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
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] Germanic 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
- (with ablative) with, along with, together with, in company with.[1][5]
- On the side of, supporting.[1]
- At the head of (troops); under the command of.[1]
- With, having, complete with.[1]
- With (in comparisons, exchanges and fights).[1]
- At the same time as;[1] cum prīmā lūce, at daybreak.[1]
- With (a manner or circumstance): cum cūrā, carefully.[1][5]
Word family
- com-
- mēcum
- tēcum
- sēcum
- nōbīscum
- vōbīscum
- contrā
cum2 when
Pronunciation
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
- (temporal) when, whenever; while; after.[1][5]
- (causal) since, because.[1][5]
- (concessive) Although, whereas.[1][5]
- cum … tum, both … and especially; not only … but also.[5][6]
Word family
Related words
References
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn