I.II.Primitive Races of Italy 9.

-Quiris-, -quiritis-, or -quirinus- is interpreted by the ancients as "lance-bearer," from -quiris- or -curis- = lance and -ire-, and so far in their view agrees with -samnis-, -samnitis- and -sabinus-, which also among the ancients was derived from -- saunion--, spear.

This etymology, which associates the word with -arquites-, -milites-, -pedites-, -equites-, -velites- -- those respectively who go with the bow, in bodies of a thousand, on foot, on horseback, without armour in their mere over-garment--may be incorrect, but it is bound up with the Roman conception of a burgess.

So too Juno quiritis, (Mars) quirinus, Janus quirinus, are conceived as divinities that hurl the spear; and, employed in reference to men, -quiris- is the warrior, that is, the full burgess.
With this view the -usus loquendi- coincides.

Where the locality was to be referred to, "Quirites" was never used, but always "Rome" and "Romans" (-urbs Roma-, -populus-, -civis-, -ager Romanus-), because the term -quiris- had as little of a local meaning as -civis- or -miles-.