-dem
Latin
Etymology
Misinterpretation of -em. When the old ablative cases of is, eōd, eād, became eō, eā, the true forms eōd-em, eād-em were interpreted as eō-dem, eā-dem. The neuter nominative singular id-em is natural and gives earlier emem (= later eundem). The new marker -dem then served to create totidem, tantumdem, ibīdem, etc. Compare tam-en with its later doublet: tan-dem (← *tam-dem).
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /dem/, [d̪ɛ̃ˑ]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /dem/, [d̪em]
Suffix
-dem (not comparable)
- (unproductive) demonstrative ending
- ibī (“in that place”) > ibidem (“in that very place”)
- ita (“in this way”) > itidem (“likewise”)
- quī (“whereby”) > quidem (“indeed”)
- is (“he, it”) > īdem (“the same”)
- tam (“to such an extent”) > tandem (“finally”)
- tantus (“of much size”) > tantusdem (“just as much”)
- *pri ("before") > prīdem (“long ago; previously”)
Derived terms
References
- Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN