• at or
ast,
conj. [Curtius connects the Sanscr. ati, ultra, nimis, the
Gr. ἔτι, the
Lat. et, and at in atavus; Vanicek connects with these at, atque, and atqui. Thus the original idea of
addition is prominent in
ἔτι, et, and atque; and the idea of
opposition in at and atqui, which agree with
ἀτ-άρ in meaning as well as in form. After the same analogy, the
Gr. πλέον, more, has become
πλήν, but; and the
Lat. magis has passed into the same meaning in the Fr. mais and the
Ital. mai. The confusion in
MSS. between at, ac, and et, and between atque and atqui, was
prob. caused as much by their connection in idea as in form] (it was sometimes, for the sake of euphony, written ad;
cf. Quint. 12, 10;
12, 32;
1, 7, 5;
Charis. p. 203 P., where, instead of at conjunctionem esse, ad vero praepositionem, the reading should be,
ad conjunctionem esse,
at vero praepositionem, Fr.; v. the
pass. in its connection;
cf. also Vel. Long. p. 2230 P.;
Cassiod. p. 2287 P.; Mar. Vict. p. 2458 P. The form ast is found in the old laws; it occurs once in Trag. Rel., but never in Com. Rel. nor in Lucil.; at is found in Plautus about 280 times, and ast about 10 times; in Ter. at about 100 times, and ast once; in Hor. at 60 times, ast 3 times; in Verg. at 168 times, ast 16; in Juv. at 17 times, ast 7; Catull., Tibull., and Prop. use only at, and Pers. (Jahn) only ast; in prose, Cic. uses
ast in his epistles. It joins to a previous thought a new one, either antithetical or simply different, and especially an objection; while
sed denotes a direct opposition; and
autem marks a transition, and denotes at once a connection and an opposition).