Latin mecum, tecum, etc.

[Steve Gustafson]

Lionel Bonnetier wrote:

> Is there any obvious reason
> why -cum is the only instance of the archaic system? May
> *kom (cum) and *ko (cis) and *kwe (-que) be related
> etymologically around the idea of "here-nearby-with"?

It isn't necessarily the only instance; 'propter,' 'contra,' and
'versus' are often put after the noun they govern, and forms such as
'quapropter' became lexicalised.  Which ones are treated as suffixes and
which as particles following a noun is more of a matter of current
orthography; the Romans themselves originally wrote without word
breaks.  These prepositions are more obviously case forms of other roots
than 'cum' is, though.

--
Steven A. Gustafson, attorney at law
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