quam-vīs, adv. and conj.
- I. Adv., as you will, as much as you will or like, ever so much, ever so; hence, to designate a very high degree, as much as possible, very much, exceedingly (class.): quamvis multos nominatim proferre, as many as you will, very many, Cic. Rosc. Am. 16, 47: esse quamvis facetum atque salsum, id. de Or. 2, 56, 228: quamvis callide, quamvis audacter, quamvis impudenter, id. Verr. 2, 2, 54, § 134: quamvis subito, id. Lael. 5, 17: et praeter eos quamvis enumeres multos licet, ever so many, id. Leg. 3, 10, 24: per populum quamvis justum et moderatum, id. Rep. 1, 27, 43; 2, 30, 101: quamvis pauci, Caes. B. G. 4, 2: quamvis pernix, Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 79: ridiculus, id. Men. 2, 2, 43: humanus et jocosus homo, Varr. R. R. 2, 5.
With sup.: quamvis vitiosissimus orator, Cic. de Or. 3, 26, 103; Col. 7, 8, 4; 2, 2, 25; 4, 24, 19; Tac. H. 2, 30; 3, 28; Quint. 6, prooem. 4; Plin. Ep. 9, 17, 1.
- II. Conj., as much as ever you will, i. e. how much soever, however much, although, albeit; regularly joined with subj. (not so in Livy); only rarely, and mostly post-Aug., with indic. (v. infra).
- (α) With subj.: homines, quamvis in turbidis rebus sint, tamen, etc., Cic. Phil. 2, 16, 39: non igitur potestas est cum velis opitulandi rei publicae, quamvis ea prematur periculis, nisi, etc., id. Rep. 1, 6, 10: quamvis sit magna (exspectatio), tamen eam vinces, id. ib. 1, 23, 37; cf.: quamvis prudens ad cogitandum sis sicut es, tamen nisi, etc., id. Att. 12, 37, 2; and with this cf.: huc accedit, quod quamvis ille felix sit sicut est, tamen, etc., id. Rosc. Am. 8, 22: ipsas quamvis angusti terminus aevi Excipiat … At genus immortale manet, Verg. G. 4, 206.
In a negative clause: senectus enim quamvis non sit gravis, Cic. Lael. 3, 11; 26, 97; Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 23: quamvis non fueris suasor, Cic. Att. 16, 7, 2.
- (β) With indic.: erat inter eos dignitate regiā, quamvis carebat nomine, Nep. Milt. 2, 2: quamvis infesto animo et minaci perveneras, Liv. 2, 40, 7; Cels. 1 praef.: quamvis est enim omnis hyperbole ultra finem, non tamen esse debet ultra modum, Quint. 8, 6, 73: carne tamen quamvis distat nil, Hor. S. 2, 2, 29: quamvis tacet Hermogenes, id. ib. 1, 3, 129; cf. Dillenb. ad Hor. C. 1, 28, 13; Verg. A. 5, 542; Ov. M. 2, 782. In Cic. only in joining to his discourse a Lucilian verse beginning with quamvis, Cic. de Or. 3, 23, 86.
- (γ) Without a verb, Carm. Marci ap. Fest. s. v. negumate, p. 165 Müll.: res bello gesserat, quamvis rei publicae calamitosas, attamen magnas, Cic. Phil. 2, 45, 116: quamvis iniqua passi, id. Fam. 7, 3, 6; id. Verr. 2, 3, 97, § 224; Col. 9, 14, 14.