conducibilis

Forms

condūcibilis (neuter condūcibile, adverb condūcibiliter); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin condūcō (“to bring together; to be of use”) + -bilis.^[2][1][3] De Vaan lists condūcō (from Plautus on) among the compounds of dūcō (“to lead”), which goes back to Proto-Italic *douk-e- and Proto-Indo-European *deuk-e/o- (“to draw”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first known use is in Plautus, who has it several times:^[5][6] in the Bacchides a character says that a deed would not be to his advantage, and in the Epidicus a character urges finding a clever, useful plan (aliquid calidī condūcibilis cōnsilī).^[3][7]

Semantic evolution

Lewis & Short note that it is frequent in Plautus but rare elsewhere.^[5] Plautus also uses the neuter as a noun, for what is useful to the community.^[7] The Rhetorica ad Herennium has the comparative condūcibilius, weighing what is more useful, honourable or expedient.^[3][7]

It returns in later authors: Apuleius,^[3] Augustine, who speaks of seeking useful things and fleeing harmful ones,^[3] the Theodosian Code and Sidonius' letters.^[3] Caelius Aurelianus uses it in medicine of an astringent property.^[7][3] Medieval British writers used it for what is conducive or advantageous.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of advantageous plans and deeds.^[5][3][6]
• 86/82 BC – The Rhetorica ad Herennium uses the comparative.^[3][6]
• c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it.^[3][6]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine contrasts useful and harmful things.^[3][6]
• 5th century AD – Caelius Aurelianus uses it of an astringent property.^[7][6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Expedient, advantageous, profitable.^[2][5]
2. (neuter as noun) What is useful to all, the common good.^[7]
3. (medicine) Astringent.^[7]

Related words

• condūcō
• dūcō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
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 Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
8. ^ 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