Etymologically
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congius

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈkɔŋ.ɡi.ʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈkɔn̠ʲ.d͡ʒi.us][1]

Forms

congius m (genitive congiī or congī); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is probably borrowed from Ancient Greek κόγχος (kónkhos, “mussel; a measure”),[2][3][4] which Pokorny traces to Proto-Indo-European *k̑onkho- (“mussel”), with Sanskrit शङ्ख (śaṅkhá-, “mussel”).[3] Wiktionary derives it from the diminutive κογχίον (konkhíon).[1] Isidore explained the name from ⟨congiendo⟩, “growing by increase”.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Cato on,[6] who uses it in his work on farming.[7]

Semantic evolution

It was a Roman measure for liquids, six sextāriī or an eighth of an amphora, about six pints.[2][7] Festus defines it as the measure that holds ten pounds of wine,[5] and Livy, Pliny the Elder and Isidore use it.[7] Late sources also have the spellings congis, conzius and a neuter congium, and Gregory of Tours has condia.[5] In medieval British Latin it is still a measure of volume, glossed in Old English.[8]

Timeline

  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses the measure.[7][6]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses the measure.[7][6]
  • c. 560–636 AD – Isidore of Seville explains the name.[5][6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A Roman liquid measure of six sextāriī, an eighth of an amphora (about 3.3 litres).[2][7][1]
  2. A unit of mass, the weight of a congius of water.[1]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke
  4. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  5. ^ a b c d Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  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