cum

Latin has two common words spelled cum: the preposition “with”, an old com, and the conjunction “when”, an old quom.^[1][2]

cum¹ with

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkũː]^[3]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkum]^[3]

Forms

cum (+ ablative)^[3]

Etymology

The preposition is inherited from Proto-Italic *kom, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ḱom (“with”), which took the instrumental case.^[2][3] The older form com is found on the Garigliano bowl, and the same word is the prefix com- (⟨con-⟩, ⟨co-⟩).^[2][1]

Cognate with Oscan com, Umbrian com, Old Irish con- and Welsh cyf-;^[2][1][3] Proto-Germanic *ga- is also compared.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found in the Twelve Tables and in Ennius, who says that Romulus lives in heaven “with the gods”.^[4][1]

Semantic evolution

Its basic sense is company (“along with, together with”), then support (“on the side of”), command (“at the head of”), the things one has with one (“with, carrying”), manner (cum cūrā “with care”), and time (cum prīmā lūce “at first light”).^[1][5] With personal and relative pronouns it follows the pronoun as one word: mēcum, tēcum, quōcum.^[1]

Some inscriptions construe it with the accusative.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 450 BC – Used in the Twelve Tables.^[4]
• 204–169 BC – Ennius writes that Romulus lives cum dīs genitālibus.^[1][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses cum for those who live in someone's house.^[1][4]

Meanings

Preposition

1. (with ablative) with, along with, together with, in company with.^[1][5]
2. On the side of, supporting.^[1]
3. At the head of (troops); under the command of.^[1]
4. With, having, complete with.^[1]
5. With (in comparisons, exchanges and fights).^[1]
6. At the same time as;^[1] cum prīmā lūce, at daybreak.^[1]
7. With (a manner or circumstance): cum cūrā, carefully.^[1][5]

Word family

• com-
• mēcum
• tēcum
• sēcum
• nōbīscum
• vōbīscum
• contrā

cum² when

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkũː]^[3]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkum]^[3]

Forms

cum ^[3]

Etymology

The conjunction is inherited from Proto-Italic *kʷom (“when”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *kʷom, the accusative singular masculine of the relative stem *kʷos (see quī).^[2][1][3] It was written ⟨quom⟩ before the time of Cicero.^[2][1] The spelling ⟨quum⟩, found in many manuscripts and editions, is post-classical.^[5]

Cognate with Umbrian pumpe (“whenever”), Oscan pún (“when”), Old Prussian kan (“when”) and Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐌽 (ƕan, “when”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It appears in the Twelve Tables, in the form quom.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

First a conjunction of time (“when, whenever”), it came to express cause (“since, because”) and concession (“although”), mostly with the subjunctive.^[1][5][3]

Cum … tum means “both … and especially”.^[5][6]

Timeline

• c. 450 BC – quom in the Twelve Tables.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero's manuscripts often keep the spelling quom.^[5][4]

Meanings

Conjunction

1. (temporal) when, whenever; while; after.^[1][5]
2. (causal) since, because.^[1][5]
3. (concessive) Although, whereas.^[1][5]
4. cum … tum, both … and especially; not only … but also.^[5][6]

Word family

• quondam
• quoniam
• cumque
• umquam

Related words

• tum

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
4. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn