1 com-
Cite this: eDIL s.v. 1 com- or dil.ie/10554Forms:
con-, con-gaib, cotam-, cot-, conid-, com, cum, comerchloithe, comimmaircide, com-imm-, comocus, com-imm-, coímm-, coímthecht, com, con, coindelg, congab, congnam, coingell, coinglecc, comglenn, cotarsnae, coitreb, cocad, cocur, coicéile, coicert, cutrummae, comchlante, cosnam, cob, cub, cobodail, cubaid, cubus, cobfolaid, cobfuil, cum, com, commess, co(i)m, combág, combáid, combráithres, combroid, commaídid, commám, congnam, cosnam, comnert, comgním, coicéile, comchéile, comlann, comlán, comlín, coimescar, com, cuitbiud, cuindchid, cuimrech, con-icc, com, can, com, comnart, com
prepositional prefix in composition with verbs, nouns
and adjj.
Thurn. Gramm. 502.4
. Bergin,
Ériu xiv 153
.
In verbs in pretonic position con- (con-icc, con-gaib), with
inf. pron. cotam-, cot-, conid-, etc. (
Thurn. Gramm. 257
-
8
,
503
). See also s. 5 con-.
Under the accent the treatment is as follows. Before
vowels and r, l, n com, cum (under infl. of follg. sound)
(comadas, comerchloithe, comimmaircide (earlier coímm-
< com-imm-, see below), comocus s.v. com(ḟ)ocus, comrád,
comlann, comnart, cumsanad). com-imm- gives coímm-
(
Thurn. Gramm. 112
,
502
) (coímchloud, coímthecht s.v.
coimitecht). Before b com (combach), before d, g con
(condalb, coindelg, congab, congnam. Note later lenition
of g in coingell, coinglecc and the artificial comglenn in
Ml.). Before t, c co, cu with voicing of follg. plosive (cotach,
cotarsnae, coitreb, cocad, cocur, coicéile, coicert, cutrummae.
Note the artificial comchlante in Sg.). Before s co (cosmail,
cosnam). Before f (earlier *w) co (cóir), later cob cub
(cobair, cobodail, cubaid, cubus, cobfolaid, cobfuil). Before
m cu (cuman), later cum, com (cummasc, commess).
Later co(i)m is used as the general form before all initials
(see exx. under coim-, com-), both the m and a follg. initial
c p t d g r l n f s being lenited. Before b, m the older pro-
cedure is retained, mb ultimately falling together with mm
to give m(m). But where the elements in a compd. remain
clear and in late formations -mb- (-mmb-, mhmb-, -mbb-
-mhbh-) is usually retained (combádud, combág, combáid,
combráithres, combroid). So also somet. mhm (mhmh)
for mm (commaídem, commaídid, commám).
In the early language the neutral quality of final -m was
retained before palatals (comnart, congnam, cosnam, with
re-composition comnert, comgním. Cf. coicéile comchéile,
comlann comlán comlín). Palatalization is later regular in
this position (coimchrith coimescar). Where com was
itself modified palatalization came in earlier (coicert,
cuitbiud, cuindchid, cuimrech etc.).
In old verbal compounds (con-dieig, con-icc) the semantic
function of com can as a rule only be conjectured. In
later formations with verbs (coimlenaid) and with adjj.
com has the adverbial force of
together, mutually, equally
,
with nouns the adjectival force of
mutual, equal
. The last-
mentioned are frequent in g
s. with adjectival function
(comchenél), the type comnart
strong
being rare. In all
late compds. com may function as a mere intensive prefix
greatly, very, completely, great, complete etc.
Frequently
the prefix serves merely to provide an alliterating word.
For com with adjj. forming the equative see 2 com-.