The Latin Prefix com

The Latin prefix com means with or together in many English derivatives. This prefix can also mean completely, intensely, or all together. It is derived from cum, a Latin prefix and preposition.

This prefix comes in several forms, depending on the first letter of the root word to which it is connected: In our lists we will find col- and con- as well as com- and co-.

1. collaborate (v.): To work with or together. Do republicans collaborate with democrats? The company succeeded through the collaborative effort of more than a dozen employees. See more derivatives from laborare.

2. collapse (v.): to slip or fall completely. The collapse of an old building or a friendship. The drunken man collapsed on the bar. See more derivatives from lapsus.

3. colloquial (adj.): involving common conversation, speaking together. After work the boss let down her hair and spoke colloquially with her employees. Good friends use colloquial expressions rather than formal speech. See more derivatives from loquor, loqui, locutus.

4. collusion (n.): To collude means literally to play together. However, it is commonly used to mean to conspire together to cheat or to commit fraud. Several students colluded on the final exam. Two CEO’s were found guilty of collusion in overestimating company earnings. See more derivatives from ludere.

5. commiserate (v.): To be miserable with or to suffer together. The members of the losing team commiserated in the locker room. Joe commiserated with his brother after the break-up of his marriage. See more derivatives from miser, misera, miserum.

6. complacent (adj.): Literally, pleased with. One who is complacent is so please with himself that he is not aware of any risk or danger of failure. After winning five games in a row, the team became complacent and lost to a much lesser opponent. See more derivatives from placere.

7. complicity (n.): The Latin root of complicity means folded together. It is used to describe involvement in wrongdoing. He was ashamed of his complicity in the crime. See more derivatives from plicare.

8. compulsion (n.): The Latin root for this word means to push together. Although pressed into the study of Latin by compulsion, many students begin to enjoy learning the language. See more derivatives from pellere.

9. compulsory (adj.): Unavoidable and mandatory; something that everyone is pushed or forced into doing. Education is compulsory for children. The figure skaters performed the compulsory routines. See more derivatives from pellere

10. compunction (n.): When your conscience feels the intense pin prick of remorse after doing wrong, that is compunction. The thief felt no compunction about robbing the old lady’s home. The children felt compunction after stealing warm cookies from under their mother’s nose. See more derivatives from pungere.

11. compute (v.): To think with or together; to think thoroughly or completely. The mathematician’s mind was like a computer, so quick and accurate in calculation. The accountant computed furiously during tax season. (The prefix com + putare) See more derivatives from putare.

12. concede (v.): Literally, to go with. This word means to yield or to acknowledge as true. The Latin root cedere means to go, to move, or to yield. The politician conceded the election to his opponent. The wife conceded to her husband. See more derivatives from cedere.

13. conciliate (v.): to overcome the distrust of another, to win over. The Latin root conciliare means to bring together or to win over. See more derivatives from conciliare.

14. concord (n.): Shared feeling, agreement; harmony. There was concord among all the players of the team. This word means literally to be of the same heart, to share a heart. See more derivatives from cor, cordis.

15. concur (v.): To run together, i.e. to agree with; to happen together at the same time. She was right and I had to concur. The two events were concurrent, so we could not attend both. See more derivatives from currere.

16. condescend (v.): To come down to be with a person of lower rank, or to act as though you are going out of your way to do so. The queen condescended to speak to a common citizen. The waiter at the steak house had such a condescending attitude, we hardly enjoyed our meal. See more derivatives from scandere.

17. condolence (n.): Shared grief, pain, or suffering. I couldn’t fly home for the funeral when my uncle died, but I sent my condolences to the family. See more derivatives from dolere.

18. conducive (adj.): Tending to cause, produce, or allow. The climate in the Northwest is conducive to tall pine trees. The new school was conducive to learning. (The prefix com + ducere) See more derivatives from ducere.

19. confederacy (adj.): Connected by treaty, united, allied. The Southern Confederacy broke away from the union. See more derivatives from foedus, foederis.

20. congregate (v.): To gather together as a group or flock. The photographers congregated in the lobby of the hotel. The pastor spoke to his congregation. See more derivatives from grex, gregis.

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