Um (again)--first question, having also given the above more thought: would 'statis quo' be a legitimate phrase in Latin, and if so, did it begin its usage in English spelled that way and then transmogrify into status quo? (Aside: is mogrify a word?)
Secondly--I'm sorry, but I really do not understand this: whence pas 'not' in French, can you fathom it? [also related]). The later meaning of fast qua quick is from the verb to fasten 'to fix in place'. Are you saying that the French 'pas' came from 'passo' or 'passus'? 'Not' from 'step'? And in your next sentence, the 'qua' flummoxed me completely; does it mean quick? If so, I am lost trying to relate it to 'to fix in place'.
We have talked here before about words that can carry opposing meanings, but I'll be darned if I can remember the term for them.
