contemporaneae

Contemporaneae is a Latin term formed as the feminine plural nominative of the adjective contemporaneus, meaning “contemporary” or “of the same time.” In Latin, adjectives agree with the nouns they modify, so contemporaneae would describe feminine plural nouns. For example, feminae contemporaneae can mean “the contemporary women,” and mulieres contemporaneae likewise conveys the same sense. The form also appears in other cases and numbers according to Latin syntax, such as contemporaneas in the feminine plural accusative.

Etymology and sense: contemporaneus derives from con- (together, with) and tempus (time), yielding a core meaning of existing at the same time. The feminine plural contemporaneae is one of several inflected forms used to express temporal contemporaneity in Latin texts. The word provides a clear example of Latin adjectives used attributively to specify a relationship of time between subjects and reference points.

Usage and context: Contemporaneae most often appears in Latin prose, poetry, inscriptions, or scholarly apparatus where authors discuss people, works, or events that belong to the same period as a referenced subject. It typically functions as an ordinary descriptive modifier rather than a proper noun. In translation, the phrase is rendered as “the contemporary women” or more generally “contemporary (feminine) entities,” depending on the noun it modifies.

Modern relevance: Contemporaneae is not a commonly used term outside of Latin-language contexts. It is primarily of interest to students and scholars of Latin grammar, classical literature, or historical texts. Related terms in other languages include Italian contemporanee and English contemporary, which share the same etymological roots.