coactum

Coactum is a Latin term that functions as the neuter singular form of the perfect passive participle coactus, from the verb cogere (to force, compel). As an adjective, it describes something that has been forced or compelled and agrees with neuter nouns in gender and number. In Latin grammar, coactum can also be used as a participial form to express a past, completed action in a passive sense.

In usage, coactum appears in classical and later Latin texts to denote coercion, constraint, or the result of forcible action. It can appear in sentences with the verb esse to form a passive periphrasis, such as hoc coactum est, meaning “this has been forced.” When the neuter noun phrase is involved, coactum serves to modify the idea of a thing that has been compelled, while feminine or masculine forms such as coacta or coactus are used to agree with the noun’s gender.

Etymologically, coactum derives from cogere, with related forms including coactus (masc.), coacta (fem.), and coactio (coaction or act of coercion). The term is primarily encountered in Latin grammars, dictionaries, and scholarly discussions of coercion-related vocabulary in Latin, as well as in translations of Latin texts where a passive sense of coercion is conveyed.

In modern contexts, coactum is largely restricted to linguistic, philological, and historical studies of Latin. It is not a common English word outside scholarly notes, but it remains a standard example of the neuter form of a Latin perfect passive participle.