coram

See also: Coram and córam

Latin

Etymology 1

From a compound involving co- (with) and ōs, ōris (mouth). Perhaps from an intermediate Proto-Italic adjective *co-os-o-(s), with ending taken from clam. Compare palam. [1]

The ablative is from the PIE comitative-instrumental.

Pronunciation

Adverb

cōram (not comparable)

  1. in person, face to face, personally
  2. publicly, openly, by word of mouth
Synonyms
Antonyms

Preposition

cōram (+ ablative)

  1. in the presence of, before
    • c. 4 BCE – 65 CE, Seneca the Younger, Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium 47.4:
      Sīc fit: ut istī dē dominō loquantur — quibus cōram dominō loquī nōn licet.
      Thus it happens: that those [slaves] talk about [their] master [behind his back] — [slaves] for whom to speak in-person with the master is not permitted.
      (In other words, enforced silence when in-person results in covert gossip.)
    • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Exodus.20.3:
      Non habebis deos alienos coram me.
      Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

Noun

coram

  1. accusative singular of cora

References

  1. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “coram”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 133

Further reading

  • coram”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • coram”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • coram”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
    • to praise a man to his face: aliquem coram, in os or praesentem laudare
    • to speak personally to..: coram loqui (cum aliquo)

Portuguese

Verb

coram

  1. third-person plural present indicative of corar