concurrentia

Forms

concurrentia f (genitive concurrentiae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin concurrēns + -ia,^[1] from the present participle of concurrō (“to run together”).^[1][2][3] The verb is a compound of currō (“to run”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *korse/o- and Proto-Indo-European *kr̥s-e/o- (“to run”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler, after Latham, dates its first record to about 1250.^[2] The Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources has it in a letter of Adam Marsh for the coincidence of great feasts.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Medieval Latin used it for a running together of people, a concourse,^[5][6] for the coinciding of two things in time, especially of feasts in the church calendar,^[5][6] and in Ecclesiastical Latin for concurrence or mutual participation.^[7] It also meant rivalry between competitors: Galvano Fiamma, writing of the year 1335 in Milan, speaks of concurrentiae among the rivals for the office of potestas.^[8][2] In Aragonese law it named the joint obligation to turn out for public works such as walls, gates and ditches,^[8] and a Marseille letter of 1332 has usque in concurrentiam, “up to the full amount”.^[8] The Czech-Latin dictionary adds agreement and the holding of lectures on the same text at a university.^[9]

From it came English concurrence (early 15th century, through Old French or directly)^[3] and, in the sense of competition, German Konkurrenz, French concurrence and Russian konkurencija.^[1][2]

Timeline

• c. 1250 – First record, according to Köbler.^[2]
• 1332 – A letter to the people of Marseille uses usque in concurrentiam, “up to the amount”.^[8]
• early 15th century – English borrows it as concurrence.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin) A running together, a concourse of people.^[5]
2. (Medieval Latin) Concurrence, coincidence in time, especially of feasts.^[5][6]
3. (Ecclesiastical Latin) Concurrence, mutual participation.^[7]
4. (Medieval Latin) Competition, rivalry.^[2][8][1]
5. (Medieval Latin, law) A joint obligation to take part in public works.^[8]
6. (Medieval Latin) In usque in concurrentiam: up to the full amount.^[8]

Related words

• concurrō
• English concurrence

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d e Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b c d e f g du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
9. ^ Latinitatis medii aevi lexicon Bohemorum / Slovník středověké latiny v českých zemích (1977–), Prague: Academia; electronic version, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences