conspondeo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [kõːˈspɔn.de.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [konˈspɔn.de.o]^[1]

Forms

cōnspondeō (present infinitive cōnspondēre, perfect active cōnspondī, supine cōnspōnsum); second conjugation, no passive^[1] An old spelling consposos is recorded by Paul the Deacon's epitome of Festus.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin con- (“together”) + spondeō (“to pledge”).^[2][4][1] De Vaan traces ⟨spondeō⟩ to Proto-Italic *spondeje/o- (“to pour libations many times, pledge”), from Proto-Indo-European *spond-eye/o- (“to pour a libation”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL cites Naevius' comedies and the decree on the Bacchanalia, which forbids men to have conspired or exchanged pledges among themselves (neve conspondise).^[4] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to exchange pledges, engage mutually, and in the participle cōnspōnsus bound by mutual pledges; the glossaries equate it with conprōmissum and the TLL with coniūrāre “to conspire”.^[2][4] Ausonius has cōnspōnsum foedus “a treaty mutually agreed”.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.^[4][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To exchange pledges, engage mutually, (participle) bound by mutual pledges.^[2][3]

Word family

• cōnspōnsor

Related words

• spondeō
• spōnsiō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d 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 Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.