concepere

Concepere is the Latin infinitive of the verb concipere, meaning to conceive, to take in, or to undertake. The standard Latin form is concipere, but some medieval or glossarial texts may render variants such as concepere. The etymology combines con- “together” with capere “to take.”

In classical and Late Latin usage, concipere covers multiple senses. Physically, it can mean to conceive a child or to become pregnant. Intellectually, it can mean to form in the mind, to imagine, or to devise an idea, plan, or result. The sense can also extend to undertaking or initiating an enterprise, project, or intention.

Morphology and related terms reflect the act and product of conceiving. From concipere derive conceptus “something conceived” and conceptio “the act of conceiving.” These forms illuminate how Latin develops the nouns for result and process, such as conception and concept. The English vocabulary traces these roots in words like conception (the act of conceiving) and conceive (to become pregnant or to form an idea), with the root also yielding related terms such as concept and conceptus.

In linguistic and philosophical contexts, conceiving is linked to discussions of generation, formation, and the creation of ideas. The term’s semantic range in Latin influenced later medieval scholastic usage and the development of related modern terms in many Romance languages, where cognate verbs maintain the core sense of forming or taking in.

See also: conception, conceive, concept, conceptus, conceptio.