conventio

Forms

conventiō f (genitive conventiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from conveniō “to come together, agree” with the suffix -tiō.^[2][3][1] The OLD calls it a doublet of contiō “assembly”, the contracted form of the same word.^[2] The Senatus consultum de Bacchanalibus (CIL 1.581) has the archaic ablative ⟨conventionid⟩.^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is the inscription CIL 1.581, where it means an assembly of the people, the sense contiō usually has.^[2] The TLL notes that apart from a few places it is not read before Sallust.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Varro uses it of an assembly, and Paulus' epitome of Festus glosses in conventione as in contione.^[3][2] In law it meant a woman's passing into her husband's control (in manum conventio), as in Gaius, and the suing of a defendant, as in Ulpian.^[2] From Sallust onwards it meant an agreement, compact or covenant, the sense Livy, Seneca and the Digest use.^[2][3] The TLL says it becomes frequent from the 3rd century AD.^[4]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant an agreement, concord, or an assembly.^[5] Medieval Latin added the senses of a religious community, a convent, and in law a summons or claim.^[6] English convention came into English in the early 15th century, both as “a formal agreement” and as “a formal meeting”.^[7]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of an assembly.^[3][2][8]
• 86–34 BC – Sallust uses it of an agreement.^[2][8]
• 140–180 AD – Gaius uses in manum conventio of marriage.^[2][8]
• early 15th century – English convention is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. An assembly of the people (= contiō).^[2][3]
2. (law) in manum conventio, a woman's passing into the control of a husband.^[2]
3. (law) The suing of a defendant.^[2]
4. An agreement, compact, covenant.^[2][3]
5. (Medieval Latin) A religious community, convent; a summons; a claim.^[6]

Related words

• conveniō
• contiō
• conventus
• English convention
• English conventional

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
6. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de