“Latin Compounds”

Combining the Parts of a Stem Compound

     Stems tend to undergo various sound changes when used to form Stem Compounds.  For example, flāvo-comā- becomes flāvi-como-.

     Latin, the chief representative of the Italic branch of the Indo-European family of languages, had lost its instinct of forming compounds according to the rules inherented from the parent language at an early period.  Early Italic laws of accent prevailed to make every short stem vowel (o, i, and u) before a single consonant appear as the common ending i, the Connecting Vowel.  By analogy, the rule for the use of i extended to other compounds where the stem vowel stood before two or more consonants.

• flāvo- (stem of flāvus) as flāvi- in flāvi-como- (stem of flāvicomus)

• lecto- (stem of lectus) as lecti- in lecti-sternio- (stem of lectisternium)

• cornu- (stem of cornū) as corni- in corni-ped- (stem of cornipēs)

• cornu- (stem of cornū) as corni- in corni-frōnt(i)- (stem of cornifrōns)

• igni- (stem of ignis) as igni- in igni-fero- (stem of ignifer)

• igni- (stem of ignis) as igni- in igni-spicio- (stem of ignispicium)

    The rule was further extended through analogy to the stem vowels ā (first declension) and ē (fifth declension).

• alā- (stem of ala) as ali- in ali-ped- (stem of alipēs)

• faciē- (stem of faciēs) as faci- (for facii-) in faci-tergio- (stem of facitergium)

    Thus the final vowel of a non-consonantic vowel stem (i.e. a stem that does not inflect as a consonant stem) appears as the common ending i.

    This common ending i was used so often that it was added to stems that did not properly have it, including consonant stems and consonantic vowel stems (stems that inflect like consonant stems: stems in ov/ou and ū).

• flōr- (stem of flōs) as flōri- in flōri-como- (stem of flōricomus)

• niv- (*nigv-) (stem of nix) as nivi- in nivi-fero- (stem of nivifer)

• bov-/bou- (stem of bōs) as bovi- in bovi-cīdio- (stem of bovicīdium)

• sū- (stem of sūs) as sui- in (Neo-Latin compound) sui-formi- (stem of suiformēs)

    The Connecting Vowel i became the most common one in Latin.  It was felt that it made the compound word easy to say and pleasant to hear.

Etymological Origin of the Connecting Vowel I

     So, to review briefly: the Connecting Vowel i of a combining form used as the first part of a Latin Stem Compound word etymologically represents one of three things:

• A modified stem vowel (ā, ē, o, ī, or u) of a non-consonantic stem,

• The final stem vowel of an i-stem,

• A purely connective sound given to consonant stems and consonantic vowel stems (stems ending in ov/ou and ū).

Disappearance of the Connecting Vowel

     The Connecting Vowel may disappear in certain circumstances.

    Some polysyllabic combining forms drop the connecting vowel:

• manu- (stem of manus) as man- in man-cip- (stem of manceps)

• sōl- (stem of sōl) as sōl- in sōl-stitio- (stem of sōlstitium)

    Polysyllabic combining forms ending with a Connecting Vowel (usually i) regularly dropped that vowel when the next part of the Stem Compound began with a vowel.

• māgno- (stem of māgnus) as māgn- (for māgni-) in māgn-animus- (stem of māgnanimus)

• grandi- (stem of grandis) as grand- (for grandi-) in grand-aevo- (stem of grandaevus)

    Monosyllabic stems kept their Connecting Vowel even if the second part began with a vowel.

• tri- (stem of trēs) stays as tri- in tri-angulo- (stem of triangulus)

• tri- (stem of trēs) stays as tri- in tri-enni- (stem of triennis)

    By direct analogy of Stem Compounds comprising monosyllabic stems as first parts were derived Stem Compounds comprising polysyllabic stems as first parts, whereby the Connecting Vowel does not disappear before a vowel.

• recto- (stem of rectus) as recti- in recti-angulo- (stem of rectiangulus)

• multo- (stem of multus) as multi- in multi-angulo- (stem of multiangulum)

    In Classical Latin, when a combining form ends in -ii, and the second i is a Connecting Vowel, that second i normally disappears.  The remaining i suffices as a Connecting Vowel.

• gloriā- (stem of gloria) as glori- (for glorii-) in glori-fico- (stem of glori-ficus)

• medio- (stem of medius) as medi- (for medii-) in medi-terreo- (stem of mediterreus)

• medio- (stem of medius) as Medi- (for Medii-) in Medi-amnā- (stem of Mediamna)

    In Ecclesiastical Latin and in Neo-Latin (particularly in binomial nomenclature), the second i sometimes does not disappear.

• apio- (stem of apium) as apii- in apii-folio- (stem of apiifolius)

• prōprio- (stem of prōprium) as prōprii- in prōprii-ficā- (prōpriificāre)

    In very rare instances, the -ii combination becomes ī or both letters disappear.

• medio- (stem of medius) as Med- (for Medii-) in Med-amnā- (stem of Medamna)

• medio- (stem of medius) as merī- (for medii-, the d also became r) in merī-diē- (stem of merīdiēs)

• tibiā- (stem of tibia) as tibī- (for tibii-) in tibī-cin- (stem of tibīcen)

Bases and Connecting Vowels

    Latin inflection of words is often taught in terms of bases and case endings, so the inflection of the word puella would be taught as puell-a, puell-ae, puell-ārum, and so on.  Combining forms ending in Connecting Vowels can be thought to comprise:

• [base of the word] + [Connecting Vowel], as in puell- (base of puella) + -i-

• [base of the word ending in i], as in faci- (base of faciēs)

Greek Stems and Connecting Vowels

     Greek-derived stems generally follow the usual procedures for creating Greek combining forms (where o is usually used as the Connecting Vowel), but sometimes they are treated as Latin stems and the Connecting Vowel i is used instead of o in Greek-Latin hybrid compounds.

• tīgrifer (stem tīgri-fero-) instead of tīgr(id)ofer

• īricolor (stem īri-color-) instead of īr(id)ocolor

Undeclinables and Connecting Vowels

     The final vowel of an undeclinable may be treated as a Connecting Vowel, and in certain cases the final vowel may become the Connecting Vowel i, but additional Connecting Vowels generally are not used with undeclinables.

• No change: quinquefolius (stem quinque-folio-) not quinqueifolius

• With Connecting Vowel i: quinquifidus (stem quinqui-fido-) not quinqueifidus

     If the undeclinable is polysyllabic, and the second part of the Stem Compound begins with a vowel, the final vowel of the undeclinable may disappear.

• quinquangulus (stem quinqu-angulo-) not quinqueangulus

• quinquennis (stem quinqu-enni-) not quinqueennis

Verb Stems and Connecting Vowels

     The rules above apply to substantival and adjectival stems.  The principal (non-substantival, non-adjectival) stems of verbs (i.e. the present and perfect stems) are very rarely compounded as first parts with other stems in Stem Compounds.  Although there is a lack of compounds such as these in Latin, it is simple enough to use them as models for deducing procedure in forming other Stem Compounds with first parts derived from the principal stems of verbs.  The rules for forming combining forms from substantival and adjectival stems apply to the verb stems, but the only difference is that a perfect stem ending in u is a consonantic vowel stem, so the u does not become the Connecting Vowel i (u is always treated like a consonant in these cases because of its morphological equivalence to the tense sign v).  Consonant stems appear in the form they take before a vowel but add the Connecting Vowel i only before a consonant.

• posce- (stem of poscere) as posci- in posci-nummio- (stem of poscinummius)

• sentī- (stem of sentīre) as senti- in senti-ficā- (stem of sentificāre)

• terrē- (stem of terrēre) as terri- in terri-fico- (stem of terrificus)

• verte- (stem of vertere) as verti- in Verti-cordiā- (stem of Verticordia)

• vincī- (stem of vincīre) as vinci- in vinci-ped- (stem of vincipēs)

• vome- (stem of vomere) as vomi- in vomi-fico- (stem of vomificus)

Other Connecting Vowels

     Other Connecting Vowels, such as o, are sometimes used instead of i.  The use of o was inspired by Greek compound words.  In Greek, o was the most common Connecting Vowel in compound words.

• With a: rectagōnum (stem recta-gōno-) instead of rectigōnum

• With e: fidedictor (stem fide-dictor-) instead of fididictor

• With o: tunicopallium (stem tunico-pallio-) instead of tunicipallium

• With o: albogalērus (stem albo-galēro-) instead of albigalērus

• With u: manutergium (stem manu-tergio-) instead of manitergium

     Some Stem Compounds ending in the verb facere (facio) have first parts (from substantival, adjectival, and verb stems) that end in e instead of i.

• calē- (stem of calēre) as cale- in cale-face- (stem of calefacere)

• candē- (stem of candēre) as cande- in cande-face- (stem of candefacere)

• domā- (stem of domāre) as dome- in dome-face (stem of domefacere)

• mātūro (stem of mātūrus) as mātūre- in mātūre-face- (stem of mātūrefacere)

• pingui- (stem of pinguis) as pingue- in pingue-face- (stem of pinguefacere)

     Stems ending in ov/ou and ū may become combining forms that have their final vowels or vowel combinations appear as ū.

• bū- (stem of bōs) as bū- in bū-caedā- (stem of būcaeda)

• sū- (stem of sūs) as sū- in sū-cerdā- (stem of sūcerda)

1. Two Groups of Compound Words in Latin
   1. Stem Compounds
      1. Three Types of Stem Compounds
      2. Two Main Parts of a Stem Compound
      3. Combining the Parts of a Stem Compound ← You Are Here
         1. First Part of a Stem Compound
            1. Latin Substantives
            2. Latin Adjectives
            3. Latin Verbs
            4. Special Combining Forms
         2. Second Part
            1. Nominative Form or Principal Part
            2. Inseparable Second Parts
               1. In Compounded Substantives
               2. In Compounded Adjectives
               3. In Compounded Verbs
            3. Special Terminations
   2. Syntactic Compounds
      1. Cases Forms
      2. Particles
      3. Inseparable Parts
2. Vocabulary
3. Bibliography

Latin Compounds | Pāginae Latīnitātis | DIĒS GAUDIĪ

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