Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

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?

Submit Your Comment

or fill in the name and email fields below:

Comments

"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."

ArianGrammarian Sep-04-2008

0 vote   Permalink   Report Abuse

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

jedwardcooper Sep-11-2008

0 vote   Permalink   Report Abuse

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

mike7 Jan-30-2009

4 votes   Permalink   Report Abuse

Do you have a question? Submit your question here