• concur •
Pronunciation: kên-kêr • Hear it!Part of Speech: Verb, intransitive
Meaning: 1. To coincide, converge, to happen simultaneously. 2. To agree.
Notes: Today's Good Word comes with an adjective that has a noun: concurrent and concurrence. Don't forget to double the R. The adjective has a meaning that concurs with those of the verb: "occurring side by side, coinciding, conjoint" and "accordant, agreeing".
In Play: Here is an agreeable way to disagree with someone: "I concur with all you said except the major points." Don't forget this word can also mean "coincide": "My appearance at the water cooler accidentally concurred with the discovery of the frog swimming around in the water."
Word History: In the early 15th century, today's word meant "collide, clash in hostility", because it was a redesign of Latin concurrere "to run together, assemble hurriedly; clash, fight". This led to the senses of "to happen at the same time" and of "to agree". The Latin original comprised com- "(together) with" + currere "to run". The English adjective current is a makeover of the present participle of currere. The PIE prototype of the root of this word also provided a starting point for car (from Latin carrus "wagon"), cargo (from Spanish cargar "to load"), Afrikaans kraal, from Portuguese curral "pen", inherited from Vulgar (Street) Latin currale "enclosure for carts". English borrowed corral from the Spanish correlate of the same word. (I assume we all concur that Joakim Larsson of Sweden should receive our heartiest gratitude for submitting today's Good Word.)
