cuanto

cuanto

See also: cuánto

Spanish

Alternative forms

• quanto (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkwanto/ [ˈkwãn̪.t̪o]
• Rhymes: -anto
• Syllabification: cuan‧to

Etymology 1

From Latin quantus, from Proto-Italic *kʷijentos, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷíh₂onts (“how much, how many”), from *kʷíh₂, neuter of *kʷís.

Cognate with French quant, Italian quanto, Portuguese quanto, Romanian cât, Ashkun ćīt, Waigali kiti, Sanskrit कियत् (kíyat), Avestan 𐬗𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬧𐬙‎ (cuuaṇt).

Pronoun

cuanto n (correlative of tanto)

1. whatever quantity, as much, however much

   Dame cuanto tengas.

   Give me however many you have.

Usage notes

To express the interrogative, cuánto (with an accent mark) is used instead:

¿Cuánto tienes? ― How much do you have?

Determiner

cuanto m (plural cuantos, feminine cuanta, feminine plural cuantas)

1. as much [of]; as many; however much; however many

   Bebe cuanta agua quieres. ― Drink as much water as you want.

2. (after “unos”) few; quite a few; a handful

   unos cuantos/unas cuantas ― (quite) a few

   Coge unos cuantos. ― Take a handful (a few).

3. (with comparatives) however much; however many; (constructing parallel comparatives) “the..., the...”
   • 1882, Víctor Balaguer, Tragedias: Los Esponsales de la Muerta, page 366:

     Cuanta más agua le quitan más le queda.

     The more water they remove for him, the more remains.

Usage notes

To express the interrogative, cuánto (with an accent mark) is used instead:

¿Cuánta agua quieres? ― How much water do you want?

Adverb

cuanto (correlative)

1. as much; however much; in whatever quantity

Usage notes

To express the interrogative, the cuánto (with an accent mark) is used instead:

¿Cuánto cuesta? ― How much does it cost?

Derived terms

• cuanto a
• cuanto antes
• cuanto más
• cuanto quiera que
• cuantos más, mejor
• en cuanto
• en cuanto a
• por cuanto
• unos cuantos, unas cuantas

 

Related terms

• cantidad
• cuan
• cuántico
• cuánto (“how much?”)
• tanto (“so much, as much”)

 

See also

• ¿Cuánto cuesta? (“How much does it cost?”)

Etymology 2

Recently borrowed from Latin quantum.

Noun

cuanto m (plural cuantos)

1. (physics) quantum

Further reading

• “cuanto”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Anagrams

• canuto