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conventicius

Etymology and origin of the Latin word conventicius

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*gʷem-)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [kɔn.wɛnˈtiː.ki.ʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [koɱ.venˈtiː.t͡ʃi.us][1]

Forms

conventīcius (feminine conventīcia, neuter conventīcium); first/second-declension adjective[1] Also spelled conventītius.[2]

Etymology

The OLD derives it from conveniō “to come together, meet” with the suffix ⟨-īcius⟩, and Wiktionary from the noun conventus “assembly”.[3][1] De Vaan traces ⟨veniō⟩ to Proto-Italic *gʷn̥-je/o- (“to come”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷm̥-ye/o- (“to come”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its earliest source is Plautus' Cistellaria.[5][6] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant met by chance, casual, as in Plautus, and pertaining to coming together, as in Plautus' patrēs conventīciī, fathers coming from various quarters.[3][2][6] As a neuter noun, conventīcium, in Cicero's Republic, it was the money paid to poorer Greek citizens for attending the assembly.[6][2]

British Medieval Latin used it for covenanted, fixed by a bargain.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[6][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses the noun of an assembly fee.[6][5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Met by chance, casual.[3][6]
  2. Of coming together, assembled.[2]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Covenanted, fixed by a bargain.[7]

Noun

  1. (neuter) A fee for attending an assembly.[6]

References

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

“Conventicius.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/conventicius. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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