entry
conclusive
/kənˈkluːsɪv/settling the matter decisively
From Latin con- (together) + Latin clud / clus (to shut).
from Late Latin conclusivus
+1 more sourcefrom French conclusif
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin conclusivus
+1 more sourcefrom French conclusif
+1 more sourcefrom Latin conclūsīvē (“conclusively”)
Word Ancestry
from Late Latin conclusivus
+1 more sourcefrom French conclusif
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin conclusivus
+1 more sourcefrom French conclusif
+1 more sourcefrom Latin conclūsīvē (“conclusively”)
This word is basically a courtroom door slamming shut. Latin speakers took con-, meaning “together,” and glued it to claudere, “to shut,” so the original idea was something like “shut up together” or “brought to a close.” By the 1610s English was using conclusive first for things that came at the end, and only later for arguments so strong they ended the debate entirely. That makes it a cousin of conclude, exclude, include, and even close, all circling the same old image of a latch clicking into place. And just to keep the family tree tidy, this con- is not the negative con in “pro and con.” A conclusive argument doesn’t merely answer you; it closes the book and puts the bookmark in for good.
The Story
This word is basically a courtroom door slamming shut. Latin speakers took con-, meaning “together,” and glued it to claudere, “to shut,” so the original idea was something like “shut up together” or “brought to a close.” By the 1610s English was using conclusive first for things that came at the end, and only later for arguments so strong they ended the debate entirely. That makes it a cousin of conclude, exclude, include, and even close, all circling the same old image of a latch clicking into place. And just to keep the family tree tidy, this con- is not the negative con in “pro and con.” A conclusive argument doesn’t merely answer you; it closes the book and puts the bookmark in for good.
Kin & Kindred
From 'con-'·together, with
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'clud / clus'·to shut, close
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary