Copulative a

Copulative a

The copulative a (also a copulativum, a athroistikon) is the prefix ha- or a- expressing unity in Ancient Greek, derived from Proto-Indo-European *sm̥-, cognate to English same (see also Symbel).[1]

An example is a-delphos "brother", from *sm̥-gwelbhos literally "from the same womb" (c.f. Delphi)

In Proto-Greek, s at the beginning of a word became h by debuccalization and syllabic m̥ became a, giving ha-. The initial h was sometimes lost by psilosis.

Cognate forms in other languages preserve the s: for example, the Sanskrit prefix saṃ- in the name of the language, saṃ-s-kṛtā "put together". Less exact cognates include English same and some, and Latin simul "at the same time" and sīmilis "similar".[2][3]

Other words in Greek are related, including háma "at the same time", homós "same", and heís "one" (from *sem-s).[1][4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b ἀ-. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at Perseus Project
  2. ^ Harper, Douglas. "same". Online Etymology Dictionary. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=same. 
  3. ^ "same". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2nd ed. 1989.
  4. ^ ἅμα, ὁμός, εἷς in Liddell and Scott

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  • copulative — [käp′yo͞olāt΄iv, käp′yo͞olə tiv, käp′yəlāt΄iv, käp′yələ tiv] adj. [ME copulatif < LL copulativus < L copulatus: see COPULATE] 1. joining together; coupling 2. Gram. a) connecting coordinate words, phrases, or clauses [a copulative… …   English World dictionary

  • Copulative — Cop u*la tive, a. [L. copulativus: cf. F. copulatif.] Serving to couple, unite, or connect; as, a copulative conjunction like and . [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Copulative — Cop u*la*tive, n. 1. Connection. [Obs.] Rycaut. [1913 Webster] 2. (Gram.) A copulative conjunction. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Copulative — may refer to: Copula (linguistics), a part of speech Copulation, the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproducing animals for insemination and subsequent internal fertilization This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the… …   Wikipedia

  • copulative — copulatively, adv. /kop yeuh lay tiv, leuh tiv/, adj. 1. serving to unite or couple. 2. Gram. a. involving or consisting of connected words or clauses: a copulative sentence. b. pertaining to or serving as a copula; serving to connect subject and …   Universalium

  • copulative — I. adjective Date: 14th century 1. a. joining together coordinate words or word groups and expressing addition of their meanings < a copulative conjunction > b. functioning as a copula 2. relating to or serving for copulation II. noun Date: 1530 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • copulative — ● copulatif, copulative adjectif (latin copulativus) Se dit d un élément linguistique qui sert à lier, qui exerce une fonction de copule. ● copulatif, copulative (synonymes) adjectif (latin copulativus) Se dit d un élément linguistique qui sert à …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • copulative — /ˈkɒpjulətɪv/ (say kopyoohluhtiv) adjective 1. serving to unite or couple. 2. involving or consisting of connected words or clauses. 3. of the nature of a copula: a copulative verb. 4. of or relating to copulation. –noun 5. a copulative word.… …  

  • copulative — noun (C) technical a word or word group that connects other word groups copulative adjective …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • copulative — cop•u•la•tive [[t]ˈkɒp yəˌleɪ tɪv, lə tɪv[/t]] adj. 1) serving to unite or couple 2) gram. a) (of a verb) pertaining to or serving as a copula b) (of a conjunction) serving to connect words, phrases, or clauses of equal rank with a cumulative… …   From formal English to slang

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