--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Piotr Gasiorowski <gpiotr@...> wrote:
> squilluncus wrote:
> >
> > There are some non-deverbalized nouns in Latin having the prefix
con-:
> > conclave, compes, consul, contumelia, and an adjective: communis.
> > What is your opinion of the formation conclave?
> > Is it to be analysed as simply as a substantivation of 'cum clave'?
>
> *kom-kla:wi- is formally a substantivised neuter adjective: '(a room,
> chamber, etc.) with a key', i.e. one that can be locked up. *kom-
means
> 'together, with'. In Latin, <cum> is the reflex of the free form;
> <co(m)/n/r/l-> (with various assimilations) is what occurrs in
compounds.
It must, however, be emphasised that latin cum does not possess the
instrumnetal notion of "with"; you cannot say **janua cum clave
claudenda est. Of course, piotr does not mean that. I only want to
prevent any misunderstanding.
As a preverb, con- has both the primary comitative sense ("together
with"), e.g. colloquor, and other derived notions such as completeness,
e.g. conficio, and enclosure, e.g. contineo.
Conclave is not only a room with a key, but a room, which is closed and
enclosed (also an aviary or toilet) and may (not formally, but
semantically speaking) be derived from concludo "shut up, confine,
enclose".