(adverb) : ūtrum, uter.
* Introducing an alternative question (direct or indirect), with an beginning the second clause (v. an); in Engl. represented in direct questions simply by the tone of voice, and in indirect questions by whether.
* In a direct interrogation.
* Introducing a disjunctive question with more than two members, with an beginning each clause after the first.
* In an indirect interrogation.
* Introducing a single question without an expressed alternative (cf. the similar use of an).
* With ne repeated in place of an (very rare): sed utrum terraene motus, sonitusne inferum Pervasit auris? Att. ap. Prisc. 6, p. 680 P. (Trag. Rel. v. 479 Rib.).
* With ne attached
* To the emphatic word of the first clause: sed utrum strictimne attonsurum dicam esse an per pectinem Nescio, Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 18: videndum'st primum utrum eae velintne an non velint,id. Most. 3, 1, 151: cum animo depugnat suo, Utrum itane esse ma. velit ... an ita potius,id. Trin. 2, 2, 26; id. Ps. 2, 4, 19; id. Bacch. 3, 4, 1: de istac rogas Virgine? Py. Ita, utrum praedicemne an taceam? Ter. Eun. 4, 4, 53: ea res nunc in discrimine versatur, utrum possitne se parsimonia defendere, an, etc.,Cic. Quint. 30, 92: videamus, utrum ea fortuitane sint an eo statu, quo, etc.,id. N. D. 2, 34, 87; id. Phil. 2, 12, 30; cf.: est ... illa distinctio, utrum ... an ... et utrum illudne ... an, etc.,id. Tusc. 4, 27, 59.
* Without ne: quid tu, malum, curas, Utrum crudum an coctum edim,Plaut. Aul. 3, 2, 16: facite indicium, utrum hac an illac iter institerit,id. Cist. 4, 2, 11: utrum stultitiā facere ego hunc an malitiā Dicam, incertus sum,Ter. Phorm. 4, 3, 54: id utrum Romano more locutus sit, an, quomodo Stoici dicunt, postea videro,Cic. Fam. 7, 16, 3: permultum interest, utrum perturbatione aliquā animi, an consulto fiat injuria,id. Off. 1, 8, 27: quid interest utrum hoc feceris, an, etc.,Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 75, § 174; id. Rosc. Com. 3, 9: multum interest, utrum laus imminuatur, an salus deseratur,id. Fam. 1, 7, 8: quomodo transierit, utrum rate an piscatorio navigio, nemo sciebat, Cael. ap. Quint. 6, 3, 41; Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 8; Cat. 17, 21.
* With necne (rarely ne) in place of the second clause with an; utrum ... necne, whether ... or not: jam dudum ego erro, qui quaeram, utrum emeris necne,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 16, § 35: di utrum sint necne sint quaeritur,id. N. D. 3, 7, 17: utrum proelium committi ex usu esset necne,Caes. B. G. 1, 50: deliberent, utrum traiciant legiones necne ... et Brutum arcessant necne, et mihi stipendium dent an decernant, Brut. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 26; Liv. 39, 48, 2.—So, utrum ... ne: cum interrogaretur, utrum pluris patrem matremne faceret? matrem inquit,Nep. Iphic. 3, 4.
* A direct question: utrum hoc tu parum commeministi, an ego non satis intellexi, an mutasti sententiam?Cic. Att. 9, 2: utrum hoc signum cupiditatis tuae an tropaeum necessitudinis an amoris indicium esse voluisti?Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 47, § 115; 2, 3, 36, § 83: utrum hostem an vos an fortunam utriusque populi ignoratis?Liv. 21, 10, 6; 6, 7, 3: utrum major ... an majores ... an aetas ... an cum Karthaginiensi, etc.,id. 28, 43, 12.
* An indirect question: in quo (convivio) nemo potest dicere utrum ille plus biberit an vomuerit an effuderit,Cic. Pis. 10, 22: utrum admonitus an temptatus an sine duce ullo ... nescio,Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 41, § 105.
* In a direct interrogation: utrum enim in clarissimis est civibus is, quem judicatum hic duxit Hermippus?Cic. Fl. 19, 45: utrum igitur hactenus satis est?id. Top. 4, 25: utrum majores vestri omnium magnarum rerum et principia exorti ab diis sunt et finem eum statuerunt?Liv. 45, 39, 10.
* In an indirect interrogation: neque utrum ex hoc saltu damni salvum scio eliciam foras,Plaut. Men. 5, 6, 30: an hoc dicere audebis, utrum de te aratores, utrum denique Siculi universi bene existiment, ad rem id non pertinere?Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 69, § 167: Nep. Eum. 6, 1.—With the interrog. particle nam: cum percontatus esset, utrumnam Patris universa classis in portu stare posset,Liv. 37, 17, 10 dub. Weissenb. ad loc. (Hertz and Madv. possetne).