Congress
UK[ˈkɒŋɡres]US[ˈkɑːŋɡrəs]
n
A formal meeting or series of meetings for discussion between delegates, especially from different political parties or nations.
n
(often Congress) A national legislative body, especially that of the United States.
Morpheme Breakdown
con
gress
con
together
gress
to step, to go
Etymology
The word 'congress' originates from the Latin 'congressus', the past participle of 'congredi', meaning 'to meet, to come together'. This verb itself is a compound of the prefix 'con-' (together) and 'gradi' (to step, to walk). The literal sense of 'walking together' evolved into the figurative meaning of 'a meeting' or 'an assembly'. In the late 18th century, it was adopted as the title for the national legislative body of the United States, emphasizing the concept of representatives from different states coming together to govern.
Analysis
Structure: con (together) + gress (to step, to go)
'con-' is a Latin prefix meaning 'together, with'. '-gress' is from the Latin verb 'gradi' (to step, to go), with its participial stem 'gress-'.
Examples
The bill was passed by both houses of Congress.
An international congress of physicists was held in Vienna.
The party congress will decide on the new policy direction.