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- "Contubernalis est laetus."
19 Comments
What is the difference between "comites" (if I remember the word right) and contubernalis? I see them both translated as "comrade"
Comes/comites is translated with comrades, and contubernalis with tent-mate, in another Duolingo's sentence.
I think they can be both synonyms, but Comes is more a friend, a comrade, and Contubernalis someone who share a room or a tent (so, with a meaning of "friend" later in history)
Note that the word comrade in English has the same meaning etymologically, it comes from French camarade, and camarade comes from Spanish camarada = people who are in the same room (army, board school, etc...)
I think we could also use companion, as compagnon is etymologically someone who what you share your bread (= a close friend), from French com/co-pain/pagnon/pagne/pine.
Co-pain = same/share-bread.
Comes gave French Comité, anglicized later in Comity.
Etymologyonline says than Comité is from Latin comitas "courtesy, friendliness, kindness, affability," from comis "courteous, friendly, kind," but I find it more logical it comes from Comites, as comites really have the meaning "to be associated with".
Contabernalis is Con + taberna.
Sharing a taberna! What's weird.
A contuburnia is a military squad. An 8 man tent group. In a soldier's world view a contuburnia is the closest family group there is.
"Contubernālis" seems to imply that they share a tent, whereas "comes" conveys a more general sense of comrade.
In music terminology a "comes" is the voice in imitation of a melody ("dux") in Canon, in the sense that "comes" follows the leader. Perhaps this meaning is from a later era and not to be found in classical Latin?
685
Yes, it is from a later area. In Classical Latin comes was a companion or a comrade, etymologically, "a person that goes with another person". In Classical Latin dux meant "a leader", "a general". In Medieval Latin comes came to mean "a count"; and dux, "a duke". From these late meanings related with the nobility, the musical terms to which you have referred must come.
- 266
I used the duolingo tent-mate for contubernalis and it was wrong! It wanted comrade!!! IRATUS SUM!
- 1145
2019-09-26 I get tubernal- <- source of "tabernacle" = tent, and con = together with. Is that far off?
Timor mortis conturbat me.
- 685
More or less; contubernalis = cum + taberna + -alis = "Person living in the same tent as another one".
We also have contubernium "A group of six to eight soldiers sharing the same tent".
So, "taberna" is also a tent? I have the dictionary entry "tectum" for tent (but first meaning= roof), from the verb tegere, to cover/protect.
Someone could explain further please?
- 1568
General question: why don't the dictation questions (of which there are too many, in my opinion) have the option of playing slowly, like the excercises in other languages?
