-ăn. This word appears in forsan, forsitan, and fortasse an (Att. Trag. Rel. p. 151 Rib.) or fortassan, seeming to enhance the idea of uncertainty and doubt belonging to fors, etc., and is regarded by some as the Greek conditional particle ἄν, and indeed one of these compounds, forsitan, sometimes in the Vulgate, translates ἄν; as, Joan. 4, 10; 5, 46; 8, 19; and in 3, Joan. 9, it still represents the various reading, ἄν.

an-, v. ambi.

ăn
* Conj. [etym. very obscure; v. the various views adduced in Hand, I. p. 296, with which he seems dissatisfied; if it is connected with the Sanscr. anjas, = Germ. ander, = Engl. other, we may comp. the Engl. other and or with the Germ. oder, = or]. It introduces the second part of a disjunctive interrogation, or a phrase implying doubt, and thus unites in itself the signif. of aut and num or -ne, or, or whether (hence the clause with an is entirely parallel with that introduced by num, utrum, -ne, etc., while aut forms only a subdivision in the single disjunctive clause; utrum ... aut—an ... aut, whether ... or, etc.; cf. Ochsn. Eclog. p. 150; v. also aut).
* In disjunctive interrogations.
* Direct.
* An ne, usually written anne, pleon. for an.
* Indirect.
* In disjunctive clauses that express doubt, or.
* Sometimes the opinion of the speaker or the probability inclines to the second interrogative clause (cf. infra, II. E.). and this is made emphatic, as a corrective of the former, or rather, or on the contrary: ea quae dixi ad corpusne refers? an est aliquid, quod te suā sponte delectet?Cic. Fin. 2, 33, 107: Cur sic agere voluistis? An ignoratis quod etc.,Vulg. Gen. 44, 15.—Hence, in the comic poets, an potius: cum animo depugnat suo, Utrum itane esse mavelit ut ... An ita potius ut etc.,Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 31: id. Stich. 1, 2, 18; id. Trin. 2, 2, 25: an id flagitium est, An potius hoc patri aequomst fieri, ut a me ludatur dolis?Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 94.
* Sometimes the distributive clause beginning with an designates directly the opposite, the more improbable, the negative; in which case nescio an, haud scio an, etc., like the Engl. I know not whether, signify I think that not, I believe that not, etc.; hence, in the object. clause, aliquis, quisquam, ullus, etc., must stand instead of nemo, nullus, etc. (so for the most part only after Cic.): an profecturus sim, nescio, I know not (i. e. I doubt, I am not confident) whether I shall effect any thing, Sen. Ep. 25: opus nescio an superabile, magnum certe tractemus,id. Q. N. 3, praef. 4; Caecil. ap. Cic. Fam. 6, 7, 6: haud scio an vivere nobis liceret, I know not whether we, etc., Cic. Har. Resp. 11, 22: doleo enim maximam feminam eripi oculis civitatis, nescio an aliquid simile visuris, for I know not whether they will ever see any thing of this kind, Plin. Ep. 7, 19; Val. Max. 5, 2, 9: nescio an ullum tempus jucundius exegerim,I do not know whether I have ever passed time more pleasantly,id. 3, 1: namque huic uni contigit, quod nescio an ulli,Nep. Timol. 1, 1; Sen. Contr. 3 praef.; Quint. 9, 4, 1: nostri quoque soloecum, soloecismum nescio an umquam dixerint,Gell. 5, 20 al. Cf. upon this word Hand, Turs. I. pp. 296-361, and Beier, Exc. ad Cic. Am. pp. 202-238.
* An non. and in one word, annon (in direct questions more freq. than necne): isne est quem quaero an non?Ter. Phorm. 5, 6, 12: Hocine agis an non?id. And. 1, 2, 15: Tibi ego dico an non?id. ib. 4, 4, 23: utrum sit an non voltis?Plaut. Am. prol. 56: utrum cetera nomina in codicem accepti et expensi digesta habes annon?Cic. Rosc. Com. 3 al.—Also in indirect questions = necne, q. v.: abi, vise redieritne jam an non dum domum,Ter. Phorm. 3, 4, 5: videbo utrum clamorem opere conpleverint, an non est ita,Vulg. Gen. 18, 21; 24, 21.
* Introduced by -ne: Fortunāne an forte repertus,Att. Trag. Rel. p. 159 Rib. agitur autem liberine vivamus an mortem obeamus, Cic. Phil. 11, 24; Cic. Verr. 4, 73; id. Mil. 16: nunc vero non id agitur, bonisne an malis moribus vivamus etc.,Sall. C. 52, 10.—So with an three times, Cic. Or. 61.
* Introduced by an: haud scio an malim te videri ... an amicos tuos plus habuisse,Cic. Pis. 39.
* Without introd. particle: ... vivam an moriar, nulla in me est metus,Enn. Trag. Rel. p. 72 Rib.: vivat an mortuus sit, quis aut scit aut curat?Cic. Phil. 13, 33; 3, 18; id. Sex. Rosc. 88; id. Red. in Sen. 14.
* In direct questions: anne tu dicis quā ex causā vindicaveris?Cic. Mur. 26.
* In indirect questions: nec. aequom anne iniquom imperet, cogitabit,Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 19; id. Ps. 1, 1, 122: percontarier, Utrum aurum reddat anne eat secum simul,id. Bacch. 4, 1, 4: Nam quid ego de consulato loquar, parto vis, anue gesto?Cic. Pis. 1, 3: cum interrogetur, tria pauca sint anne multa,id. Ac. 2, 29: Gabinio dicam anne Pompeio, an utrique,id. Imp. Pomp. 19, 57; so id. Or. 61, 206: Quid enim interest, divitias, opes, valetudinem bona dicas anne praeposita, cum etc.,id. Fin. 4, 9, 23 Madv.; August. ap. Suet. Aug. 69 al. (for the omission of the second disjunctive clause or the particle necne representing it, v. utrum; instances of this usage in eccl. Lat. are,Vulg. Lev. 13, 36; 14, 36; ib. Num. 11, 23 al.).
* Utrum stultitiā facere ego hunc an malitiā Dicam, scientem an imprudentem, incertus sum. Ter. Phorm. 4, 3, 54: ut nescias, utrum res oratione an verba sententiis illustrentur,Cic. de Or. 2, 13, 56: honestumne factu sit an turpe, dubitant,id. Off. 1, 3, 9: nescio, gratulerne tibi an timeam,id. Fam. 2, 5; Caes. B. G. 7, 5: pecuniae an famae minus parceret, haud facile discerneres,Sall. C. 25, 3; so id. ib. 52, 10; Suet. Aug. 19; id. Tib. 10; id. Claud. 15: cognoscet de doctrinā, utrum ex Deo sit an ego a me ipso loquar,Vulg. Joan. 7, 17; ib. Eccl. 2, 19 al.
* An sometimes denotes uncertainty by itself, without a verb of doubting (dubito, dubium or incertum est, etc., vet in such cases the editors are divided between an and aut; cf. Mos. and Orell. ad Cic. Rep. 1, 12): verene hoc memoriae proditum est regem istum Numam Pythagorae ipsius discipulum, an certe Pythagoreum fuisse? Cic. Rep. 2, 15, where B. and K. read aut certe: Cn. Octavius est an Cn. Cornelius quidam tuus familiaris, summo genere natus, terrae filius; is etc.,id. Fam. 7, 9 B. and K.: Themistocles quidem, cum ei Simonides an quis alius artem memoriae polliceretur, Oblivionis, inquit, mallem,Simonides or some other person,id. Fin. 2, 32, 104; id. Fam. 7, 9, 3; id. Att. 1, 3, 2; 2, 7, 3; v. Madv. ad Cic. Fin. 2, 32, 104.
* It often stands for sive (so esp. in and after the Aug. per.): quod sit an non, nihil commovet analogiam,whether this be so or not,Varr. L. L. 9, § 105 Müll.; Att. ap. Prisc. p. 677 P.; Ov. R. Am. 797: saucius an sanus, numquid tua signa reliqui,id. F. 4, 7: Illa mihi referet, si nostri mutua curast, An minor, an toto pectore deciderim,Tib. 3, 1, 20; Tac. A. 11, 26: sive nullam opem praevidebat inermis atque exul, seu taedio ambiguae spei an amore conjugis et liberorum,id. ib. 14, 59.
* The first disjunctive clause is freq. to be supplied from the gen. idea or an may stand for utrum—necne (cf. supra, I. D.): qui scis, an, quae jubeam, sine vi faciat? (vine coactus is to be supplied),how knowest thou whether or not he will do it without compulsion?Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 20: An dolo malo factum sit, ambigitur,Cic. Tull. 23: quaesivi an misisset (periplasmata),Cic. Verr. 4, 27: Vide an facile fieri tu potueris, cum etc.,id. Fragm. B. 13, 2, 1: praebete aurem et videte an mentiar,Vulg. Job, 6, 28: de L. Bruto fortasse dubitaverim an propter infinitum odium tyranni effrenatius in Aruntem invaserit, I might doubt whether or not, etc., Cic. Tusc. 4, 22, 50; Cic. Verr. 3, 76: Quis scit an adiciant hodiernae crastina summae Tempora di superi?Hor. C. 4, 7, 17; Plin. Ep. 6, 21, 3; Quint. 2, 17, 38: Sine videamus an veniat Elias,Vulg. Matt. 27, 49: tria sine dubio rursus spectanda sunt, an sit, quid sit, quale sit,Quint. 5, 10, 53: dubium an quaesitā morte,Tac. A. 1, 5; 6, 50; 4, 74: Multitudo an vindicatura Bessum fuerit, incertum est,Curt. 7, 5: diu Lacedaemonii, an eum summae rei praeponerent, deliberaverunt,Just. 6, 2, 4 et saep.
* Since in such distrib. sentences expressive of doubt, the opinion of the speaker or the probability usually inclines to the second, i. e. to the clause beginning with an, the expressions haud scio an, nescio an, dubito an (the latter through all pers. and tenses), incline to an affirmative signification, I almost know, I am inclined to think, I almost think, I might say, I might assert that, etc., for perhaps, probably (hence the opinion is incorrect that an, in this situation, stands for an non; for by an non a negation of the objective clause is expressed, e. g. nescio an non beatus sit, I am almost of the opinion that he is not happy, v.infra, and cf. Beier ad Cic. Off. 1, Exc. XI. p. 335 sq.; Cic. uses haud scio an eleven times in his Orations; nescio an, four times): atque haud scio an, quae dixit sint vera omnia,Ter. And. 3, 2, 45: crudele gladiatorum spectaculum et inhumanum non nullis videri solet: et haud scio an ita sit, ut nunc fit,Cic. Tusc. 2, 17, 41; id. Fl. 26: testem non mediocrem, sed haud scio an gravissimum,perhaps,id. Off. 3, 29: constantiam dico? nescio an melius patientiam possim dicere,id. Lig. 9; id. Fam. 9, 19: ingens eo die res, ac nescio an maxima illo bello gesta sit,Liv. 23, 16; Quint. 12, 11, 7 al.: si per se virtus sine fortunā ponderanda sit, dubito an Thrasybulum primum omuium ponam,I am not certain whether I should not prefer Thrasybulus to all others,Nep. Thras. 1 Dähne: dicitur acinace stricto Darius dubitāsse an fugae dedecus honestā morte vitaret,i. e. was almost resolved upon,Curt. 4, 5, 30: ego dubito an id improprium potius appellem,Quint. 1, 5, 46; Gell. 1, 3 al.—Hence, a neg. objective clause must contain in this connection the words non, nemo, nullus, nihil, numquam, nusquam, etc.: dubitet an turpe non sit,he is inclined to believe that it is not bad,Cic. Off. 3, 12, 50: haud scio an ne opus quidem sit, nihil umquam deesse amicis,id. Am. 14, 51: eloquentiā quidem nescio an habuisset parem neminem,id. Brut. 33: quod cum omnibus est faciendum tum haud scio an nemini potius quam tibi, to no one perhaps more, id. Off. 3, 2, 6: meā sententiā haud scio an nulla beatior esse possit,id. Sen. 16; id. Leg. 1, 21: non saepe atque haud scio an numquam,id. Or. 2, 7 al.

s. TLL