quid

the word 'quid' entered english in the late 17th century as slang for a sovereign or a guinea. it originates from the latin interrogative pronoun 'quid', meaning "what" or "something". the logic of this borrowing lies in the elliptical phrase "quid pro quo" (something for something), which was used in financial contexts. over time, the term was humorously shortened, with 'quid' coming to stand for the "something" of value, specifically one pound sterling. a separate, entirely unrelated sense for a piece of chewing tobacco emerged in american english in the 19th century, likely from the resemblance of the tobacco wad to a cud.

this word is a simplex loanword from latin, where 'quid' meant "what" or "something". its functional role is as a complete lexical unit.