contribuo

Latin

Etymology

From con- +‎ tribuō.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /konˈtri.bu.oː/, [kɔn̪ˈt̪rɪbuoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /konˈtri.bu.o/, [kon̪ˈt̪riːbuo]

Verb

contribuō (present infinitive contribuere, perfect active contribuī, supine contribūtum); third conjugation

1. (transitive) to put together, combine, join in one, unite

   Synonyms: committō, addō, adiciō, adalligō, colligō, applicō, illigō, implicō

2. (transitive) to attach (a township, state, ruler, etc.) for political or administrative purposes
   1. (in general) to allot, assign
3. (transitive) to bring in one's share; to contribute, give

   Synonym: intribuō

   • c. 4 BCE – 65 CE, Seneca the Younger, De brevitate vitae 15:

     Horum te mori nemo coget, omnes docebunt; horum nemo annos tuos conteret, suos tibi contribuet; nullius ex his sermo periculosus erit, nullius amicitia capitalis, nullius sumptuosa obseruatio.

     No one of these will force you to die, but all will teach you how to die; no one of these will wear out your years, but each will add his own years to yours; conversations with no one of these will bring you peril, the friendship of none will endanger your life, the courting of none will tax your purse.

4. to incorporate, impart

   Synonym: participō

5. (Medieval Latin, intransitive, absolute, with ad, with in) to pay (a share), contribute
   • [episcopi et archidiaconi] dicunt quod contribuere non debent, [..] quia contributio fieret contra eum qui contraxit cum principe suo.

Usage notes

Unlike its Romance descendants or cōnferre, classically always transitive.

Conjugation

Conjugation of contribuō (third conjugation)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	contribuō	contribuis	contribuit	contribuimus	contribuitis	contribuunt
	imperfect	contribuēbam	contribuēbās	contribuēbat	contribuēbāmus	contribuēbātis	contribuēbant
	future	contribuam	contribuēs	contribuet	contribuēmus	contribuētis	contribuent
	perfect	contribuī	contribuistī	contribuit	contribuimus	contribuistis	contribuērunt, contribuēre
	pluperfect	contribueram	contribuerās	contribuerat	contribuerāmus	contribuerātis	contribuerant
	future perfect	contribuerō	contribueris	contribuerit	contribuerimus	contribueritis	contribuerint
passive	present	contribuor	contribueris, contribuere	contribuitur	contribuimur	contribuiminī	contribuuntur
	imperfect	contribuēbar	contribuēbāris, contribuēbāre	contribuēbātur	contribuēbāmur	contribuēbāminī	contribuēbantur
	future	contribuar	contribuēris, contribuēre	contribuētur	contribuēmur	contribuēminī	contribuentur
	perfect	contribūtus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	contribūtus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	contribūtus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	contribuam	contribuās	contribuat	contribuāmus	contribuātis	contribuant
	imperfect	contribuerem	contribuerēs	contribueret	contribuerēmus	contribuerētis	contribuerent
	perfect	contribuerim	contribuerīs	contribuerit	contribuerīmus	contribuerītis	contribuerint
	pluperfect	contribuissem	contribuissēs	contribuisset	contribuissēmus	contribuissētis	contribuissent
passive	present	contribuar	contribuāris, contribuāre	contribuātur	contribuāmur	contribuāminī	contribuantur
	imperfect	contribuerer	contribuerēris, contribuerēre	contribuerētur	contribuerēmur	contribuerēminī	contribuerentur
	perfect	contribūtus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	contribūtus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	contribue	—	—	contribuite	—
	future	—	contribuitō	contribuitō	—	contribuitōte	contribuuntō
passive	present	—	contribuere	—	—	contribuiminī	—
	future	—	contribuitor	contribuitor	—	—	contribuuntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		contribuere	contribuisse	contribūtūrum esse	contribuī	contribūtum esse	contribūtum īrī
participles		contribuēns	—	contribūtūrus	—	contribūtus	contribuendus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		contribuendī	contribuendō	contribuendum	contribuendō	contribūtum	contribūtū

Descendants

• Catalan: contribuir
• English: contribute
• French: contribuer
• Galician: contribuír
• Italian: contribuire
• Portuguese: contribuir
• Romanian: contribui
• Spanish: contribuir

References

• “contribuō” on page 478 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (2nd ed., 2012)

Further reading

• “contribuo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “contribuo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• contribuo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Portuguese

Verb

contribuo

1. first-person singular present indicative of contribuir