• animist@lemmy.one
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    1 year ago

    “cum” is Latin for “with” and is sometimes used in English to show that something is two things at once, so “minstrel-cum-clown” would be someone who is both a minstrel and a clown

    • Betty White In HD@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Huh, that seems plausible, but it’s usually between other Latin words. I can’t think of any where “cum” would be interjected between English words. Are there other examples, is this a thing?

      • clompy@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        I wouldn’t consider it odd to see it between two English words. ‘Seminar-cum-workshop’ is one example I found with plenty of search results.
        It’s also used (with the same meaning) in English place names e.g. the Beegees are from Chorlton-cum-Hardy.