Submitted by jakemontero  •  September 1, 2008

con cum with

I’ve seen some writeups around the internet where they use the word “con-cum” or “con cum with”. I know “cum” means with in Latin like “suma cum laude” or transformation like “bus cum green house (bus converted to green house). Can anyone tell me how to use “cum” correctly, or should I avoid it as much as possible?

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Mike  (unregistered)

January 30, 2009, 9:01pm

Better not to use "cum" at all unless you're speaking/writing in Latin.

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ArianGrammarian  (unregistered)

September 4, 2008, 9:38am

"Cum" usually means that something performs two functions. So a "bus-cum-greenhouse" wouldn't work (unless you're planning to drive the greenhouse around). A better example would be a "garage-cum-workshop." And yes, it's Latin for "with."

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jedwardcooper  (unregistered)

September 11, 2008, 8:06pm

and, as in ArianGrammarian's example, use the hyphens.

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