contemporary
UK[kənˈtem.pər.ər.i]US[kənˈtem.pə.rer.i]
adj
belonging to the same time or period
adj
belonging to or occurring in the present
n
a person or thing living or existing at the same time as another
n
a person of roughly the same age as another
Morpheme Breakdown
con
tempor
ary
con
together with
tempor
time
ary
pertaining to
Etymology
the word 'contemporary' is built from latin components. the prefix 'con-' signifies 'together', combined with the root 'tempor-', derived from the latin noun 'tempus' meaning 'time'. the adjectival suffix '-ary', of latin origin via french, indicates a relationship. thus, the literal construction means 'pertaining to being together in time'. this core notion of temporal coexistence evolved from its original application to people and events of the same historical period to also encompass the modern sense of being current or belonging to the present moment.
Analysis
Structure: con + tempor + ary
con- (latin origin, meaning 'together with'), tempor (latin origin, from 'tempus, tempor-', meaning 'time'), -ary (latin suffix via french, forming adjectives meaning 'pertaining to')
Examples
shakespeare was a contemporary of christopher marlowe.
she is deeply interested in contemporary art and music.
his work is highly regarded by his contemporaries in the field.