Vocabulum VIII: Our most commonly used "c" prefixes are all from Latin
We focus particularly upon those "C" prefixes from which so many English words are derived.
The word cum in Latin serves as the preposition meaning with and as the conjunction meaning while, as, since, or when. Over the centuries, the spelling was modified to include com, con, and co, and as we know, there are hundreds of English words which being with these prefixes. Similarly, the Latin words contra, meaning against, serves as the start for many English words. With some of the entries, I have separated the prefix from the base word so that you can see both roots. What follows is not a complete list by any means. There are just too many words!
(Welcome to Manuscribit, a unique way to learn English through Latin. It’s best to start with the first post and work your way through with sketchbook in hand.)
coagmentare: to glue or join together coagulate, coagulation
coalescare: to grow together coalesce, coalition
cochlea: snail The spiral cavity of the inner ear is called the cochlea because its design is similar to that of a snail’s shell. cochlear
codicilli: letter, note, petition codicil, codify, code
coercere: to enclose, confine, repress coerce, coercion
cogere: to think, ponder, imagine cogent
co+gnoscere: to get to know, understand agnostic, cognition, cognitive, cognizant, incognito, recognition, recognize, gnostic, gnosticism
cohaesus: stuck together cohesion, cohesive
cohortor: to encourage, urge cohort
collapsus: fallen into ruin collapse
collatio: bringing together collate, collation
collectio: gathering up, present participle of colligere, to gather collect, collection, college, collegial
collidere: to beat together collide, collision
colloquium: conversation colloquial, colloquium
colludere: to play together, to have a secret understanding with collude, collusion
com+memorare: to recall, when reminding commemorate, commemoration
com+mendare: to entrust with, to mind another commend, recommend
com+mentor: to study over, prepare carefully with (mentis=mind) comment, commentary, commentator
com+mittere: to bring together (mittere=to dispatch, send) commit, commitment
com+modare: to adjust, to adapt the mode accommodate, accommodation
com+motus: with excitement, with great motion commotion
com+municare, com+unire: to share, to impart, to build together (unus=one) communicate, commune, communion
com+punctum: having been pricked or stung with something compunction
con+cludere (from claudere): to close with, end with conclude, conclusion
con+ferre: to talk over or share with (ferre=to carry) confer, conference, conversation
con+fidere: to have faith in, to be sure about (fides=faith) confidant, confide. confident
con+formare: to shape as or form like (another) conform, conformity
confundere, confusum: to scatter with, to mix with confound, confuse, confusion
con+sequor: to follow with consequence, consequential
contra+dicere: to speak against contradict, contradiction
contro+versia: turning against controversial, controversy
con+venire: to come together convene, convention
copia: abundance, plenty copious
cornu: horn, horn-shaped cornet
cornu+copia: horn of plenty cornucopia
corpus: body corpse, corporal, incorporation
credere: to believe credo, credible, credit, credulous, creed, incredible
criminor: to accuse, impeach crime, criminal
crudus: raw, immature crude, crudites
culpa: fault, guilt culpable, culprit
cumulare: to heap up, to mass together accumulate, accumulation, cumulus (clouds)
curare: to take care of curative, cure
currere, cursus: to run, running, journey course, current, scurry
curvare: to bend curvaceous, curvature, curve
custodire: to guard, protect custodian, custody
cuticula: skin cuticle
Next week, we move on to words beginning with “d.”
Announcement: Beginning in July, in addition to this always-free Substack, I will be commencing a monthly, paid-subscription-only Substack entitled Loquī (meaning “to speak”) which will provide Latin language lessons. These will be suitable for everyone, including homeschooling parents and students, and will focus first upon speaking Latin and then reading it.
Until next time, may God’s peace be with you!