quid
pronunciation
How to pronounce quid in British English:
UK [kwɪd]
How to pronounce quid in American English:
US [kwɪd]
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- Noun:
- the basic unit of money in Great Britain; equal to 100 pence
- something for something; that which a party receives (or is promised) in return for something he does or gives or promises
- a wad of something chewable as tobacco
Word Origin
- quid
- quid: English has two words quid. The colloquial term for a ‘pound’ appears to be the same word as Latin quid ‘something’, and may have been inspired by the expression quid pro quo [16], literally ‘something for something’. Quid ‘piece of chewing tobacco’ [18] is a variant of cud.=> cud
- quid (n.1)
- "bite-sized piece" (of tobacco, etc.), 1727, dialectal variant of Middle English cudde, from Old English cudu, cwidu (see cud).
- quid (n.2)
- "one pound sterling," 1680s, British slang, possibly from quid "that which is, essence," (c. 1600, see quiddity), as used in quid pro quo (q.v.), or directly from Latin quid "what, something, anything." Compare French quibus, noted in Barrêre's dictionary of French argot (1889) for "money, cash," said to be short for quibus fiunt omnia.
Example
- 1. By 2000 I had 200 million quid .
- 2. The country provided oil to another country as a quid pro quo for weapons .
- 3. This leather coat alone is worth 5000 quid .
- 4. If the search market were competitive , then normal commercial negotiations would establish some sort of quid pro quo for the exchange .
- 5. He has enjoyed a great career , so why tarnish it for the sake of a few extra quid ?