than
than
conj.
P. and V. ἤ, or use genitive case.
conj.
P. and V. ἤ, or use genitive case.
THAN
after comparatives and verbs of comparison (e.g. malo praestat) quam; if the object of comparison be expressed in the nominative where we may ask the question who? or whom? “than” may be expressed in Latin by the simple ablative; e.g. virtue is better than gold virtus est praestantior quam aurum or praestantior auro. After the comparatives amplius and plus (more) minus (less) minor (younger) major (older) with reference to number quam is frequently omitted and the number is in the case which would be required without quam; e.g. there are more than six months amplius sunt sex menses: he missed more than two hundred soldiers plus ducentos milites desideravit: less than three hundred perished minus trecenti perierunt: he is more than twenty years old major viginti annorum est (☞ Grotef. § 219 obs. 3; Zumpt § 485). Than that quam ut or quam qui (quae quod etc.) followed by a subjunctive: the town was stronger than he could capture urbs munitior fuit quam ut quae primo impetu capi potuisset (☞ Grotef: § 263 3; Zumpt § 560): “than in proportion to ” after a comparative is expressed by Liv. and later writers simply by quam pro (which however does not occur in Cic. and Caes.; e.g. the battle was harder than in proportion to the number of combatants proelium atrocius erat quam pro pugnantium numero; Vid: Zumpt § 484 extr.). After “no other” (or interrogatively “what other?”) “than” may be expressed by nisi or quam but with this distinction thai nisi requires the exclusion of all other ideas; quam is used only comparatively; e.g. the history was no other than a compilation of annals erat historia nihil aliud nisi annalium confectio (i.e. it was this and this only; Cic. De Or. 2 12 52): virtue is no other (or nothing else) than perfect nature carried to the highest degree of excellence virtus nihil aliud est quam in se perfecta et ad summum perducta natura (i.e. it is as much as is equivalent to; Cic. Legg. 1 8 25; ☞ Grotef. § 269 (a) obs. 3; Döleke p. 289 and 291).
after comparatives and verbs of comparison (e.g. malo praestat) quam; if the object of comparison be expressed in the nominative where we may ask the question who? or whom? “than” may be expressed in Latin by the simple ablative; e.g. virtue is better than gold virtus est praestantior quam aurum or praestantior auro. After the comparatives amplius and plus (more) minus (less) minor (younger) major (older) with reference to number quam is frequently omitted and the number is in the case which would be required without quam; e.g. there are more than six months amplius sunt sex menses: he missed more than two hundred soldiers plus ducentos milites desideravit: less than three hundred perished minus trecenti perierunt: he is more than twenty years old major viginti annorum est (☞ Grotef. § 219 obs. 3; Zumpt § 485). Than that quam ut or quam qui (quae quod etc.) followed by a subjunctive: the town was stronger than he could capture urbs munitior fuit quam ut quae primo impetu capi potuisset (☞ Grotef: § 263 3; Zumpt § 560): “than in proportion to ” after a comparative is expressed by Liv. and later writers simply by quam pro (which however does not occur in Cic. and Caes.; e.g. the battle was harder than in proportion to the number of combatants proelium atrocius erat quam pro pugnantium numero; Vid: Zumpt § 484 extr.). After “no other” (or interrogatively “what other?”) “than” may be expressed by nisi or quam but with this distinction thai nisi requires the exclusion of all other ideas; quam is used only comparatively; e.g. the history was no other than a compilation of annals erat historia nihil aliud nisi annalium confectio (i.e. it was this and this only; Cic. De Or. 2 12 52): virtue is no other (or nothing else) than perfect nature carried to the highest degree of excellence virtus nihil aliud est quam in se perfecta et ad summum perducta natura (i.e. it is as much as is equivalent to; Cic. Legg. 1 8 25; ☞ Grotef. § 269 (a) obs. 3; Döleke p. 289 and 291).
than:
1. quam (for the constr. of the clauses which it unites, see Lat. Gr. §§ 346, 347, and Obs. 350): you accuse him, a better man t. you, accusas eum meliorem q. tu, Cic. Lig. 4, 10: he had slain more of their men t. there were survivors, plures eorum q. quot superessent occidisset, Liv. 35, 12, ad fin.: with more willingness t. truth, libentius q. verius, Cic. Mil. 29, 78. Also with the comp. omitted. I was advocating peace rather t. war, pacem (sc. magis) q. bellum probabam, Tac. A. 1, 58.
2. atque, ac (poet.: the latter form usu only before consonants): your belly will not hold more t. mine, non tuus capiet venter plus ac meus, Hor. S. 1, 1, 46: the oracle of Apollo is not more true t. this, non Apollinis magis verum atque hoc responsum est, Ter. Andr. 4, 2, 15.
3. expr. by the abl. case without quam: this constr. is usu. found only after comp. adjs. in the nom. or acc. case, see Lat. Gr. § 319: silver is commoner t. gold, vilius argentum est auro, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 52. I need bread now more desirable t. honied cakes, pane egeo mellitis jam potiore placentis, id. ib. 1, 10, 11: he came quicker t. was expected, opinione celerius venit, Caes. B. G. 2, 3 (i. e. quam opinio erat, Lat. Gr. § 319, Obs. 4): alius is also joined with an abl.. nor think any other t. a wise and good man to be happy, neve putes alium sapiente bonoque beatum, Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 20: see aliud, No. VI. (Lat.-Eng. Dict.).
4. peculiar constr.: (i.) plus, amplius, and minus are used with numerals and words of quantity, with or without quam, as indecl. words, and without influence upon the constr.: it is more t. six months, amplius sunt sex menses, Cic. Rosc. Com. 3, 8: more t. 8000 men were slain, and not much less t. 1000 taken prisoners, plus viii. millia hominum caesa et haud multo minus quam m. captum, Liv. 24, 42 (Weissenborn): v. Lat. Gr. § 349. (ii.) more t. 40 years old, annos natus major xl., Cic. Rosc. Am. 14, 39: with those more t. 15 years of age, cum majoribusXV. annos natis, Liv. 45, 32: more t. 20 years old, major annis XX. , Suet. Caes. 45. [N.B.--Such constr. as major quam XXV. annorum, Ulp. Dig. 4, 4, 1, are post-classical.] (iii.)--nothing else t., nihil aliud nisi, or quam (the latter is doubtful in Cic.: for the former, see Cic. de Or. 2, 12, 52): so, quid aliud nisi? id. Sen. 2, 5.
1. quam (for the constr. of the clauses which it unites, see Lat. Gr. §§ 346, 347, and Obs. 350): you accuse him, a better man t. you, accusas eum meliorem q. tu, Cic. Lig. 4, 10: he had slain more of their men t. there were survivors, plures eorum q. quot superessent occidisset, Liv. 35, 12, ad fin.: with more willingness t. truth, libentius q. verius, Cic. Mil. 29, 78. Also with the comp. omitted. I was advocating peace rather t. war, pacem (sc. magis) q. bellum probabam, Tac. A. 1, 58.
2. atque, ac (poet.: the latter form usu only before consonants): your belly will not hold more t. mine, non tuus capiet venter plus ac meus, Hor. S. 1, 1, 46: the oracle of Apollo is not more true t. this, non Apollinis magis verum atque hoc responsum est, Ter. Andr. 4, 2, 15.
3. expr. by the abl. case without quam: this constr. is usu. found only after comp. adjs. in the nom. or acc. case, see Lat. Gr. § 319: silver is commoner t. gold, vilius argentum est auro, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 52. I need bread now more desirable t. honied cakes, pane egeo mellitis jam potiore placentis, id. ib. 1, 10, 11: he came quicker t. was expected, opinione celerius venit, Caes. B. G. 2, 3 (i. e. quam opinio erat, Lat. Gr. § 319, Obs. 4): alius is also joined with an abl.. nor think any other t. a wise and good man to be happy, neve putes alium sapiente bonoque beatum, Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 20: see aliud, No. VI. (Lat.-Eng. Dict.).
4. peculiar constr.: (i.) plus, amplius, and minus are used with numerals and words of quantity, with or without quam, as indecl. words, and without influence upon the constr.: it is more t. six months, amplius sunt sex menses, Cic. Rosc. Com. 3, 8: more t. 8000 men were slain, and not much less t. 1000 taken prisoners, plus viii. millia hominum caesa et haud multo minus quam m. captum, Liv. 24, 42 (Weissenborn): v. Lat. Gr. § 349. (ii.) more t. 40 years old, annos natus major xl., Cic. Rosc. Am. 14, 39: with those more t. 15 years of age, cum majoribus