LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbsecond conjugation, no passive, no supine stem

cōnīveō

cōnīveō (present infinitive cōnīvēre, perfect active cōnīxī or cōnīvī)
Classical[koːˈniː.we.oː]Ecclesiastical[koˈniː.ve.o]
cōnīvēns pres. act. ptcp.

Meaning

  1. to close or screw up the eyes, blink, wink
  2. to overlook, connive or turn a blind eye

Conjugation conjugation 2 no-supine

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.cōnīveōcōnīvēbamcōnīvēbōcōnīxī
cōnīvī		cōnīxeram
cōnīveram		cōnīxerō
cōnīverō
2nd sg.cōnīvēscōnīvēbāscōnīvēbiscōnīxistī
cōnīvistī		cōnīxerās
cōnīverās		cōnīxeris
cōnīveris
3rd sg.cōnīvetcōnīvēbatcōnīvēbitcōnīxit
cōnīvit		cōnīxerat
cōnīverat		cōnīxerit
cōnīverit
1st pl.cōnīvēmuscōnīvēbāmuscōnīvēbimuscōnīximus
cōnīvimus		cōnīxerāmus
cōnīverāmus		cōnīxerimus
cōnīverimus
2nd pl.cōnīvētiscōnīvēbātiscōnīvēbitiscōnīxistis
cōnīvistis		cōnīxerātis
cōnīverātis		cōnīxeritis
cōnīveritis
3rd pl.cōnīventcōnīvēbantcōnīvēbuntcōnīxērunt
cōnīxēre, cōnīvērunt, cōnīvēre		cōnīxerant
cōnīverant		cōnīxerint
cōnīverint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.cōnīveamcōnīvēremcōnīxerim
cōnīverim		cōnīxissem
cōnīvissem
2nd sg.cōnīveāscōnīvērēscōnīxerīs
cōnīverīs		cōnīxissēs
cōnīvissēs
3rd sg.cōnīveatcōnīvēretcōnīxerit
cōnīverit		cōnīxisset
cōnīvisset
1st pl.cōnīveāmuscōnīvērēmuscōnīxerīmus
cōnīverīmus		cōnīxissēmus
cōnīvissēmus
2nd pl.cōnīveātiscōnīvērētiscōnīxerītis
cōnīverītis		cōnīxissētis
cōnīvissētis
3rd pl.cōnīveantcōnīvērentcōnīxerint
cōnīverint		cōnīxissent
cōnīvissent
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.cōnīvē—
pres. 2nd pl.cōnīvēte—
fut. 2nd sg.cōnīvētō—
fut. 3rd sg.cōnīvētō—
fut. 2nd pl.cōnīvētōte—
fut. 3rd pl.cōnīventō—
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivecōnīvēre—
perfect infinitivecōnīxisse
cōnīvisse		—
present participlecōnīvēns—
gerundcōnīvendī, cōnīvendō, cōnīvendum

cō-nīvĕo (less correctly con-nī-vĕo; cf. Ritschl, Opusc. II. 448 sq.), nīvi (Cassius ap. Prisc. p. 866 P.; cf. Prob. II. p. 1482 ib.) or nixi (Turp. ap. Prisc. p. 866 P.;
I. perh. also connipsi, connipseram, App. M. 11, p. 146 Hildebr. Min.), 2 (access. form of inf. conivĕre, Calvus ap. Prisc. l. l.), v. n. niveo, kindr. with nico and nicto, to close or shut. *
I. In gen.: cava ventris ac stomachi inanitate diutinā contrahuntur et conivent, Gell. 16, 3, 3.—More freq.,
II. Esp., to close or shut the eyes (in sleep, from the light, from fear, etc.), to blink; or of the eyes, to close, shut, to half close when heavy with sleep (class. in prose and poetry).
A. Lit.: dum ego conixi somno, hic sibi prospexit vigilans virginem, Turp. l. l.; so Cic. Tusc. 1, 49, 117; Tac. A. 16, 5: coniventes illi oculi abavi tui, Cic. Har. Resp. 18, 38: conivent solemque pavent agnoscere visu, Sil. 7, 729; cf. Plin. 10, 3, 3, § 10: ad tonitrua et fulgura, Suet. Calig. 51: contra conminationem aliquam (gladiatores), Plin. 11, 37, 54, § 144.—With acc. Gr.: nam non conivi oculos ego deinde sopore, Cassius, l. l.: (oculis) somno coniventibus, Cic. N. D. 2, 57, 143; Col. 10, 259.—*
2. Poet., transf., of the sun and moon, to be darkened, obscured, eclipsed, Lucr. 5, 776.—
B. Trop.
1. In gen., to be dull, drowsy, or languid: certa sunt enim pleraque et nisi coniveamus, in oculos incurrunt, Quint. 10, 3, 16: multa nobis blandimenta natura ipsa genuit, quibus sopita virtus coniveret, Cic. Cael. 17, 41: animus atque mens viri prudentis in sollicitis numquam conivens, nusquam aciem suam flectens, etc., Gell. 13, 27, 4; cf. id. 2, 2, 9.—
2. (Like our phrase to wink at.) To leave an error or crime unnoticed or uncensured, to overlook, connive at, wink at, etc.: haec ipsa concedo: quibusdam etiam in rebus coniveo, Cic. Phil. 1, 7, 18: pro di immortales! cur interdum in hominum sceleribus maxumis aut conivetis aut ... poenas in diem reservetis? id. Cael. 24, 59: qui ob eam causam in tot tantisque sceleribus conivebant, id. Har. Resp. 24, 52; id. Agr. 2, 28, 77; Fragm. ap. Prob. II. p. 1482 P.: seditiosorum punitor acerrimus, conivebat in ceteris, Suet. Caes. 67; Pers. 6, 50.

Origins

Disputed. According to De Vaan, from earlier Proto-Italic *kom-kneiɣʷēō, from *kom- + *kneiɣʷēō, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *kneygʷʰ- (“to bend, to droop”). Rix suggests that the term derives from a Proto-Indo-European causative formed from *kneygʷʰ- + *-éyeti. According to Sihler, the possible Proto-Italic causative form *kom-knoyɣwejō may have undergone a phonological development from *kom-knoyɣwejō to *kongneyw- before culminating in connīveō. Sihler suggests that connīveō is the earlier form and that cōn- originates from connīveō via a possible Latin sound change in which long nasal consonants were shortened when placed after a short vowel followed by compensatory lengthening of the prior short vowel. Sihler suggests that this same sound shift may have occurred in Latin āmentum, perhaps from ammentum. However, a causative form *knoyʷʰéyeti would produce a Proto-Italic term beginning with *knoi-, and De Vaan suggests that the long vowel ī in -nīveō indicates a Proto-Italic diphthong *-ei-. Instead, De Vaan suggests that the term could derive from a Proto-Indo-European stative. According to De Vaan, the term shows a more specific phonetic development of *komkn-, to *koŋɣn-, to *koɣn-, before culminating in cōn-. De Vaan considers it possible that the term, and its Germanic cognates, actually derive from a substrate language due to unusual root structure and the limited distribution of Indo-European cognates. Cognate with nicō, nictō, nītor (“to bear or rest upon something”), and with Proto-Germanic *hnīwaną.

Descendants
  • Englishconnive
  • Middle Frenchconniver

Quick answers

What does cōnīveō mean in Latin?
cōnīveō, a verb, means “to close or screw up the eyes, blink, wink; to overlook, connive or turn a blind eye”.
What are the principal parts of cōnīveō?
cōnīveō, cōnīvēre, cōnīxī (second conjugation, no passive, no supine stem).
How do you pronounce cōnīveō?
In classical Latin, [koːˈniː.we.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [koˈniː.ve.o].