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coniuratio

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word coniuratio

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Derivation
First attested
81–43 BC, Cicero
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*h₂oi-u)

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [kɔn.juːˈraː.ti.oː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [kon.juˈrat.t͡si.o][1]

Forms

coniūrātiō f (genitive coniūrātiōnis); third declension[1] It is also spelled conjūrātiō.[1][2]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin coniūrō (“to swear together, conspire”) + -tiō.[3][4][1] The verb is formed from con- (“together”) and iūrō (“to swear”), which de Vaan explains as a denominative of iūs (“law”), Proto-Italic ⟨*jowes-ā-je-⟩; he traces ⟨iūs⟩ through an s-stem to Proto-Indo-European *h₂oi-u (“vital force, eternity”), cognate with Sanskrit आयुस् (ā́yuṣ-, “life, lifespan”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler records it from Cicero on, who has the Iugurthīnae coniūrātiōnis invidia, the odium of the Jugurthine conspiracy.[6][3]

Semantic evolution

The literal sense is a swearing together, an oath taken in common (Nepos) and a league of states (Caesar).[3][2] Servius explains that in a sudden war near the city, when there was no time for each man to swear separately, a coniūrātiō was held.[2] The usual Classical sense is a conspiracy, plot or intrigue, and by metonymy the band of conspirators: Cicero speaks of istam coniūrātiōnem perditōrum hominum, “that gang of ruined men”.[3] Servius notes that the word could also be used of a good cause, and so was ambiguous.[4]

In medieval Latin it is a sworn association, especially the commune of a town, an adjuration, and a magic formula.[7] English conjuration (late 14th century) first meant a conspiracy and then the calling up of spirits.[8]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of the conspiracy of Catiline.[3][6]
  • c. 50 BC – Caesar of a league of states.[3][6]
  • c. 100–24 BC – Nepos of an oath taken in common.[3][6]
  • c. 400 AD – Servius on the oath taken together in an emergency.[2][6]
  • late 14th century – English conjuration.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A swearing together; a league, confederacy.[3][1][2]
  2. A conspiracy, plot, intrigue.[3][1]
  3. A band of conspirators.[3][1]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A sworn association; a town commune.[7]
  5. (Medieval Latin) An adjuration; a magic formula.[7]
  • coniūrātus
  • coniūrō
  • iūrō
  • iūs
  • English conjuration

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Coniuratio.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/coniuratio. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·