Copulative a
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The copulative a (also a copulativum, a athroistikon) is the prefix Script error: No such module "Lang". (Template:Translit) or Script error: No such module "Lang". (Template:Translit) used to express unity in Ancient Greek, derived from Proto-Indo-European *sm̥-, cognate to English same (see also symbel).[1]
An example is Script error: No such module "Lang". (Template:Translit 'brother'), from *sm̥-gʷelbhos, literally meaning 'from the same womb' (compare Delphi).
In Proto-Greek, the Proto-Indo-European phoneme *s at the beginning of a word became Script error: No such module "Lang". by debuccalization and syllabic *m̥ became Script error: No such module "Lang"., giving the combined form Script error: No such module "Lang".. The initial Script error: No such module "Lang". was sometimes lost by psilosis or Grassmann's law.
Cognate forms in other languages preserve the original Proto-Indo-European *s. For example, the Sanskrit prefix Template:Translit occurs in the name of the language, Script error: No such module "Lang". Template:Translit, literally 'put together'. Less exact cognates include English same and some, and Latin Script error: No such module "Lang". 'at the same time' and Script error: No such module "Lang". 'similar'.[2][3]
Other words in Greek are related, including Script error: No such module "Lang". (Template:Translit 'at the same time'), Script error: No such module "Lang". (Template:Translit 'same'), and Script error: No such module "Lang". (Template:Translit 'one'; from Proto-Indo-European *sem-s).[1][4]