I am under the impression that both coterminous and conterminous have exactly the same meaning. There was a remark that Latin purists prefer conterminous. Why?
Is there any significant difference between the two? Do co- and con- have same effect on words?
I am looking for any additional information about these two words which would help me understand them better.
Best Answer
Yes, conterminous and coterminous both mean "to share a boundary".
According to the entries for co- and con-, below, co- is an Anglicising of con-, which is possibly why Latin purists prefer con-
In this instance co- and con- both mean together or with.
Etymology of co-
Etymology of con-