eius modī coniūnctiōnem tēctōrum oppidum vel urbem appellāvērunt, RP. 1, 41, such a collection of dwelling-houses they called, well, a town or a city, whichever you please. vel imperātōre vel mīlite mē ūtiminī, S. C. 20, 16, use me as your generalissimo or as a private, whichever you will. Catilīnam ex urbe vel ēiēcimus vel ēmīsimus vel ipsum ēgredientem verbīs prōsecūtī sumus, C. 2, 1, we have—what shall I say?—driven Catiline out of town, or allowed him to go out, or, when he was going out of his own accord, wished him a pleasant journey. vel is often followed by etiam, potius, or dīcam. From Tacitus on, vel is sometimes used in the sense of aut: as, vincendum vel cadendum esse, Ta. 14, 35, they must do or die ([1668]).
[1671.] vel is sometimes used in the sense of if you will, even, or perhaps, especially before superlatives, or in the sense of for instance: as,
huius domus est vel optima Messānae, nōtissima quidem certē, V. 4, 3, this gentleman’s house is perhaps the finest in all Messana, at any rate the best known. amant tēd omnēs mulierēs, neque iniūriā: vel illae, quae here palliō mē reprehendērunt, Pl. MG. 58, the girls all idolize you, well they may; for instance those that buttonholed me yesterday.
[1672.] (3.) sīve or seu, or, used as a disjunctive conjunction, denotes a distinction which is not essential, or the speaker’s uncertainty as to some matter of detail; when used once only, it is chiefly in corrections, often with potius, rather, added; as,
is Ascanius urbem mātrī seu novercae relīquit, L. 1, 3, 3, said Ascanius left the city to his mother, or his stepmother, if you prefer. dīxit Pompēius, sīve voluit, QFr. 2, 3, 2, Pompey made a speech, or rather attempted to make one.
[1673.] sīve is often repeated in the sense of either, or no matter whether . . . or: as,
ita sīve cāsū sīve cōnsiliō deōrum, quae pars calamitātem populō Rōmānō intulerat, ea prīnceps poenās persolvit, 1, 12, 6, thus, no matter whether from chance or through special providence, the part which had done damage to Rome was the first to pay penalty in full.
[1674.] (4.) -ve rarely connects main sentences, usually only the less important parts of the sentence, or, oftener still, subordinate sentences: as,
cūr timeam dubitemve locum dēfendere? J. 1, 103, why should I fear or hesitate to stand my ground? Appius ad mē bis terve litterās mīserat, Att. 6, 1, 2, Appius had written me two or three times. With nē it forms nēve or neu, which is used as a continuation of nē or ut: see [1581]; 1586; 1947.