. 1, 53, 227: habere ex aliquo, Liv. 33, 28: facere alicui, against any one, Dig. 34, 3, 20: quaestionem de furto constituere, Cic. Clu. 64, 181: quaestionem instituere de morte alicujus, id. ib. 64, 181: quaestionem de morte viri habere, id. ib. 65, 182; 63, 176: quaestionem habere de servis in caput filii, id. ib. 63, 176: ad quaestionem abripi, to examination by torture, id. ib. 33, 89: alicui servum in quaestionem ferre, id. ib. 64, 181: postulare servum in quaestionem, id. ib. 64, 181: quaestiones severius exercere, Liv. 9, 34: quaestioni praeesse, to conduct a trial as judge, Cic. Rosc. Am. 4, 11: quaestiones perpetuae, the inquisitions concerning certain crimes (repetundarum, majestatis, de falso, de sicariis, de injuriis, etc.), conducted annually, after 605 A. U. C., by a standing commission, and presided over by the prætor, Cic. Brut. 27, 106: judex quaestionis, the director of the criminal court under the presidency of the prætor, id. Clu. 54, 148; 33, 89; id. Brut. 76, 264: quaestiones extraordinariae, trials out of the common course, held under a special commission, Liv. 39, 14; so, quaestio nova, Cic. Mil. 5, 13: A QVAESTIONIBVS, an attendant in examinations, a torturer, inquisitor, Inscr. Grut. 545, 6; 560, 1. —
   B Transf.
   1    The court, the judges: dimittere eo tempore quaestionem, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 30, § 74: totam quaestionem a severitate ad clementiam transtulit, Val. Max. 8, 1, 6.—
   2    The subject of investigation, the matter, case, question: perdifficilis et perobscura quaestio est de naturā deorum, Cic. N. D. 1, 1, 1: dividere totam de dis immortalibus quaestionem in partis quattuor, id. ib. 2, 1, 3: quaestio proposita, Quint. 9, 2, 39.—
   b In partic., in rhet.
   (a)    The rhetorical subject of debate: quaestionum duo sunt genera: alterum infinitum, alterum definitum. Definitum est, quod ὑπόθεσιν Graeci, nos causam: infinitum, quod θέσιν illi appellant, nos propositum possumus nominare, Cic. Top. 21, 79. —
   (b)    The main point in a disputed matter, the issue in a cause: quaestio est quae ex conflictione causarum gignitur controversia, hoc modo: Non jure fecisti: jure feci. Causarum autem haec est conflictio, in quā constitutio constat; ex eā igitur nascitur controversia, quam quaestionem dicimus, hoc modo: jurene fecerit, Cic. Inv. 1, 13, 18; cf. id. ib. 1, 6, 8.—
   (g)    A question, a disputed point, quaestio est, it is doubtful, may be disputed: sapientia efficit sapientis sola per se: beatos efficiat necne sola per se quaestio est, Cic. Top. 15, 60; id. Tusc. 4, 13, 29; id. Inv. 2, 20, 60: quaestio est, an, etc., Quint. 7, 3, 22; cf.: nulla quaestio est, Aug. Retract. 1, 19, 6; cf. also: in quaestione est, Plin. 11, 17, 18, § 57; 10, 22, 27, § 52: quaestionis est immensae, id. 7, 28, 29, § 101; 28, 2, 3, § 10.

Latin > French (Gaffiot 2016)

quæstĭō,⁸ ōnis, f. (quæro),
1 recherche : esse in quæstione alicui Pl. Capt. 253, être cherché par qqn, cf. Pl. Pers. 51 ; Ps. 663
2 interrogatoire : captivorum Cæs. G. 6, 32, 2, interrogatoire des captifs, cf. Cic. Clu. 185, etc.
3 a) question, enquête quæstio est, oportueritne... Cic. Inv. 2, 79, la question se pose de savoir s’il fallait..., cf. Cic. Inv. 2, 52 ; Or. 181 ; Top. 59 ; Tusc. 4, 29 ; in quæstione est Plin. 11, 57 ; maximæ quæstionis est Plin. 28, 10, c’est une question, une très grande question ; quæstionem proponere Cic. Fam. 7, 19, mettre une question sur le tapis ; magna quæstio est Cic. Tusc. 1, 23, c’est une question importante ; b) question, problème, thème : infinita Cic. de Or. 2, 134, question indéfinie, d’ordre général, cf. Cic. Top. 79 || point de discussion : Cic. Inv. 1, 18 ; 2, 15
4 enquête judiciaire, information : quæstionem instituere, constituere de aliqua re Cic. Clu. 181, instituer une enquête sur qqch. ; habere Cic. Clu. 182, faire l’enquête ; in aliquem ferre Cic. de Or. 1, 227, intenter une accusation contre qqn || quæstiones perpetuæ, chambres d’enquête permanentes [connaissant chacune d’un crimen particulier et présidées par un préteur ou à défaut par un quæsitor ] : Cic. Br. 106 ; 264 ; Clu. 89 ; 148 ; Mil. 13 ; quæstionem exercere inter sicarios Cic. Fin. 2, 54, présider la chambre d’enquête sur les assassinats, ou quæstioni præesse Cic. Amer. 11
5 question, torture : de servis in filii caput quæstionem habere Cic. Clu. 182, soumettre des esclaves à la question pour les faire déposer contre son fils ; in quæstionem deferre, postulare Cic. Clu. 181, soumettre à la question, réclamer pour la question ; quæstionem habere ex aliquo Liv. 33, 28, 6, soumettre qqn à la question ; quæstionem mortis paternæ de servis habere Cic. Amer. 78, mettre à la question des esclaves à propos du meurtre d’un père, cf. Cic. Phil. 11, 5.