Conjunction
/kənˈdʒʌŋk.ʃən/noun
The act of joining together; in grammar, a word that connects clauses or words, and in astronomy, the apparent meeting of two celestial bodies.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin conjunctionem, used for both joining things and the astronomical alignment of planets, so its history sits right at the crossroads of language and omen-reading.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*yeug-
“to join, yoke together”
Latin
Latin
iungere
“to join, couple, yoke”
Latin
Latin
coniungere
“to join together, unite”
Late Latin
Latin
coniunctionem
“a joining together; an astronomical conjunction”
Middle English
English
conjunccion
“a joining; in grammar, a connective word”
Modern English
English
conjunction
“the act of joining; a connecting word; an apparent meeting of celestial bodies”