iungo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈjʊŋ.ɡoː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈjuŋ.ɡo]^[1]

Forms

iungō (present infinitive iungere, perfect active iūnxī, supine iūnctum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *jung-e/o-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *(H)iu-n-g- (“to yoke”), a nasal present of the root *yewg- (“to yoke, join”), made thematic in Latin.^[2][1] From the same root come iugum “yoke”, coniunx “spouse” and iūgerum, the land a team of oxen could plough in a day.^[2][3]

Cognate with Sanskrit युनक्ति (yunákti, “yokes”), Ancient Greek ζεύγνυμι (zeúgnumi, “to yoke”), Lithuanian jùngti (“to yoke, join”) and Hittite iūk- (“yoke”).^[2][4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus onwards,^[2] whose madman cries “you order me to take horses that are yoked yet unbroken”.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to yoke or harness animals, as Pacuvius' winged snakes yoked to a chariot, and to join things together, as Caesar's boats joined into a bridge.^[4] It meant to clasp hands, as in Virgil, to bring things side by side, and to make something by combining parts.^[4]

It meant to unite troops or people, as friends or allies, as in Terence, and to form a friendship or marriage.^[4] It also meant to share an activity, to follow one thing directly on another, to combine qualities, as Cicero's “charm joined with seriousness”, and to connect in thought.^[4] In grammar the passive meant to govern a case.^[1] It survives as Italian giungere, French joindre and Portuguese jungir.^[1] English join and joint came through Old French about 1300.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it for yoked horses and for friendship.^[4][6]
• 220–130 BC – Pacuvius uses it of snakes yoked to a chariot.^[4][6]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it for joining boats into a bridge.^[4][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it for combining qualities.^[4][6]
• c. 1300 – English join and joint are first recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To yoke, harness.^[4][7]
2. To join, fasten, attach.^[4][1]
3. To clasp (hands).^[4][1]
4. To bring together, put side by side.^[4]
5. To make by combining; to compound (a word).^[4]
6. To unite (troops, people).^[4]
7. To form (a friendship, a marriage).^[4][1]
8. To make consecutive.^[4]
9. To combine (qualities).^[4]
10. (grammar, passive) To govern (a case).^[1]

Word family

• abiungō
• adiungō
• coniungō
• dēiungō
• disiungō
• injūnctus
• iniungō
• interiungō
• iūgis
• iunctim
• iūnctiō
• iunctor

Related words

• iūxtā
• iugum
• coniunx
• English join
• English joint
• English junction

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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 Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press