§266. Syntactic Compounds

In many apparent compounds, complete words—not stems—have grown together in speech. These are not strictly compounds in the etymological sense. They are called Syntactic Compounds. Examples are:—

a. Compounds of faciō, factō, with an actual or formerly existing nounstem confounded with a verbal stem in ē-. These are causative in force.

• cōnsuē-faciō, habituate (cf. cōnsuē-scō, become accustomed).
• cale-faciō, cale-factō, to heat (cf. calē-scō, grow warm).

b. An adverb or noun combined with a verb:—

• bene-dīcō (bene, well, dīcō, speak), to bless.
• satis-faciō (satis, enough, faciō, do), to do enough (for).

c. Many apparent compounds of stems:—

• fide-iubeō (fide, surety, iubeō, command), to give surety.
• mān-suētus (manuī, to the hand, suētus, accustomed), tame.
• Mārci-por ( Mārcī puer), slave of Marcus.
• Iuppiter (†Iū, old vocative, and pater), father Jove.
• anim-advertō ( animum advertō), attend to, punish.

d. A few phrases forced into the ordinary inflections of nouns:—

• prō-cōnsul, proconsul (for prō cōnsule, instead of a consul).
• trium-vir, triumvir (singular from trium virōrum).
• septen-triō, the Bear, a constellation (supposed singular of septem triōnēs, the Seven Plough-Oxen).

In all these cases it is to be observed that words, not stems, are united.