Kilo Lingo

#763 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

to touch, reach; to happen, befall

Examples

veniret.

It happened that the king came.

.

The flame reaches the roof.

.

This has never happened to me.

.

The water was touching his feet.

.

He does not dare touch his hand.

Contingo, contingere, contigi, contactum is third conjugation, cum plus tango with the vowel weakened, so the perfect drops the nasal: contigi, not contingi. English contact comes straight off the supine.

The two senses are one idea seen from either end. Something that touches you happens to you, and from that the verb becomes impersonal: contingit ut with the subjunctive, "it comes about that". Classical usage adds a flavour English loses, since contingit tends to mark good luck while accidit leans towards the unwelcome and evenit is neutral. In practice later writers ignore the distinction. Watch the two present forms: contingit is present, contigit is perfect, and one letter is the whole difference.

Where this fits

Add to review queue

Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.

Go to my review queue

Latin · Free printables

contingo: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "contingo" (to touch, reach; to happen, befall): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

Free for members

The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.

Start your free week

This word is part of lesson 16.