collaborate

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 15, 2011 is: collaborate • \kuh-LAB-uh-rayt\  • verb 1 : to work jointly with others 2 : to cooperate with an enemy and especially an occupying force Examples: A number of reporters collaborated on the Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper series. "In a move partly aimed at strengthening ties ahead of a potential merger, the board of directors of the Lompico Water District agreed at Wednesday's meeting to collaborate with the San Lorenzo Valley Water District to replace a water line." -- From an article by Kimberly White in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, March 11, 2011 Did you know? The Latin prefix "com-," meaning "with, together, or jointly," is a bit of a chameleon -- it has a tricky habit of changing its appearance depending on what it's next to. If the word it precedes begins with "l," "com-" becomes "col-." In the case of "collaborate," "com-" teamed up with "laborare" ("to labor") to form Late Latin "collaborare" ("to labor together"). "Colleague," "collect," and "collide" are a few more examples of the "com-" to "col-" transformation. Other descendants of "laborare" in English include "elaborate," "laboratory," and "labor" itself. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.