Cui
/kwiː/noun
A Latin word meaning “to whom” or “for whom,” chiefly encountered in the English phrase “cui bono?”
Did you know?The phrase “cui bono?” is associated with the Roman statesman Cicero and became a classic investigative question: identify who gained, and you may uncover motive.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kʷo-s
“An interrogative stem meaning “who?” or “what?””
Proto-Italic
Proto-Italic
*kʷoi
“A dative form meaning “to whom” or “for whom””
Classical Latin
Latin
cui
“Dative singular of quis: “to whom” or “for whom””
1st Century BCE
Latin
cui bono?
““For whose benefit?”—a question used to investigate motive and advantage”
16th Century
English
cui bono
“A borrowed legal and rhetorical formula asking who benefited from an act”
Modern English
English
cui
“A Latin term chiefly preserved in the expression “cui bono?””