Lewis & Short

quīn, conj. [abl. quī and ne].

  1. I. As an interrog. particle, why not? wherefore not? (only in exhortation or remonstrance; not in inquiring for a fact; cf.: quidni, cur non).
      1. 1. Usu. with indic. pres.: quid stas, lapis? Quin accipis? Ter. Heaut. 4, 7, 4: quin experimur, id. Phorm. 3, 3, 5 Fleck. (Umpf experiemur): quin continetis vocem? Cic. Rab. Perd. 6, 18: quin potius pacem aeternam Exercemus? Verg. A. 4, 99: quin igitur ulciscimur Graeciam? Curt. 5, 7, 4: quin conscendimus equos? why not mount our horses? Liv. 1, 57.
      2. 2. With imper.: quin me aspice et contempla, Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 16: quin uno verbo dic, quid est, quod me velis, just say in one word! Ter. And. 1, 1, 18: quin tu hoc crimen obice ubi licet agere, i. e. you had better, Cic. Rosc. Com. 9, 25.
      3. 3. With subj. only in orat. obliq.: quin illi congrederentur acie inclinandamque semel fortunae rem darent, Liv. 3, 61, 14; 4, 43, 11; 40, 40, 4.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. As a rel. particle, prop. quī or qui ne, and mostly where the rel. stands for a nom. masc. or for abl. of time, who … not, that not, but that, but, often = Engl. without and a participial clause.
      1. 1. In gen.: curiosus nemo est quin sit malevolus, Plaut. Stich. 2, 1, 54: neque aequom est occultum id haberi, quin participem te, id. Aul. 2, 1, 13; id. Cas. 2, 8, 68: nulla causast quin me condones cruci, id. Rud. 4, 4, 26: ut nullo modo Introire possem, quin me viderent, Ter. Eun. 5, 2, 2: facere non possum, quin ad te mittam, I cannot forbear sending to you, Cic. Att. 12, 27, 3: cum causae nihil esset, quin secus indicaret, id. Quint. 9, 32: nihil abest, quin sim miserrimus, id. Att. 11, 15, 3: neminem conveni, quin omnes mihi maximas gratias agant, id. Fam. 9, 14, 1: nemo est, quin ubivis quam ibi ubi est, esse malit, id. ib. 6, 1, 1: repertus est nemo quin mori diceret satius est, id. Verr. 2, 2, 36, § 88: nemo, qui aliquo esset in numero, scripsit orationem quin redigeret omnis sententias, etc., id. Or. 61, 208: nihil praetermisi, quin enucleate ad te scriberem, id. Q. Fr. 3, 3, 1: neque ullus flare ventus poterat quin aliquā ex parte secundum cursum haberent, Caes. B. C. 3, 47: nulli ex itinere excedere licebat quin ab equitatu Caesaris exciperetur, without being cut off, id. ib. 1, 79: nullum fere tempus intermiserunt, quin trans Rhenum legatos mitterent, without sending, id. B. G. 5, 55: in castello nemo fuit omnino militum quin vulneraretur, id. B. C. 3, 53: quid recusare potest, quin et socii sibi consulant, Liv. 32, 21: vix superat, quin triumphus decernatur, it wants little that, Quadrig. ap. Gell. 17, 13, 5: paene factum est, quin castra relinquerentur, i.e. they were very near deserting their camp, id. ib. 17, 13, 5.
        So quin (= quī non) stands for a rel. abl. of time: neque ullum fere tempus intercessit quin aliquem de motu Gallorum nuntium acciperet, Caes. B. G. 5, 53.
        More rarely quin stands for quae non, quod non, etc.: nulla est civitas quin ad id tempus partem senatus Cordubam mitteret. Caes. B. C. 2, 19: nulla fuit Thessaliae civitas quin Caesari pareret, id. ib. 3, 81: nulla (natura), quin suam vim retineat, Cic. Fin. 4, 13, 32: horum autem nihil est quin intereat, id. N. D. 3, 12, 30; id. Rep. 1, 2, 2: nihil est quin male narrando possit depravari, Ter. Phorm. 4, 4, 16: nihil tam difficilest quin investigare possiet, id. Heant. 4, 2, 8: cum nemo esset, quin hoc se audisse liquido diceret, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 59, § 136: Messanam nemo venit, quin viderit, id. ib. 2, 4, 4, § 7: nego ullam picturam fuisse, quin inspexerit, id. ib. 2, 4, 1, § 1; cf. Gell. 17, 13, 2 sq., and Cato ap. Gell. ib. § 3.— 2. Esp. after words expressing hesitation (usu. with neg.): non dubitaturum, quin cederet, Cic Mil. 23, 63: nolite dubitare, quin, id. Imp. Pomp. 23, 68: et vos non dubitatis, quin, id. Agr. 2, 26, 69: dubitatis, Quirites, quin hoc tantum boni in rem publicam conferatis? id. Imp. Pomp. 16, 49.
      2. 3. Much more freq. after words expressing doubt, ignorance, etc.: non dubitabat, quin, Cic. Att. 6, 2, 3: cave dubites, quin, id. Fam. 5, 20, 6: non dubitabat quin … non posset, id. Att. 5, 11, 7; id. Tusc. 1, 36, 88: non esse dubium, quin . . . possent, no doubt that, Caes. B. G. 1, 4; Ter. And. 2, 3, 17: neque abest suspicio, quin, a suspicion that, Caes. B. G. 1, 4: quis ignerat, quin? who is ignorant that? who does not know that? Cic. Fl. 27, 64: dies fere nullus est, quin hic Satyrus domum meam ventitet, hardly a day passes that he does not come, id. Att. 1, 1, 3.
    2. B. That not, as if not, as though not: non quin ipse dissentiam, sed quod, not but that, Cic. Fam. 4, 7, 1: non quin breviter reddi responsum potuerit, Liv 2, 15.
    3. C. For corroboration.
      1. 1. But, indeed, really, verily, of a truth: Hercle quin tu recte dicis, Plaut. Merc. 2, 3, 77: credo; neque id injuria: quin Mihi molestum est, Ter. Heaut. 3, 3, 20: te nec hortor, nec rogo, ut domum redeas, quin hinc ipse evolare cupio, Cic. Fam. 7, 30, 1.
        Esp. in reaching a climax or adding a stronger assertion or proof: quin etiam, yea indeed, nay even: credibile non est, quantum scribam die: quin etiam noctibus, Cic. Att. 13, 26, 3; 14, 21, 3: quin etiam necesse crit cupere et optare, ut, etc., id. Lael. 16, 59: quin etiam voces jactare, Verg. A. 2, 768: mortem non esse metuendam, quin etiam si, etc., nay, not even if, etc., Lact. 3, 27 fin.; cf.: quin et Atridas Priamus fefellit, Hor. C. 1, 10, 13.
      2. 2. Rather, yea rather: nihil ea res animum militaris viri imminuit, quin contra plus spei naotus, Liv. 35, 26.
    4. D. In corrections, nay, rather: non potest dici satis quantum in illo sceleris fuerit, Quin sic attendite, judices, etc., Cic. Mil. 29, 78 sq. (cf. Halm ad loc., and Lorenz ad Plaut. Most. 164).