cū̆nctus

cū̆nct-us uit.-lat. ganz, gänzlich; (daher) alles

Adjektiv cū̆nctus (feminin cū̆ncta, sächlich cū̆nctum); Adjektiv erster/zweiter Deklination

1. kollektiv, alle zusammen; das Ganze, Alles
   • Synonyme: (im Plural) omnis, (im Singular) tōtus

Uncertain. Proposals include:

• From concitus by syncope per Pokorny (1959), accepted by De Vaan (2008) with some reservations. Ernout and Meillet (1985) reject this etymology, and also reject the ancient etymology from co(n)iūnctus.
• According to Sihler (1995), from Proto-Indo-European *ponkʷ-u- (“whole, entire”), which he reconstructs as the ancestor also of Hittite 𒉺𒀭𒆪𒍑(pa-an-ku-uš, “whole, entire; senate”) and Hittite [script needed] (pa-an-kur, “family, relations”), as well as the middle part of Ancient Greek ἅπαξ (hápax, “singly”). The Latin form would then show the same /p – kʷ > kʷ – kʷ/ assimilation as in quīnque. De Vaan rejects this etymology, saying that based on its genitive singular form pankawaš, Hittite pankuš cannot be cognate to Latin cū̆nctus and is more likely related to Sanskrit बहु (bahu).
• From Proto-Indo-European *ponkʷ-to- (“whole, entire”), from *pénkʷe (“whole hand; five (fingers)”). In this case cognate to Sanskrit पञ्च (pañca, “spread out”), Sanskrit प्रपञ्चन (prapañcana, “copiousness”).
• Ancient etymologists explained it as a contraction of *cōiūnctus, making it a doublet of coniūnctus (“conjoined, connected”); this is today rejected.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈkuːnk.tus/, [ˈkuːŋkt̪ʊs̠] or IPA^(key): /ˈkunk.tus/, [ˈkʊŋkt̪ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈkunk.tus/, [ˈkuŋkt̪us]
• Note: the length of the root vowel is uncertain; length is regular before /nkt/, but this depends on whether the syncope preceded the lenthening. This is further complicated by the existence in Latin of an Osthoff's law-like tendency to shorten vowels followed by nasal+stop consonants. Compare the same uncertainity in the unrelated verb cū̆nctor, likely influenced by the adjective via false-etymological derivation or vice versa.