rumpere

Rumpere is a Latin verb meaning to break, burst, or rupture; to breach a barrier or to interrupt a continuity. It can denote both physical breaking (as in breaking a wall) and figurative breaches (such as breaking a treaty, a silence, or a vow). In classical Latin it appears in narratives, legal and military contexts, and in everyday prose.

Conjugation and principal parts: rumpere belongs to the third conjugation. Principal parts are rumpo, rumpere, rupi, ruptum. The present active indicative forms are rumpo, rumpis, rumpit, rumpimus, rumpitis, rumpunt. The supine is ruptum; the perfect passive participle is ruptus (masculine), rupta (feminine), ruptum (neuter).

Etymology and derivatives: rumpere comes from Proto-Italic and is the source of many English derivatives such as rupture, erupt, corrupt, and interrupt. It has productive prefixed forms that expand its meaning, including erumpere (to break forth), interrumpere (to interrupt), and corrumpere (to corrupt). The core notion of breaking or breaching remains central across these compounds.

Usage: In Latin, rumpere is a transitive verb, taking a direct object in the accusative when referring to a thing broken (for example, murum rumpere to break through a wall). It also appears in idiomatic and metaphorical contexts, such as breaking agreements, bonds, or established norms. Compound forms with prefixes modify the nuance, producing senses such as breaking out, interrupting, or rupturing in broader figurative uses.