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1 least
least [li:st]1. adjective2. pronoun• what's the least you are willing to accept? quel prix minimum êtes-vous prêt à accepter ?• it costs $5 at least cela coûte au moins 5 dollars• you could at least have told me! tu aurais pu au moins me le dire !• he's ill, at least that's what he says il est malade, du moins c'est ce qu'il dit► at the very least du moins• not in the least! pas du tout !• I was annoyed, to say the least j'étais mécontent, c'est le moins qu'on puisse dire• she was not very careful, to say the least elle était pour le moins imprudente3. adverb• nobody seemed amused, least of all John cela ne semblait amuser personne et surtout pas John► not least• all countries, not least the USA tous les pays, et en particulier les USA• not least because... notamment parce que...* * *Note: When the least is used as a quantifier followed by a noun to mean the smallest quantity of it is translated by le moins de: to have the least food = avoir le moins de nourritureBut when the least is used as a quantifier to mean the slightest it is translated by le or la moindre: I haven't the least idea = je n'en ai pas la moindre idéeFor translations of least as a pronoun or adverb see II and III belowThe phrase at least is usually translated by au moinsFor the phrase in the least see V below[liːst] 1.(superlative of little) quantifier(the) least — (le) moins de; ( in negative constructions) (le or la) moindre
2.they have the least food — ce sont eux qui ont le moins de nourriture or le moins à manger
pronoun le moins3.she was surprised, to say the least (of it) — le moins qu'on puisse dire, c'est qu'elle était surprise
1) ( with adjective or noun)the least — le/la moins; ( with plural noun) les moins
2) ( with verbs) le moins inv4.nobody liked it, John least of all ou least of all John — personne ne l'aimait, John encore moins que les autres
he's gone to bed - at least I think so — il est allé se coucher - du moins, je pense
5.such people are at the very least guilty of negligence — de telles personnes sont au moins coupables de négligence
in the least adverbial phraseI'm not worried in the least —
I'm not hungry in the least —
••last but not least —
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2 least
❢ When the least is used as a quantifier followed by a noun to mean the smallest quantity of it is translated by le moins de: to have the least food = avoir le moins de nourriture.But when the least is used as a quantifier to mean the slightest it is translated by le or la moindre: I haven't the least idea = je n'en ai pas la moindre idée. For examples of these and particular usages see A below. For translations of least as a pronoun or adverb see B and C below. The phrase at least is usually translated by au moins. For examples and exceptions see D below. For the phrase in the least see E below.A quantif (the) least (le) moins de ; ( in negative constructions) (le or la) moindre ; they have the least food ce sont eux qui ont le moins de nourriture or le moins à manger ; they have the least chance of winning ce sont eux qui ont le moins de chance de gagner ; they haven't the least chance of winning ils n'ont pas la moindre chance de gagner ; I haven't the least idea je n'en ai pas la moindre idée ; he didn't have the least difficulty in believing her il n'a pas eu la moindre difficulté à la croire ; the least thing annoys him la moindre chose l'agace ; he wasn't the least bit jealous/worried il n'était pas jaloux/inquiet le moins du monde or du tout ; ‘were you frightened?’-‘not the least bit!’ ‘est-ce que tu avais peur?’-‘pas le moins du monde!’B pron le moins ; nobody has very much but we have the least personne n'en a beaucoup mais c'est nous qui en avons le moins ; buy the one that costs the least achète le moins cher (or la moins chère) ; it was the least I could do c'était la moindre des choses! ; the least he could have done was phone the police il aurait au moins pu appeler la police ; that's the least of our problems! c'est le cadet de nos soucis! ; that's the least of it ce n'est pas tout ; she was surprised, to say the least (of it) le moins qu'on puisse dire, c'est qu'elle était surprise.C adv1 ( with adjective or noun) the least le/la moins ; ( with plural noun) les moins ; she was the least satisfied of all c'était elle la moins satisfaite de tous ; the least wealthy/powerful families les familles les moins riches/puissantes ;2 ( with verbs) le moins inv ; I like that one (the) least c'est celui-là que j'aime le moins ; they are the ones who need it (the) least ce sont eux qui en ont le moins besoin ; just when we least expected it juste quand on s'y attendait le moins ; those least able to afford to pay ceux qui peuvent le moins se permettre de payer ; those least able to cope ceux qui ont le plus de mal à se débrouiller ; nobody was very enthusiastic about this idea, the president least of all ou least of all the president personne n'a accueilli cette idée avec enthousiasme, le président encore moins que les autres ; not least because entre autres parce que, à commencer parce que.D at least adv phr ( stating minimum quantity or advantage) au moins ; ( qualifying statement) du moins ; there were at least 50 people in the room il y avait au moins 50 personnes dans la pièce ; it must have cost at least £1,000 cela a dû coûter au moins 1 000 livres sterling ; she's at least 40 elle a au moins 40 ans ; he's at least as qualified as she is il est au moins aussi qualifié qu'elle ; they could at least have phoned! ils auraient au moins pu téléphoner! ; you could at least have told me! tu aurais pu au moins me le dire! ; at least she didn't suffer au moins elle n'a pas souffert ; he's gone to bed-at least I think so il est allé se coucher-du moins, je pense ; he has never been there-at least, that's what he says il n'y a jamais été-du moins, c'est ce qu'il dit ; such people are at the very least guilty of negligence de telles personnes sont au moins coupables de négligence ; candidates should, at the very least, be proficient in two foreign languages les candidats devront maîtriser au moins deux langues étrangères.E in the least adv phr I'm not worried in the least, I'm not in the least (bit) worried je ne suis pas inquiet le moins du monde ; I'm not hungry in the least, I'm not in the least (bit) hungry je n'ai absolument pas faim ; it doesn't bother me in the least ça ne me dérange pas le moins du monde ; it doesn't matter in the least ça n'a pas la moindre importance ; not in the least! pas du tout!, pas le moins du monde!last but not least, last but by no means least enfin et surtout. -
3 least
[liːst] 1.(the) least — (il) meno; (in negative constructions) (il) minimo
2.they had the least food — hanno ricevuto meno cibo di tutti o la minor quantità di cibo
pronome il meno, il minimo3.he was surprised, to say the least (of it) — era sorpreso, a dir poco
2) (with verbs) menonobody knew it, Tom least of all o least of all Tom — nessuno lo sapeva, Tom meno di tutti o meno di tutti Tom
3) at least almeno, perlomenosuch people are at the very least guilty of negligence — tali persone sono come minimo colpevoli di negligenza
4)I'm not worried in the least I'm not in the least (bit) worried non sono minimamente preoccupato, non sono preoccupato neanche un po'; it doesn't bother me in the least — non mi disturba affatto
••••last but not least last but by no means least — ultimo, ma non meno importante
Note:When the least is used as a quantifier followed by a noun to mean the smallest quantity of, it is translated by (il) meno, (il) più piccolo, (il) minore: they had the least food = hanno ricevuto meno cibo di tutti / la minor quantità di cibo. - But when the least is used as a quantifier to mean the slightest, it is translated by il minimo or la minima: I haven't the least idea about it = non ne ho la minima idea. For examples of these and particular usages, see below. - For translations of least as a pronoun or adverb see II and III below. - The phrase at least is usually translated by almeno. For examples and exceptions, see III 3 below. - For the phrase in the least, see III 4 below* * *[li:st] 1. adjective, pronoun((something) which is the smallest or the smallest amount that exists, is possible etc: I think the least you can do is apologize!; She wanted to know how to do it with the least amount of bother.) minimo2. adverb((somethimes with the) to the smallest or lowest degree: I like her (the) least of all the girls; That is the least important of our problems.) meno- at least- not in the least* * *[liːst] 1.(the) least — (il) meno; (in negative constructions) (il) minimo
2.they had the least food — hanno ricevuto meno cibo di tutti o la minor quantità di cibo
pronome il meno, il minimo3.he was surprised, to say the least (of it) — era sorpreso, a dir poco
2) (with verbs) menonobody knew it, Tom least of all o least of all Tom — nessuno lo sapeva, Tom meno di tutti o meno di tutti Tom
3) at least almeno, perlomenosuch people are at the very least guilty of negligence — tali persone sono come minimo colpevoli di negligenza
4)I'm not worried in the least I'm not in the least (bit) worried non sono minimamente preoccupato, non sono preoccupato neanche un po'; it doesn't bother me in the least — non mi disturba affatto
••••last but not least last but by no means least — ultimo, ma non meno importante
Note:When the least is used as a quantifier followed by a noun to mean the smallest quantity of, it is translated by (il) meno, (il) più piccolo, (il) minore: they had the least food = hanno ricevuto meno cibo di tutti / la minor quantità di cibo. - But when the least is used as a quantifier to mean the slightest, it is translated by il minimo or la minima: I haven't the least idea about it = non ne ho la minima idea. For examples of these and particular usages, see below. - For translations of least as a pronoun or adverb see II and III below. - The phrase at least is usually translated by almeno. For examples and exceptions, see III 3 below. - For the phrase in the least, see III 4 below -
4 every
['evrɪ]1) (each)every time I go there — ogni volta o tutte le volte che vado lì
that goes for every one of you! — questo è valido per ognuno di voi o per tutti!
in every way — (from every point of view) sotto ogni aspetto; (using every method) in tutti i modi
2) (emphatic)every bit as much as — proprio tanto quanto, esattamente quanto
every day — ogni giorno, tutti i giorni
every other day — ogni due giorni, un giorno sì e uno no
every other Sunday — ogni due domeniche, una domenica sì e una no, una domenica su due
••••every now and then every now and again every so often every once in a while di tanto in tanto, di quando in quando, a volte; it's every man for himself ciascuno per sé; every man for himself! si salvi chi può! every which way — in ogni senso
Note:Every is usually used in front of a singular countable noun: every student = ogni studente. When every precedes a plural countable noun, it means that something happens at regular periods of time, after a certain distance, etc.: he smokes a cigarette every two hours = fuma una sigaretta ogni due ore; you'll have to fill up with petrol every 450 miles = dovrai fare il pieno di benzina ogni 450 miglia. - Every is most frequently translated by tutti / tutte + plural noun: every day = tutti i giorni. When every is emphasized to mean every single, it can also be translated by ogni o ciascuno. For examples and exceptions, see the entry below* * *['evri]1) (each one of or all (of a certain number): Every room is painted white; Not every family has a car.) ogni2) (each (of an indefinite number or series): Every hour brought the two countries nearer war; He attends to her every need.) ogni3) (the most absolute or complete possible: We have every reason to believe that she will get better.) ogni4) (used to show repetition after certain intervals of time or space: I go to the supermarket every four or five days; Every second house in the row was bright pink; `Every other day' means èvery two days' or `on alternate days'.) ogni•- everyone
- everyday
- everything
- everywhere
- every bit as
- every now and then / every now and again / every so often
- every time* * *['evrɪ]1) (each)every time I go there — ogni volta o tutte le volte che vado lì
that goes for every one of you! — questo è valido per ognuno di voi o per tutti!
in every way — (from every point of view) sotto ogni aspetto; (using every method) in tutti i modi
2) (emphatic)every bit as much as — proprio tanto quanto, esattamente quanto
every day — ogni giorno, tutti i giorni
every other day — ogni due giorni, un giorno sì e uno no
every other Sunday — ogni due domeniche, una domenica sì e una no, una domenica su due
••••every now and then every now and again every so often every once in a while di tanto in tanto, di quando in quando, a volte; it's every man for himself ciascuno per sé; every man for himself! si salvi chi può! every which way — in ogni senso
Note:Every is usually used in front of a singular countable noun: every student = ogni studente. When every precedes a plural countable noun, it means that something happens at regular periods of time, after a certain distance, etc.: he smokes a cigarette every two hours = fuma una sigaretta ogni due ore; you'll have to fill up with petrol every 450 miles = dovrai fare il pieno di benzina ogni 450 miglia. - Every is most frequently translated by tutti / tutte + plural noun: every day = tutti i giorni. When every is emphasized to mean every single, it can also be translated by ogni o ciascuno. For examples and exceptions, see the entry below -
5 every
every [ˈevrɪ]a. ( = each) chaque• every (single or last) one of them tous sans exception• in every way ( = from every point of view) en tous points ; ( = by every means) par tous les moyens• I have every reason to think that... j'ai tout lieu de penser que...► every other..., every second...• every other or second child un enfant sur deux• every other or second day tous les deux joursd. (in phrases) he is every bit as clever as his brother il est tout aussi intelligent que son frère• every man for himself chacun pour soi (PROV) every little helps(PROV) les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières* * *Note: every is most frequently translated by tous les/toutes les + plural noun: every day = tous les jours. When every is emphasized to mean every single, it can also be translated by chaque. For examples and exceptions, see the entry below['evrɪ] 1.1) ( each)in every way — ( from every point of view) à tous les égards; ( using every method) par tous les moyens
2) ( emphatic)3) ( indicating frequency)2.every day/Thursday — tous les jours/jeudis
every other adjectival phrase ( alternate)••every now and then —
every now and again —
every so often —
every man for himself! — ( in fight to succeed) chacun pour soi!; ( abandoning ship etc) sauve qui peut!
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6 every
❢ Every is most frequently translated by + plural noun: every day = tous les jours. When every is emphasized to mean every single, it can also be translated by chaque. For examples and exceptions, see the entry below.A det1 ( each) every house in the street toutes les maisons de la rue ; she answered every (single) question elle a répondu à chaque question or à toutes les questions ; every time I go there chaque fois que j'y vais ; I've read every one of her books j'ai lu tous ses livres ; he ate every one of them il les a tous mangés ; every one of us is implicated chacun de nous est impliqué, nous sommes tous impliqués ; that goes for every one of you! c'est valable pour tout le monde! ; I enjoyed every minute of it chaque minute a été un plaisir ; she ate every last crumb of the cake elle a mangé le gâteau jusqu'à la dernière miette ; he spent every last penny of the money il a dépensé jusqu'au dernier sou ; every second/third day tous les deux/trois jours ; he had none but every other child had one il n'en avait pas mais tous les autres enfants en avaient un ; five out of every ten cinq sur dix ; there are three women for every ten men il y a trois femmes seulement pour dix hommes ; from every side de toutes parts ; in every way ( from every point of view) à tous les égards ; ( using every method) par tous les moyens ;2 ( emphatic) her every word/action ses moindres paroles/gestes ; your every wish tout ce que vous désirez, votre moindre désir ; I have every confidence in you j'ai toute confiance en vous ; there is every chance of a good harvest il y a toutes les chances que la récolte soit bonne ; we have every expectation that nous avons tous les espoirs que ; you have every reason to be pleased tu as toutes les raisons d'être content ; they have every right to complain ils ont tous les droits de se plaindre ; I wish you every success je vous souhaite beaucoup de succès ; not every family is so lucky toutes les familles n'ont pas autant de chance ; he is every bit as handsome as his father il est tout aussi beau que son père ; it was every bit as good as her last film c'était tout aussi bien que son dernier film ; every bit as much as tout autant que ;3 ( indicating frequency) every day/Thursday tous les jours/jeudis ; every month/year tous les mois/ans ; every week toutes les semaines ; once every few minutes toutes les cinq minutes ; once every few days plusieurs fois par semaine ; it's not every day that ce n'est pas tous les jours que ; every 20 kilometres tous les 20 kilomètres.B every other adj phr ( alternate) every other day tous les deux jours ; every other Sunday un dimanche sur deux ; every other page toutes les deux pages.every now and then, every now and again, every so often, every once in a while de temps en temps ; every little (bit) helps ( when collecting money) tous les dons sont bienvenus ; ( when saving money) les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières ; it's every man for himself c'est chacun pour soi ; every man for himself! sauve qui peut! ; every man Jack of them tous sans exception ; every which way dans tous les sens. -
7 each
each [i:t∫]1. adjective• each one of us chacun (e) de nous2. pronoun• the bags are $12 each les sacs coûtent 12 dollars chaque━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━► French reflexive verbs are often used to translate verbs + each other.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━* * *Note: When used as a determiner each is translated by chaque when an object or person is singled out: each document was examined = chaque document a été examiné. Tout/toute and tous les/toutes les are also used to express each and every: each passport must be checked = chaque passeport or tout passeport doit être contrôléWhen used as a pronoun each (= each one) is almost always translated by chacun/chacune. For examples and exceptions see below[iːtʃ] 1.determiner [person, group, object] chaque inveach morning — chaque matin, tous les matins
each person will receive — chaque personne or tout le monde recevra
2.he lifted each box in turn, each one heavier than the last — il soulevait des boîtes de plus en plus lourdes
pronoun chacun/-e m/feach of you — chacun de vous, chacun d'entre vous
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8 each
❢ When used as a determiner each is translated by chaque when an object or person is singled out: each document was examined = chaque document a été examiné. Tout/toute and tous les/toutes les are also used to express each and every: each passport must be checked = chaque passeport or tout passeport doit être contrôlé. When used as a pronoun each (= each one) is almost always translated by chacun/chacune. For examples and exceptions see below.A det [person, group, object] chaque inv ; each time I/you do chaque fois que je/tu fais ; each morning chaque matin, tous les matins ; each person will receive chaque personne or tout le monde recevra ; each and every day tous les jours sans exception ; ( exasperatedly) tous les jours que Dieu fait ○ ; he lifted each box in turn, each one heavier than the last il soulevait des boîtes de plus en plus lourdes.B pron chacun/-e m/f ; each will receive chacun recevra ; we each want something different chacun de nous veut une chose différente ; each of you/of them etc chacun de vous/d'eux etc, chacun d'entre vous/d'entre eux etc ; three bundles of ten notes each trois liasses de dix billets chacune ; each is equally desirable ( of two) les deux sont également souhaitables ; ( of several) tous/toutes sont également souhaitables ; I'll try a little of each je prendrais bien un peu de chaque ; oranges at 30p each des oranges à 30 pence pièce. -
9 they
they [ðeɪ]• there they are! les voilà !• THEY know nothing about it eux, ils n'en savent rienb. ( = people in general) on• they say that... on dit que...• somebody called but they didn't give their name quelqu'un a appelé, mais il (or elle) n'a pas donné son nom* * *[ðeɪ]Note: they is translated by ils (masculine) or elles (feminine). For a group of people or things of mixed gender ils is always used. The emphatic form is eux (masculine) or elles (feminine). For examples and exceptions, see belowthey have already gone — ( masculine or mixed) ils sont déjà partis; ( feminine) elles sont déjà parties
they won't be there — ( masculine or mixed) ils ne seront pas là, eux; ( feminine) elles ne seront pas là, elles
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10 they
❢ They is translated by ils (masculine) or elles (feminine). For a group of people or things of mixed gender ils is always used. The emphatic form is eux (masculine) or elles (feminine). For examples and exceptions, see below. pron they have already gone ( masculine or mixed) ils sont déjà partis ; ( feminine) elles sont déjà parties ; here they are! les voici! ; there they are! les voilà! ; THEY won't be there eux, ils ne seront pas là, eux or elles ne seront pas là, elles ; she bought one but they didn't elle en a acheté un mais eux pas. -
11 they
[ðeɪ]they have already gone — (masculine or mixed) sono già partiti; (feminine) sono già partite
here they are! — (masculine or mixed) eccoli! (feminine) eccole!
••there they are! — (masculine or mixed) eccoli là! (feminine) eccole là!
Note:They is usually translated by loro (which is in itself the object, not the subject pronoun); the subject pronouns essi (masculine) and esse (feminine) are rarely used in colloquial language: they can certainly do it = loro sanno farlo di sicuro. - Remember that in Italian the subject pronoun is very often understood: they came by train = sono venuti in treno. When used in emphasis, however, the pronoun is stressed, and is placed either at the beginning or at the end of the sentence: they killed her! = loro l'hanno uccisa! l'hanno uccisa loro! - When they is used impersonally, it is translated by si (+ verb in the third person singular): they drink a lot of beer in Britain, don't they? = si beve molta birra in Gran Bretagna, vero? they say he has left = si dice che sia partito. - When they is used to avoid saying he or she after words like everyone, no-one, anyone etc., it is usually understood in Italian: everyone should do what they like = ognuno dovrebbe fare quello che vuole / tutti dovrebbero fare quello che vogliono. - For more examples and exceptions, see below* * *[ðei]1) (persons, animals or things already spoken about, being pointed out etc: They are in the garden.) essi, esse, loro2) (used instead of he, he or she etc when the person's sex is unknown or when people of both sexes are being referred to: If anyone does that, they are to be severely punished.) (lui), (lei)* * *[ðeɪ]they have already gone — (masculine or mixed) sono già partiti; (feminine) sono già partite
here they are! — (masculine or mixed) eccoli! (feminine) eccole!
••there they are! — (masculine or mixed) eccoli là! (feminine) eccole là!
Note:They is usually translated by loro (which is in itself the object, not the subject pronoun); the subject pronouns essi (masculine) and esse (feminine) are rarely used in colloquial language: they can certainly do it = loro sanno farlo di sicuro. - Remember that in Italian the subject pronoun is very often understood: they came by train = sono venuti in treno. When used in emphasis, however, the pronoun is stressed, and is placed either at the beginning or at the end of the sentence: they killed her! = loro l'hanno uccisa! l'hanno uccisa loro! - When they is used impersonally, it is translated by si (+ verb in the third person singular): they drink a lot of beer in Britain, don't they? = si beve molta birra in Gran Bretagna, vero? they say he has left = si dice che sia partito. - When they is used to avoid saying he or she after words like everyone, no-one, anyone etc., it is usually understood in Italian: everyone should do what they like = ognuno dovrebbe fare quello che vuole / tutti dovrebbero fare quello che vogliono. - For more examples and exceptions, see below -
12 few
[fjuː] 1.(compar. fewer; superl. fewest) quantisostantivo femminile1) (not many) pochifew visitors, letters — pochi visitatori, poche lettere
on the few occasions that... — le rare volte che...
2) (some, several)every few days — a intervalli di pochi giorni, ogni due o tre giorni
over the next few days — (in past) nei giorni successivi; (in future) nei giorni a venire
3) a few qualche, alcunia few people, houses — alcune persone, case
quite a few people — un bel po' di o parecchie persone
2.a few weeks earlier — qualche settimana fa o prima
1) (not many) pochi m.pl. (-e)2) (some)3.a few of the soldiers, countries — alcuni dei soldati, dei paesi
the few who — i pochi o le poche persone che
••••to have had a few (too many) — colloq. avere bevuto qualche bicchiere di troppo
Note:When few is used as a quantifier to indicate the smallness or insufficiency of a given number or quantity ( few horses, few shops, few people), it is translated by pochi + masculine nouns and poche + feminine nouns: pochi cavalli, pochi negozi, poche persone. Equally the few is translated by i pochi / le poche: the few people who knew her = le poche persone che la conoscevano. For examples and particular usages, see I.1 in the entry below. - When few is used as a quantifier in certain expressions to mean several, translations vary according to the expression: see I.2 in the entry below. - When a few is used as a quantifier ( a few books), it can often be translated by qualche, which is invariable and is always followed by the singular: qualche libro; however, for expressions such as quite a few books, a good few books, see I.3 in the entry below. - For translations of few used as a pronoun ( few of us succeeded, I only need a few), see II in the entry below. - For translations of the few used as a noun ( the few who voted for him), see III in the entry below* * *[fju:]adjective, pronoun(not many; a very small number of: Few people visit me nowadays; every few minutes (= very frequently); Such opportunities are few.) poco- a few- few and far between* * *[fjuː] 1.(compar. fewer; superl. fewest) quantisostantivo femminile1) (not many) pochifew visitors, letters — pochi visitatori, poche lettere
on the few occasions that... — le rare volte che...
2) (some, several)every few days — a intervalli di pochi giorni, ogni due o tre giorni
over the next few days — (in past) nei giorni successivi; (in future) nei giorni a venire
3) a few qualche, alcunia few people, houses — alcune persone, case
quite a few people — un bel po' di o parecchie persone
2.a few weeks earlier — qualche settimana fa o prima
1) (not many) pochi m.pl. (-e)2) (some)3.a few of the soldiers, countries — alcuni dei soldati, dei paesi
the few who — i pochi o le poche persone che
••••to have had a few (too many) — colloq. avere bevuto qualche bicchiere di troppo
Note:When few is used as a quantifier to indicate the smallness or insufficiency of a given number or quantity ( few horses, few shops, few people), it is translated by pochi + masculine nouns and poche + feminine nouns: pochi cavalli, pochi negozi, poche persone. Equally the few is translated by i pochi / le poche: the few people who knew her = le poche persone che la conoscevano. For examples and particular usages, see I.1 in the entry below. - When few is used as a quantifier in certain expressions to mean several, translations vary according to the expression: see I.2 in the entry below. - When a few is used as a quantifier ( a few books), it can often be translated by qualche, which is invariable and is always followed by the singular: qualche libro; however, for expressions such as quite a few books, a good few books, see I.3 in the entry below. - For translations of few used as a pronoun ( few of us succeeded, I only need a few), see II in the entry below. - For translations of the few used as a noun ( the few who voted for him), see III in the entry below -
13 OR
[ɔː(r)]2) (linking two clear alternatives) o, oppureeither... or... — o... o...
rain or no rain, we're going out — pioggia o non pioggia noi usciamo
5) (introducing qualification, correction, explanation) oI knew her, or at least I thought I did! — la conoscevo, o almeno credevo di conoscerla!
my daughter, or rather our daughter — mia figlia, anzi nostra figlia
X, or should I say, Mr X — X, o dovrei dire il signor X
6) (otherwise) o, altrimentibe careful or you'll cut yourself — fai attenzione, se no ti tagli
••do as you're told - or else! — colloq. fai come ti dico, altrimenti o se no (vedrai)!
Note:In most uses or is translated by o or oppure. There are two exceptions to this: when used to link alternatives after a negative verb, the translation is né... né: I can't come today or tomorrow = non posso venire né oggi né domani (for more examples and their translations, see 3 below); when used to indicate consequence or explanation, the translation is (o) altrimenti: it can't be serious or she'd have called us = non dev'essere una cosa seria, altrimenti ci avrebbe chiamati (see 6 below). - Please note the Italian translations of the expressions or something, or somebody and or somewhere: I'd like to eat a sandwich or something = vorrei mangiare un panino, o qualcosa del genere / vorrei mangiare qualcosa, ad esempio un panino; I want to speak to the manager or somebody = vorrei parlare con il direttore o qualcun altro; let's go to the cinema or somewhere = andiamo al cinema, o da qualche altra parte / andiamo da qualche parte, magari al cinema. - For the uses of or after either and whether, see 2 in the entry below and the entries either and whether* * *[o:]1) (used to show an alternative: Is that your book or is it mine?) o2) (because if not: Hurry or you'll be late.) altrimenti•- or so* * *abbr AmPost, (= Oregon)* * *ORsigla* * *[ɔː(r)]2) (linking two clear alternatives) o, oppureeither... or... — o... o...
rain or no rain, we're going out — pioggia o non pioggia noi usciamo
5) (introducing qualification, correction, explanation) oI knew her, or at least I thought I did! — la conoscevo, o almeno credevo di conoscerla!
my daughter, or rather our daughter — mia figlia, anzi nostra figlia
X, or should I say, Mr X — X, o dovrei dire il signor X
6) (otherwise) o, altrimentibe careful or you'll cut yourself — fai attenzione, se no ti tagli
••do as you're told - or else! — colloq. fai come ti dico, altrimenti o se no (vedrai)!
Note:In most uses or is translated by o or oppure. There are two exceptions to this: when used to link alternatives after a negative verb, the translation is né... né: I can't come today or tomorrow = non posso venire né oggi né domani (for more examples and their translations, see 3 below); when used to indicate consequence or explanation, the translation is (o) altrimenti: it can't be serious or she'd have called us = non dev'essere una cosa seria, altrimenti ci avrebbe chiamati (see 6 below). - Please note the Italian translations of the expressions or something, or somebody and or somewhere: I'd like to eat a sandwich or something = vorrei mangiare un panino, o qualcosa del genere / vorrei mangiare qualcosa, ad esempio un panino; I want to speak to the manager or somebody = vorrei parlare con il direttore o qualcun altro; let's go to the cinema or somewhere = andiamo al cinema, o da qualche altra parte / andiamo da qualche parte, magari al cinema. - For the uses of or after either and whether, see 2 in the entry below and the entries either and whether -
14 οὐ
οὐ, the negative ofA fact and statement, as μή of will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective. —The same differences hold for all compds. of οὐ and μή, and some examples of οὐδέ and οὐδείς are included below.—As to the Form, v. infr. G.A USAGE.I as the negative of single words,II as the negative of the sentence.I οὐ adhering to single words so as to form a quasi-compd. with them:—with Verbs: οὐ δίδωμι withhold, Il.24.296; οὐκ εἰῶ prevent, 2.132, 4.55, al.; οὐκ ἐθέλω refuse, 1.112, 3.289, al.; οὔ φημι deny, 7.393, 23.668, al. (In most of these uses μή can replace οὐ when the constr. requires it, e.g.εἰ μή φησι ταῦτα ἀληθῆ εἶναι Lycurg.34
; but sts. οὐ is retained,εἰ δ' ἂν.. οὐκ ἐθέλωσιν Il.3.289
;εἰ δέ κ'.. ου'κ εἰῶσι 20.139
;ἐὰν οὐ φάσκῃ Lys.13.76
; ἐάντε.. οὐ (v.l. μή)φῆτε ἐάντε φῆτε Pl. Ap. 25b
):—with Participles:οὐκ ἐθέλων Il.4.224
, 300, 6.165, etc.:— with Adjectives:οὐκ ἀέκοντε 5.366
, 768, al.;οὐ πολλήν Th.6.7
, etc.:— with Adverbs:οὐχ ἥκιστα Id.1.68
, etc.: rarely with Verbal Nouns (v. infr. 11.10).—On the use of οὐ in contrasts, v. infr. B.II as negativing the whole sentence,1 οὐ is freq. used alone, sts. with the ellipsis of a definite Verb, οὔκ (sc. ἀποκερῇ), ἄν γε ἐμοὶ πείθῃ Pl.Phd. 89b
: sts. as negativing the preceding sentence, Ar. Pax 850, X.HG1.7.19: as a Particle of solemn denial freq. with μά (q. v.) and the acc.; sts. withoutμά, οὐ τὸν πάντων θεῶν θεὸν πρόμον Ἅλιον S. OT 660
(lyr.), cf. 1088 (lyr.), El. 1063 (lyr.), Ant. 758.2 with ind. of statement,τὴν δ' ἐγὼ οὐ λύσω Il.1.29
, cf. 114, 495;οὐ φθίνει Κροίσου φιλόφρων ἀρετά Pi.P.1.94
; ;οὔ κεν.. ἔπαξε Pi.N.7.25
;οὐκ ἂν ὑπεξέφυγε Il.8.369
.3 with subj. in [tense] fut. sense, only in [dialect] Ep., ; , cf. 11.387.4 with opt. in potential sense (without ἄν or κεν), also [dialect] Ep., , 20.286.5 with opt. andἄν, κείνοισι δ' ἂν οὔ τις.. μαχέοιτο 1.271
, cf. 301, 2.250, Hdt. 6.63, A.Pr. 979, S.Aj. 155 (anap.), E.IA 310, Ar.Ach. 403, etc.6 in dependent clauses οὐ is used,a with ὅτι or ὡς, after Verbs of saying, knowing, and showing,ἐκ μέν τοι ἐρέω.. ὡς ἐγὼ οὔ τι ἑκὼν κατερύκομαι Od.4.377
, cf. S.El. 561, D.2.8, etc.: so with ind. or opt. andἄν, ἀπελογοῦντο ὡς οὐκ ἄν ποτε οὕτω μωροὶ ἦσαν X.HG5.4.22
, cf. Pl.R. 330a; , cf. X.Cyr.1.1.3, etc.: with opt. representing ind. in orat. obliq.,ἔλεξε παιδὶ σῷ.. ὡς.. Ἕλληνες οὐ μενοῖεν A.Pers. 358
, cf. S.Ph. 346, Th.1.38, X.HG6.1.1, Pl.Ap. 22b, etc.: for μή in such sentences, v. μή B. 3.b in all causal sentences, and in temporal and Relat. sentences unless there is conditional or final meaning,χωσαμένη, ὅ οἱ οὔ τι θαλύσια.. ῥέξε Il.9.534
;ἄχθεται ὅτι οὐ κάρτα θεραπεύεται Hdt.3.80
;διότι οὐκ ἦσαν δίκαι, οὐ δυνατοὶ ἦμεν παρ' αὐτῶν ἃ ὤφειλον πράξασθαι Lys.17.3
;μή με κτεῖν', ἐπεὶ οὐχ ὁμογάστριος Ἕκτορός εἰμι Il.21.95
, etc.;νῦν δὲ ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἐθέλεις.., εἶμι Pl.Prt. 335c
;ἐπειδὴ τὸ χωρίον οὐχ ἡλίσκετο Th.1.102
; , etc.: in causal relative sentences,οἵτινές σε οὐχὶ ἐσώσαμεν Pl.Cri. 46a
; esp. in the combinations, οὐκ ἔστιν ὅστις οὐ .., as , cf. Hec. 298;οὔτις ἔσθ' ὃς οὔ S.Aj. 725
; οὐδείς ἐστιν ὅστις οὐ .. Isoc. 15.180.c after ὥστε with ind. or opt. withἄν, ὥστ' οὐ δυνατόν σ' εἵργειν ἔσται Ar.V. 384
, cf. S.Aj.98, OT 411;οὕτως αὐτοὺς ἀγαπῶμεν.. ὥστε.. οὐκ ἂν ἐθελήσαιμεν Isoc.8.45
;οὐκ ἂν ὡρκίζομεν αὐτὸν ὥστε τῆς εἰρήνης ἂν διημαρτήκει καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἀμφότερ' εἶχε D.18.30
: ὥστε οὐ with inf. is almost invariably due to orat. obliq., ὥστ' οὐκ αἰσχύνεσθαι (for οὐκ αἰσχύνονται) Id.19.308, cf. Th.5.40, 8.76, Lys.18.6, Is.11.27 (cj. Reiske).—Rarely not in orat. obliq., S.El. 780, E. Ph. 1358, Hel. 108, D.53.2,9.48.7 in a conditional clause μή is necessary, except,a in Hom., when the εἰ clause precedes the apodosis and the verb is indic.,εἰ δέ μοι οὐκ ἐπέεσσ' ἐπιπείσεται Il. 15.162
, cf. 178, 20.129, 24.296, Od.2.274, Il.4.160, Od.12.382, 13.144 (9.410 is an exception).b when the εἰ clause is really causal, as after Verbs expressing surprise or emotion,μὴ θαυμάσῃς, εἰ πολλὰ τῶν εἰρημένων οὐ πρέπει σοι Isoc.1.44
;κατοικτῖραι.., εἰ.. οὐδεὶς ἐς ἑκατοστὸν ἔτος περιέσται Hdt.7.46
, cf. S.Aj. 1242; so alsoδεινὸν γὰρ ἂν εἴη πρῆγμα, εἰ Σάκας μὲν καταστρεψάμενοι δούλους ἔχομεν, Ἕλληνας δὲ οὐ τιμωρησόμεθα Hdt.7.9
, cf. And.1.102, Lys.20.8 (prob.), D.8.55;οὐκ αἰσχρόν, εἰ τὸ μὲν Ἀργείων πλῆθος οὐκ ἐφοβήθη τὴν Λακεδαιμονίων ἀρχήν, ὑμεῖς δ' ὄντες Ἀθηναῖοι βάρβαρον ἄνθρωπον.. φοβήσεσθε
;Id.
15.23, cf. Hdt.5.97, Lys.22.13.c when οὐ belongs closely to the next word (v. A. I), or is quoted unchanged,εἰ, ὡς νῦν φήσει, οὐ παρεσκευάσατο D.54.29
codd.; εἰ δ' οὐκέτ' ἐστί (sc. ὥσπερ λέγεις), τίνι τρόπῳ διεφθάρη
;E.
Ion 347.8 οὐ is used with inf. in orat. obliq., when it represents the ind. of orat. recta,φαμὲν δέ οἱ οὐ τελέεσθαι Od.4.664
, cf. Il.17.174, 21.316, S.Ph. 1389, etc.;λέγοντες οὐκ εἶναι αὐτόνομοι Th.1.67
, cf. Pl.R. 348c, X.Cyr.1.6.18;οἶμαι.. οὐκ ὀλίγον ἔργον αὐτὸ εἶναι Pl.R. 369b
, cf. S.OT 1051, Th.1.71, etc.; ἡγήσαντο ἡμᾶς οὐ περιόψεσθαι ib.39. (For the occasional use of μή, v. μή B. 5c; sts. we have οὐ and μή in consecutive clauses,οἶμαι σοῦ κάκιον οὐδὲν ἂν τούτων κρατύνειν μηδ' ἐπιθύνειν χερί S.Ph. 1058s
q.;αὐτὸ ἡγοῦμαι οὐ διδακτὸν εἶναι μηδὲ.. παρασκευαστόν Pl.Prt. 319b
.)9 οὐ is used with the part., when it can be resolved into a finite sentence with οὐ, as after Verbs of knowing and showing, ; . 3; , etc.; or into a causal sentence,τῶν βαρβάρων οἱ πολλοὶ ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ διεφθάρησαν νέειν οὐκ ἐπιστάμενοι Hdt.8.89
;τὴν Μένδην πόλιν ἅτε οὐκ ἀπὸ ξυμβάσεως ἀνοιχθεῖσαν διήρπασαν Th.4.130
; or into a concessive sentence, , cf. S.Ph. 377, etc.: regularly with ὡς and part., , etc.;ἐθορυβεῖτε ὡς οὐ ποιήσοντες ταῦτα Lys.12.73
, cf. S.Ph. 884, Aj. 682, Hdt.7.99, Th.1.2,5,28,68,90; , cf. Th.8.1, Isoc.4.11:—for exceptions, v. μή B. 6.b when the part. is used with the Art., μή is generally used, unless there is a distinct reference to a fact, when οὐ is occasionally found,ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς οὐκ οὔσης ἔτι [πόλεως] ὁρμώμενοι Th.1.74
;τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει οὐδὲν εἰδότας Id.4.111
;οἱ οὐκ ἐθέλοντες Antipho 6.26
;τῶν οὐ βουλομένων And.1.9
; , cf. τὸν οὐδὲ συμπενθῆσαι τὰς τῆς πατρίδος συμφορὰς τολμήσαντα (preceded by τὸν.. μήτε ὅπλα θέμενον ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος μήτε τὸ σῶμα παρασχόντα κτλ.) Lycurg.43;τὸ οὐχ εὑρημένον Pl.R. 427e
.10 Adjectives and abstract Substantives with the article commonly take μή (v.μή B. 7
) but οὐ is occasionally used,τὰς οὐκ ἀναγκαίας πόσεις X.Lac.5.4
;τοὺς οὐδένας E.IA 371
; (whereas ὁ μηδείς, τὸ μηδέν is the rule); τὴν τῶν γεφυρῶν οὐ διάλυσιν the non- dissolution of the bridges, the fact of their notbeing broken up, Th.1.137;ἡ οὐ περιτείχισις Id.3.95
;ἡ τῶν χωρίων οὐκ ἀπόδοσις Id.5.35
, cf.E. Hipp. 196 (anap.); so without the article,ἐν οὐ καιπῷ Id.Ba. 1287
; οὐ πάλης ὕπο ib. 455.12 in questions οὐ ordinarily expects a positive answer, οὔ νυ καὶ ἄλλοι ἔασι ..; Il.10.165; οὐχ ὁράᾳς ..; dost thou not see? Od.17.545;οὐκ.. ᾐσθόμην
;A.
Pr. 956: so as a strong form of imper., ;E.
Ion 524; ;Din.
1.18; ;Ar.
Ach. 484; βάλλε, βάλλε folld. by οὐ βαλεῖς; οὐ βαλεῖς; ib. 281 and 283, cf. S.Ant. 885: also with opt. and ἄν, οὐκ ἂν δὴ τόνδ' ἄνδρα μάχης ἐρύσαιο ( = ἔρυσαι) ; Il.5.456; οὐκ ἂν φράσειας ( = φράσον) ; S.Ph. 1222; but in questions introduced by οὐ δή, οὐ δή του, οὔ που, οὔ τί που, a doubt is implied of the statement involved, and an appeal is made to the hearers, οὐ δή ποθ' ἡμῖν ξυγγενὴς ἥκεις ποθέν; surely you are not..? Id.El. 1202, cf. Ph. 900; οὔ τί που οὗτος Ἀπόλλων ..; Pi.P.4.87, cf. S.Ph. 1233, E.IA 670, Hel. 135, Ion 1113, Ar.Ra. 522, 526.B POSITION. οὐ is generally put immediately before the word which it negatives,οὐκ ἐκεῖνον ἐθεώμην.—ἀλλὰ τίνα μήν ; ἔφη ὁ Τιγράνης X.Cyr.3.1.41
; ;οὐ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀκοντίζειν οὐκ ἔβαλον αὐτὸν ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ μηδενὶ ὑπὸ τὸ ἀκόντιον ὑπελθεῖν Antipho 3.4.6
: in Poetry the position is freq. more free,κίνδυνος ἄναλκιν οὐ φῶτα λαμβάνει Pi.O.1.81
; οὐ ψεύδεϊ τέγξω λόγον ib. 4.19; κατακρύπτει δ' οὐ κόνις ib.8.79;χρὴ πρὸς θεὸν οὐκ ἐρίζειν Id.P. 2.88
: sts. emphatically at the end of the clause,καὶ τοὶ γὰρ αἰθοίσας ἔχοντες σπέρμ' ἀνέβαν φλογὸς οὔ Id.O.7.48
;ταρβήσει γὰρ οὔ S.Aj. 545
: in clauses opposed by μέν and δέ the οὐ (or μή) is freq. placed at the end,βούλονται μέν, δύνανται δ' οὔ Th.6.38
;οὗτος δ' ἦν καλὸς μέν, μέγας δ' οὔ X.An.4.4.3
;ἔδοξέ μοι ὁ ἀνὴρ δοκεῖν μὲν εἶναι σοφὸς.., εἶναι δ' οὔ Pl.Ap. 21c
; soτὸ Πέρσας μὲν λέληθε, ἡμέας μέντοι οὔ Hdt.1.139
: freq. withὁ μὲν.. ὁ δέ, οὐ πάσας χρὴ τὰς δόξας τιμᾶν, ἀλλὰ τὰς μέν, τὰς δ' οὔ Pl.Cri. 47a
, cf. Ap. 24e, R. 475b, etc.;Λέριοι κακοί, οὐχ ὁ μέν, ὃς δ' οὔ Phoc.1
: sts. in the first clause afterμέν, οἱ δὲ στρατηγοὶ ἐξῆγον μὲν οὔ, συνεκάλεσαν δέ X.An.6.4.20
, cf. 4.8.2, Cyr.1.4.10, Pl.Phd. 73b;κατώρα πᾶν μὲν οὒ τὸ στρατόπεδον Hdt.7.208
.C ACCUMULATION. A simple neg. (οὐ or μή) is freq. repeated in composition with Prons., Advbs., or Conjs., as οὐδείς or μηδείς, οὐδέ or μηδέ, οὐδαμῶς or μηδαμῶς, first in Hom., ;ἀλλ' οὔ μοι Τρώων τόσσον μέλει ἄλγος ὀπίσσω οὔτ' αὐτῆς Ἑκάβης οὔτε Πριάμοιο ἄνακτος 6.450
; : the first neg. may be a compd.,καθεύδων οὐδεὶς οὐδενὸς ἄξιος οὐδὲν μᾶλλον τοῦ μὴ ζῶντος Pl. Lg. 808b
; (similarly with μή, Phdr. 236e): or a neg. Adj., ; οὐ follows the compd. neg.,οὐδ' εἰ πάντες ἔλθοιεν Πέρσαι, πλήθει γε οὐχ ὑπερβαλοίμεθ' ἂν τοὺς πολεμίους X. Cyr.2.1.8
; οὐδ' ἂν ἡ πόλις ἄρα ([etym.] ὅπερ ἄρτι ἐλέγομεν )ὅλη τοιοῦτον ποιῇ, οὐκ ἐπαινέσῃ Pl.R. 426b
, cf. Smp. 204a: sts. a confirmative Particle accompanies the first οὐ or οὐδέ, and the neg. is repeated with emphasis,οὐδὲ μὲν οὐδέ μ' ἔασκες Il.19.295
;οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ Δρύαντος υἱὸς.. δὴν ἧν 6.130
, v. οὐδέ C. 11; : so also in Trag. and [dialect] Att. without any such Particle, οὐ σμικρός, οὔχ, ἁγὼν ὅδε not small, no, is this struggle, S.OC 587;θεοῖς τέθνηκεν οὗτος, οὐ κείνοισιν, οὔ Id.Aj. 970
, cf.Ar.Ra.28, 1308, X.Smp. 2.4, Pl.R. 390c.2 when the compd. neg. precedes and the simple neg. follows with the Verb, the opposing negs. produce an emphatic positive, οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων ἀδικῶν τίσιν οὐκ ἀποτείσει Orac. ap. Hdt.5.56; (but prob. f.l.);οὐδεὶς οὐκ ἔπασχέ τι X.Smp.1.9
.3 similarly each of two simple negs. may retain its negating force,ὥσπερ οὐ διὰ πρᾳότητα καὶ ἀσχολίαν τὴν ὑμετέραν οὐ δεδωκὼς ὑμῖν δίκην Lys.6.34
;ἐγὼ δ' οὐκ οἶμαι.. οὐ δεῖν ὑμᾶς ἀμύνεσθαι Id.13.52
(similarly with μή, D.19.77): sts. a combination of a μέν- clause with a δέ- clause containing οὐ is negatived as a whole by a preceding οὐ, e.g.οὐ γὰρ δήπου Κτησιφῶντα μὲν δύναται διώκειν δι' ἐμέ, ἐμὲ δέ, εἴπερ ἐξελέγξειν ἐνόμιζεν, αὐτὸν οὐκ ἂν ἐγράψατο Id.18.13
.D PLEONASM OF οὐ: after Verbs of denying, doubting, and disputing, folld. by ὡς or ὅτι with a finite Verb, οὐ is inserted to show the neg. character of the statement, where in Engl. the neg. is not required, , cf. Th.1.77, X.HG2.3.16, Smp.2.12, Isoc.5.57, etc.;οὐδεὶς ἂν τολμήσειεν ἀντειπεῖν ὡς οὐ τὴν μὲν ἐμπειρίαν μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων ἔχομεν Id.6.48
, cf. And.4.34, D.16.4, etc.; ;ἀρνεῖσθαι ὅτι οὐ παρῆν X.Ath.2.17
; οὐδ' αὐτὸς ὁ Λάμπις ἔξαρνος ἐγένετο ὡς οὐκ εἴη εἰρηκὼς κτλ. D.34.49;ἀμφισβητεῖν ὡς οὐχὶ.. δοτέον δίκην Pl.Euthphr.8c
, cf. R. 476d, Prm. 135a; ἀπιστεῖν ὅτι οὐ .. Id.Men. 89d;ἀνέλπιστον καταστῆσαί τισιν ὡς οὐκ ἔσται μεταγνῶναι Th. 3.46
: οὐ is sts. thus used in the second member of a negative comparative sentence,ἥκει ὁ Πέρσης οὐδέν τι μᾶλλον ἐπ' ἡμέας ἢ οὐ καὶ ἐπ' ὑμέας Hdt.4.118
, cf. 5.94, 7.16.γ, Th.2.62,3.36: after πλήν, X.Lac. 15.6, D.18.45.E OMISSION OF οὐ: οὐ is sts. omitted, esp. by Poets, when it may be supplied from the next clause, ;σιδήρῳ οὐδ' ἀργύρῳ χρέωνται οὐδέν Hdt.1.215
;ῥοδιακὴ οὖς οὐδὲ πυθμένα οὐκ ἔχουσα Inscr.Délos 313a84
(iii B. C.).F in Poetry, if ἤ stands before οὐ, the two sounds coalesce into one syllable, as inἦ οὐχ Il.5.349
, cf. Od.1.298; so, in [dialect] Att., , etc., and ἐγὼ οὔτε ib. 332, .—This synizesis is general in [dialect] Ep., universal in [dialect] Att.G FORM. οὐ is used before consonants (including the digamma, e.g. before ἕθεν, οἱ, e(, Il.1.114, 2.392, 24.214, but not before ὅς Possess.,οὐχ ᾧ πατρί Od.13.265
, cf.οὐκ ἐπέεσσι Il.15.162
, etc.); οὐκ before vowels with spir. lenis, οὐχ before vowels with spir. asper; in our text of Hdt. οὐκ is used before all vowels (prob. because Hdt. had no spir. asper): the [dialect] Ep. form οὐκί [ῐ] is used by Hom. mostly at the end of a clause and at the close of the verse,ὅς τ' αἴτιος ὅς τε καὶ οὐκί Il.15.137
;ἠὲ καὶ οὐκί 2.238
, 300,al.; but in the middle of a verse, 20.255; οὐχί [ῐ] is found twice in Hom., Il.15.716, 16.762, and is common in Trag., where it is freq. employed like οὔ emphatic (supr. B), ;A.
Ag. 273,Fr. 310; ;Id.
Supp. 918, Ar. Pax 1027;ἐμὸς μὲν οὐχί E.IA 859
: also in Prose, Th.1.120,al., 1 Ep.Cor. 5.12, etc.: the diphthong is genuine and always written ου ( ουκ, ουδε, etc.) in early Inscrr., IG12.10.22, etc.; in iv B.C. rarely written οκ, ib. 22.1635.112,116,121; οὐ abbreviated ο, Suid.s.v. Φιλοξένου γραμμάτιον.H ACCENTUATION. οὐ is oxytone acc. to Hdn.Gr.1.494 (text doubtfulin 504): Arist.SE 166b6, referring to Il.23.328 τὸ μὲν ου (i.e. οὐ = οὒ) καταπύθεται ὄμβρῳ, says λύουσι.. τῇ προσῳδίᾳ λέγοντες τὸ ου ὀξύτερον (i.e. οὗ), cf. 178b3. In codd. the word is written oxytone when folld. by a pause (v. supr. B), and is usu. written without any accent in other cases.I οὐ in connexion with other Particles will be found in alphabetical order, οὐ γάρ, οὐ μή, etc.—The corresponding forms of μή should be compared. -
15 Artificial Intelligence
In my opinion, none of [these programs] does even remote justice to the complexity of human mental processes. Unlike men, "artificially intelligent" programs tend to be single minded, undistractable, and unemotional. (Neisser, 1967, p. 9)Future progress in [artificial intelligence] will depend on the development of both practical and theoretical knowledge.... As regards theoretical knowledge, some have sought a unified theory of artificial intelligence. My view is that artificial intelligence is (or soon will be) an engineering discipline since its primary goal is to build things. (Nilsson, 1971, pp. vii-viii)Most workers in AI [artificial intelligence] research and in related fields confess to a pronounced feeling of disappointment in what has been achieved in the last 25 years. Workers entered the field around 1950, and even around 1960, with high hopes that are very far from being realized in 1972. In no part of the field have the discoveries made so far produced the major impact that was then promised.... In the meantime, claims and predictions regarding the potential results of AI research had been publicized which went even farther than the expectations of the majority of workers in the field, whose embarrassments have been added to by the lamentable failure of such inflated predictions....When able and respected scientists write in letters to the present author that AI, the major goal of computing science, represents "another step in the general process of evolution"; that possibilities in the 1980s include an all-purpose intelligence on a human-scale knowledge base; that awe-inspiring possibilities suggest themselves based on machine intelligence exceeding human intelligence by the year 2000 [one has the right to be skeptical]. (Lighthill, 1972, p. 17)4) Just as Astronomy Succeeded Astrology, the Discovery of Intellectual Processes in Machines Should Lead to a Science, EventuallyJust as astronomy succeeded astrology, following Kepler's discovery of planetary regularities, the discoveries of these many principles in empirical explorations on intellectual processes in machines should lead to a science, eventually. (Minsky & Papert, 1973, p. 11)5) Problems in Machine Intelligence Arise Because Things Obvious to Any Person Are Not Represented in the ProgramMany problems arise in experiments on machine intelligence because things obvious to any person are not represented in any program. One can pull with a string, but one cannot push with one.... Simple facts like these caused serious problems when Charniak attempted to extend Bobrow's "Student" program to more realistic applications, and they have not been faced up to until now. (Minsky & Papert, 1973, p. 77)What do we mean by [a symbolic] "description"? We do not mean to suggest that our descriptions must be made of strings of ordinary language words (although they might be). The simplest kind of description is a structure in which some features of a situation are represented by single ("primitive") symbols, and relations between those features are represented by other symbols-or by other features of the way the description is put together. (Minsky & Papert, 1973, p. 11)[AI is] the use of computer programs and programming techniques to cast light on the principles of intelligence in general and human thought in particular. (Boden, 1977, p. 5)The word you look for and hardly ever see in the early AI literature is the word knowledge. They didn't believe you have to know anything, you could always rework it all.... In fact 1967 is the turning point in my mind when there was enough feeling that the old ideas of general principles had to go.... I came up with an argument for what I called the primacy of expertise, and at the time I called the other guys the generalists. (Moses, quoted in McCorduck, 1979, pp. 228-229)9) Artificial Intelligence Is Psychology in a Particularly Pure and Abstract FormThe basic idea of cognitive science is that intelligent beings are semantic engines-in other words, automatic formal systems with interpretations under which they consistently make sense. We can now see why this includes psychology and artificial intelligence on a more or less equal footing: people and intelligent computers (if and when there are any) turn out to be merely different manifestations of the same underlying phenomenon. Moreover, with universal hardware, any semantic engine can in principle be formally imitated by a computer if only the right program can be found. And that will guarantee semantic imitation as well, since (given the appropriate formal behavior) the semantics is "taking care of itself" anyway. Thus we also see why, from this perspective, artificial intelligence can be regarded as psychology in a particularly pure and abstract form. The same fundamental structures are under investigation, but in AI, all the relevant parameters are under direct experimental control (in the programming), without any messy physiology or ethics to get in the way. (Haugeland, 1981b, p. 31)There are many different kinds of reasoning one might imagine:Formal reasoning involves the syntactic manipulation of data structures to deduce new ones following prespecified rules of inference. Mathematical logic is the archetypical formal representation. Procedural reasoning uses simulation to answer questions and solve problems. When we use a program to answer What is the sum of 3 and 4? it uses, or "runs," a procedural model of arithmetic. Reasoning by analogy seems to be a very natural mode of thought for humans but, so far, difficult to accomplish in AI programs. The idea is that when you ask the question Can robins fly? the system might reason that "robins are like sparrows, and I know that sparrows can fly, so robins probably can fly."Generalization and abstraction are also natural reasoning process for humans that are difficult to pin down well enough to implement in a program. If one knows that Robins have wings, that Sparrows have wings, and that Blue jays have wings, eventually one will believe that All birds have wings. This capability may be at the core of most human learning, but it has not yet become a useful technique in AI.... Meta- level reasoning is demonstrated by the way one answers the question What is Paul Newman's telephone number? You might reason that "if I knew Paul Newman's number, I would know that I knew it, because it is a notable fact." This involves using "knowledge about what you know," in particular, about the extent of your knowledge and about the importance of certain facts. Recent research in psychology and AI indicates that meta-level reasoning may play a central role in human cognitive processing. (Barr & Feigenbaum, 1981, pp. 146-147)Suffice it to say that programs already exist that can do things-or, at the very least, appear to be beginning to do things-which ill-informed critics have asserted a priori to be impossible. Examples include: perceiving in a holistic as opposed to an atomistic way; using language creatively; translating sensibly from one language to another by way of a language-neutral semantic representation; planning acts in a broad and sketchy fashion, the details being decided only in execution; distinguishing between different species of emotional reaction according to the psychological context of the subject. (Boden, 1981, p. 33)Can the synthesis of Man and Machine ever be stable, or will the purely organic component become such a hindrance that it has to be discarded? If this eventually happens-and I have... good reasons for thinking that it must-we have nothing to regret and certainly nothing to fear. (Clarke, 1984, p. 243)The thesis of GOFAI... is not that the processes underlying intelligence can be described symbolically... but that they are symbolic. (Haugeland, 1985, p. 113)14) Artificial Intelligence Provides a Useful Approach to Psychological and Psychiatric Theory FormationIt is all very well formulating psychological and psychiatric theories verbally but, when using natural language (even technical jargon), it is difficult to recognise when a theory is complete; oversights are all too easily made, gaps too readily left. This is a point which is generally recognised to be true and it is for precisely this reason that the behavioural sciences attempt to follow the natural sciences in using "classical" mathematics as a more rigorous descriptive language. However, it is an unfortunate fact that, with a few notable exceptions, there has been a marked lack of success in this application. It is my belief that a different approach-a different mathematics-is needed, and that AI provides just this approach. (Hand, quoted in Hand, 1985, pp. 6-7)We might distinguish among four kinds of AI.Research of this kind involves building and programming computers to perform tasks which, to paraphrase Marvin Minsky, would require intelligence if they were done by us. Researchers in nonpsychological AI make no claims whatsoever about the psychological realism of their programs or the devices they build, that is, about whether or not computers perform tasks as humans do.Research here is guided by the view that the computer is a useful tool in the study of mind. In particular, we can write computer programs or build devices that simulate alleged psychological processes in humans and then test our predictions about how the alleged processes work. We can weave these programs and devices together with other programs and devices that simulate different alleged mental processes and thereby test the degree to which the AI system as a whole simulates human mentality. According to weak psychological AI, working with computer models is a way of refining and testing hypotheses about processes that are allegedly realized in human minds.... According to this view, our minds are computers and therefore can be duplicated by other computers. Sherry Turkle writes that the "real ambition is of mythic proportions, making a general purpose intelligence, a mind." (Turkle, 1984, p. 240) The authors of a major text announce that "the ultimate goal of AI research is to build a person or, more humbly, an animal." (Charniak & McDermott, 1985, p. 7)Research in this field, like strong psychological AI, takes seriously the functionalist view that mentality can be realized in many different types of physical devices. Suprapsychological AI, however, accuses strong psychological AI of being chauvinisticof being only interested in human intelligence! Suprapsychological AI claims to be interested in all the conceivable ways intelligence can be realized. (Flanagan, 1991, pp. 241-242)16) Determination of Relevance of Rules in Particular ContextsEven if the [rules] were stored in a context-free form the computer still couldn't use them. To do that the computer requires rules enabling it to draw on just those [ rules] which are relevant in each particular context. Determination of relevance will have to be based on further facts and rules, but the question will again arise as to which facts and rules are relevant for making each particular determination. One could always invoke further facts and rules to answer this question, but of course these must be only the relevant ones. And so it goes. It seems that AI workers will never be able to get started here unless they can settle the problem of relevance beforehand by cataloguing types of context and listing just those facts which are relevant in each. (Dreyfus & Dreyfus, 1986, p. 80)Perhaps the single most important idea to artificial intelligence is that there is no fundamental difference between form and content, that meaning can be captured in a set of symbols such as a semantic net. (G. Johnson, 1986, p. 250)Artificial intelligence is based on the assumption that the mind can be described as some kind of formal system manipulating symbols that stand for things in the world. Thus it doesn't matter what the brain is made of, or what it uses for tokens in the great game of thinking. Using an equivalent set of tokens and rules, we can do thinking with a digital computer, just as we can play chess using cups, salt and pepper shakers, knives, forks, and spoons. Using the right software, one system (the mind) can be mapped into the other (the computer). (G. Johnson, 1986, p. 250)19) A Statement of the Primary and Secondary Purposes of Artificial IntelligenceThe primary goal of Artificial Intelligence is to make machines smarter.The secondary goals of Artificial Intelligence are to understand what intelligence is (the Nobel laureate purpose) and to make machines more useful (the entrepreneurial purpose). (Winston, 1987, p. 1)The theoretical ideas of older branches of engineering are captured in the language of mathematics. We contend that mathematical logic provides the basis for theory in AI. Although many computer scientists already count logic as fundamental to computer science in general, we put forward an even stronger form of the logic-is-important argument....AI deals mainly with the problem of representing and using declarative (as opposed to procedural) knowledge. Declarative knowledge is the kind that is expressed as sentences, and AI needs a language in which to state these sentences. Because the languages in which this knowledge usually is originally captured (natural languages such as English) are not suitable for computer representations, some other language with the appropriate properties must be used. It turns out, we think, that the appropriate properties include at least those that have been uppermost in the minds of logicians in their development of logical languages such as the predicate calculus. Thus, we think that any language for expressing knowledge in AI systems must be at least as expressive as the first-order predicate calculus. (Genesereth & Nilsson, 1987, p. viii)21) Perceptual Structures Can Be Represented as Lists of Elementary PropositionsIn artificial intelligence studies, perceptual structures are represented as assemblages of description lists, the elementary components of which are propositions asserting that certain relations hold among elements. (Chase & Simon, 1988, p. 490)Artificial intelligence (AI) is sometimes defined as the study of how to build and/or program computers to enable them to do the sorts of things that minds can do. Some of these things are commonly regarded as requiring intelligence: offering a medical diagnosis and/or prescription, giving legal or scientific advice, proving theorems in logic or mathematics. Others are not, because they can be done by all normal adults irrespective of educational background (and sometimes by non-human animals too), and typically involve no conscious control: seeing things in sunlight and shadows, finding a path through cluttered terrain, fitting pegs into holes, speaking one's own native tongue, and using one's common sense. Because it covers AI research dealing with both these classes of mental capacity, this definition is preferable to one describing AI as making computers do "things that would require intelligence if done by people." However, it presupposes that computers could do what minds can do, that they might really diagnose, advise, infer, and understand. One could avoid this problematic assumption (and also side-step questions about whether computers do things in the same way as we do) by defining AI instead as "the development of computers whose observable performance has features which in humans we would attribute to mental processes." This bland characterization would be acceptable to some AI workers, especially amongst those focusing on the production of technological tools for commercial purposes. But many others would favour a more controversial definition, seeing AI as the science of intelligence in general-or, more accurately, as the intellectual core of cognitive science. As such, its goal is to provide a systematic theory that can explain (and perhaps enable us to replicate) both the general categories of intentionality and the diverse psychological capacities grounded in them. (Boden, 1990b, pp. 1-2)Because the ability to store data somewhat corresponds to what we call memory in human beings, and because the ability to follow logical procedures somewhat corresponds to what we call reasoning in human beings, many members of the cult have concluded that what computers do somewhat corresponds to what we call thinking. It is no great difficulty to persuade the general public of that conclusion since computers process data very fast in small spaces well below the level of visibility; they do not look like other machines when they are at work. They seem to be running along as smoothly and silently as the brain does when it remembers and reasons and thinks. On the other hand, those who design and build computers know exactly how the machines are working down in the hidden depths of their semiconductors. Computers can be taken apart, scrutinized, and put back together. Their activities can be tracked, analyzed, measured, and thus clearly understood-which is far from possible with the brain. This gives rise to the tempting assumption on the part of the builders and designers that computers can tell us something about brains, indeed, that the computer can serve as a model of the mind, which then comes to be seen as some manner of information processing machine, and possibly not as good at the job as the machine. (Roszak, 1994, pp. xiv-xv)The inner workings of the human mind are far more intricate than the most complicated systems of modern technology. Researchers in the field of artificial intelligence have been attempting to develop programs that will enable computers to display intelligent behavior. Although this field has been an active one for more than thirty-five years and has had many notable successes, AI researchers still do not know how to create a program that matches human intelligence. No existing program can recall facts, solve problems, reason, learn, and process language with human facility. This lack of success has occurred not because computers are inferior to human brains but rather because we do not yet know in sufficient detail how intelligence is organized in the brain. (Anderson, 1995, p. 2)Historical dictionary of quotations in cognitive science > Artificial Intelligence
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