condominium

Forms

condominium n (genitive condominiī or condominī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin con- + dominium (“ownership, dominion”).^[1][2][3] Etymonline takes the modern word for a Modern Latin coinage made in German about 1700.^[3] The noun dominium is derived from dominus (“master”),^[4] which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *dom-o/u-no- (“of the house”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A Gascon record of 1289 has it in naming a mill near the condominium of Tornasso, which the Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources takes, with a query, as land forming part of a lord's demesne.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

Köbler glosses the medieval word as a fief held under a joint lordship,^[2] and the Czech-Latin dictionary as joint rule.^[6] The modern sense of joint sovereignty or co-ownership, exclusive of all but the co-owners, belongs to the early 18th century and was long a term of politics and international law;^[3][1] in American English the sense “privately owned apartment” arose in 1962.^[3] Italian condominio comes from the Medieval Latin word.^[7]

Timeline

• 1289 – The Gascon Rolls name a mill near the condominium of Tornasso.^[5][2]
• c. 1700 – Coined anew in German for joint sovereignty.^[3]
• 1714 – English borrows it as condominium.^[3]
• 1962 – The sense “owned apartment” arises in American English.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin) Land forming part of a lord's demesne (uncertain).^[5]
2. (Medieval Latin) A fief under joint lordship; joint rule.^[2][6]
3. (New Latin) Joint sovereignty or ownership.^[1][3]

Related words

• dominium
• dominus
• English condominium

Usage notes

The Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources compares the Gascon word of 1289 with Medieval Latin condamina, so it may have another origin than the modern coinage.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b 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 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 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
7. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier