noun · neutersecond declension
comitium
comitium n (genitive comitiī or comitī)
Classical[kɔˈmɪ.ti.ũː]Ecclesiastical[koˈmit.t͡si.um]
Meaning
- neuterA place in the forum where comitia (election assemblies) were held.
Potestne tibi haec lūx, Catilīna, aut huius caelī spīritus esse iūcundus, cum sciās esse hōrum nēminem, quī nesciat tē prīdiē Kalendās Iānuāriās, Lepidō et Tullō cōnsulibus, stetisse in comitiō cum tēlō?
Can the light of this [life], Catiline, or the breath of this sky be pleasant for you, when you know there is not one of these [senators] who does not know that on the day before the Kalends of January, when Lepidus and Tullus were consuls, you stood in the assembly with a weapon?63 BCE, Cicero, In Catilinam orationes 1.15
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Concilium · Concio · Comitia · Cœtus · Conventus
1. Concilium, concio, and comitia are meetings summoned for fixed purposes; concilium (ξυγκαλεῖν), an assembly of noblemen and persons of distinction, of a committee, of the senate, the individual members of which are summoned to deliberate, like συνέδριον; whereas concio and comitia mean a meeting of the community, appointed by public proclamation, for passing resolutions or hearing them proposed; concio (ciere, κιών) means any orderly meeting of the community, whether of the people or of the soldiery, in any state or camp, like σύλλογος; comitia (from coire) is an historical term, confined to a Roman meeting of the people, as ἐκκλησία to an Athenian, and ἁλία to a Spartan. 2. Cœtus and conventus are voluntary assemblies; cœtus (from coire) for any purpose, for merely social purposes, for a conspiracy, and so forth, like σύνοδος; whereas conventus, for a serious purpose, such as the celebration of a festival, the hearing of a discourse, and so forth, like ὁμήγυρις, πανήγυρις. (v. 108.)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | comitium | comitia |
| genitive | comitiī comitī | comitiōrum |
| dative | comitiō | comitiīs |
| accusative | comitium | comitia |
| ablative | comitiō | comitiīs |
| vocative | comitium | comitia |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- comitia habere
- to hold a meeting of the people.
- comitiis consulem creari
- to be chosen consul at the elections.
- comitiis (Abl.) convenire
- to meet for elections.
- comitia magistratibus creandis
- meetings for the election of officers.
cŏm-ĭtĭum, ii, n. locus a coëundo, id est insimul veniendo, est dictus, Paul. ex Fest. p. 38, 12 Müll.; cf. Varr. L. L. 5, § 155 id.: comitium ab eo quod coibant eo comitiis curiatis, et litium causā.
I. In sing., the place for the assembling of the Romans voting by the curiœ situated near the Forum, and separated from it by the ancient Rostra, but sometimes considered as a part of the Forum in a more extended sense (hence, in Dion. Halic. ὁ κράτιστος and ό ἐπιφανέστατος τῆς ἀγορᾶς τόπος): IN COMITIO AVT IN FORO, XII. Tab. ap. Auct. Her. 2, 13, 20; Cic. Sest. 35, 75; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 22, § 58; id. Brut. 84, 289; Liv. 1, 36, 5; 27, 36, 8; 10, 24, 18; Plaut. Curc. 4, 1, 9 et saep.; cf. Dict. of Antiq.—
B. Transf., any place of assembly out of Rome;
so of the Ephoreum at Sparta, Nep. Ages. 4, 2.—C. Trop.:
quod (es) esset animi vestibulum et orationis janua et cogitationum comitium, App. Mag. 7, p. 278, 1; so, sacri pectoris, Mam. Grat. Act. ad Jul. 15.—II. Plur.: cŏmĭtĭa (access. form cŏmĭtĭae, Fratr. Arval. ap. Marin. p. 43; Gloss. Labb. p. 33), the assembly of the Romans for electing magistrates, etc., the comitia.—The comitia were of three kinds.
1. Comitia curiata, the most ancient, voting by curiæ, held in the comitium (v. I.), gradually restricted by,
2. The Comitia centuriata, the proper assembly of the populus Romanus, voting by centuries, instituted by Servius Tullius, continuing through the whole time of the republic, commonly held in the Campus Martius (not in the comitium, as is asserted by many from the similarity of the name; cf.
campus, II.), Gell. 15, 27, 2 sqq.; Cic. Agr. 2, 11, 27; id. Dom. 14, 38; Liv. 5, 52, 15; cf. Cic. Leg. 3, 19, 44.—3. Comitia tributa, voting by tribes, and commonly held in the Forum, but in choosing magistrates, freq. in the Campus Martius, convened for the first time in the trial of Coriolanus, two years after the introduction of the office of tribune of the people. In them the inferior magistrates (Ædiles, tribunes of the people, quæstors), and, later, the Pontifex Maximus also, were chosen, Cic. Leg. 3, 19, 45; id. Agr. 2, 11, 27; Liv. 2, 58, 1; 2, 60, 4; Gell. 15, 27, 3; cf.
Dict. of Antiq.—Upon the comitia calata, v. 1, calo.—The usual t. t. for holding such comitia is: comitia habere, Cic. Div. 2, 18, 43; freq. in all periods; they were designated according to the magistrates who were to be chosen in them, as consularia, Cic. Verr. 1, 6, 17; id. Mur. 18, 38: praetoria, Liv. 10, 22, 8: tribunicia, Cic. Att. 1, 1, 1; Liv. 6, 39, 11: militaria, Liv. 3, 51, 8: quaestoria, Cic. Fam. 7, 30, 1; cf. also: comitia consulum, Liv. 3, 20, 8; and: comitia fiunt regi creando, id. 1, 35, 1: edicere comitia consulibus creandis, id. 3, 37, 5: comitia conficere, Cic. Fam. 10, 36, 12: differre, Liv. 6, 37, 12: dimittere, Cic. Att. 1, 14, 5: ducere, id. ib. 4, 15, 7: inire, Suet. Vesp. 5.—B. Transf., of other elections, out of Rome, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 52, § 129; Liv. 42, 43, 7; Tab. Heracl. v. 24 sq.—
C. Trop.:
ibo intro, ubi de capite meo sunt comitia, i. e., where my fate is deciding, Plaut. Aul. 4, 7, 20: Pseudulus mihi centuriata capitis habuit comitia, id. Ps. 4, 7, 134: meo illic nunc sunt capiti comitia, id. Truc. 4, 3, 45.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
comitium ī, n
com- + I-, a place of assembly, place of meeting: in comitio esse Spartae, i. e. the Ephoreium, N.—Esp., a place adjoining the Forum, in which the Comitia curiata were held, the comitium, C., Cs., L., Ta.; see also comitia.
Origins
From comes (“companion, comrade”) + -ium, from com- + the stem of eō.
Descendants
- Frenchcomice
- Italiancomizio
- Portuguesecomício
- Spanishcomicio
- Friuliancomizi
- Piedmontesecomissi