-undus

Latin Etymology Possibly from la itc-pro *-ontnos, syncopated from itc-pro *-ontinos, from ine-pro *-onts *-ont- participial suffix + ine-pro *-is *-i- abstract noun-suffix + ine-pro *-nós adjective-forming suffix, or from ine-pro *-tr̥. The -undus suffix, first associated with intransitive deponent verbs as la sequor (la secundus), la orior (la oriundus), la lābor (la lābundus), and other relics, then transitioned from a derivative to an inflectional category, and the gerundive assumed its canonical shape and function. The sense of necessity (“needing to be read,” etc.) was a pragmatic outgrowth of the more basic meaning: a book that is readable or “disposed” to be read is one that probably should be read. As with the present participle, the vowel before la -n- varies depending on the conjugation class of the verb. All first-conjugation verbs use la -andus and all second-conjugation verbs use la -endus. Verbs of the third and fourth conjugations show variation between la (i)-undus (derived from PIE o-grade) and la -endus -(i)-endus (derived from PIE zero-grade), with the latter form dominant by Classical Latin, though not as completely as in the present participle: older Latin still has vertundus, legundus, etc. Compare the even rarer relics of o-grade vocalism in the present participle, such as the oblique stem la eunt- of la iēns and the stem la volunt- preserved in the noun la voluntās. The derivation from gerundive to the later gerund could then be as easy as an abstraction from “ad librum legendum” (“to the book to be read”) to “ad legendum” (“in order to read”). Compare la -bundus and la -cundus. Pronunciation Suffix -undus inflectional suffixes derives adjective nouns from verbs, similar to present participles, but without the present time restriction la sequor follow → la secundus following la orior rise → la oriundus rising, originating la lābor glide, slide, fall → la lābundus falling la rotō turn around, roll → la rotundus rolling Old Latin or archaic ending of the future passive participle (gerundive) of third- and fourth-conjugation verbs; also classically retained in the following legal set phrase: la pecuniae la repetundae bribery (beside classical la repetendus) Declension -undus Derived terms la la *crepundus Related terms la -cundus -bundus -āns//-ēns -andus -endus Descendants frm -ond fr -ond References