contubernium

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin contubernium

Noun

contubernium (uncountable)

  1. (Ancient Rome) A type of quasi-marriage between slaves.
  2. (Ancient Rome) A type of small squadron.

Latin

Etymology

From con- (with, shared) +‎ taberna (hut; tent) +‎ -ium.

Pronunciation

Noun

contubernium n (genitive contuberniī or contubernī); second declension

  1. (historical military) a squad of soldiers sharing a single tent, usually 6–8 men
  2. attendance (in war)
  3. attendance, accompanying (of teachers, friends, etc.)
  4. marriage of slaves
  5. a dwelling together (referring to animals)
  6. a dwelling of different persons
  7. (in general) household, company

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

singular plural
nominative contubernium contubernia
genitive contuberniī
contubernī1
contuberniōrum
dative contuberniō contuberniīs
accusative contubernium contubernia
ablative contuberniō contuberniīs
vocative contubernium contubernia

1Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Meronyms

  • (unit of soldiers): centuria (10 contubernia); cohors (60 contubernia); legio (notionally 600 contubernia)

Descendants

  • Portuguese: contubérnio

References

  • contubernium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • contubernium”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • "contubernium", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • contubernium”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • contubernium”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • contubernium”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin