2. The prefix mĭnus- was reduced to mis- (or mes-) in Gaul, perhaps at the close of the Vulgar Latin period: ✱mínus-prétiat ＞ mespreza. Menes- was used also. Cf. P. Marchot, Phon., pp. 43, 44.
3. Mostier is from ✱monistĕrium, altered, by the influence of ministĕrium, from monastērium. Comprar is from V. L. comperare. Calmelh calmelha (cf. calamel above) are Provençal formations from calm. Caresma or caresme seems to be from V. L. ✱quarrēsĭma = quadragēsĭma. Anedier ＜ anatarium shows the influence of anét ánet ＜ anătem (§ [48], 1).
4. In learned words the vowel is generally preserved: irregulár, irritár, pelicán, philozophía. The vowel is, however, often altered, the exchange of e and i being particularly frequent: esperít, femeníl, orifán, peligrí (e), soteirán (sotrán) ＜ subterraneum influenced by dereirán and primeirán.
46. Very often the intertonic vowel was preserved by the analogy of some cognate word or form in which that vowel was stressed: devinár through devín, finimén through finír, guerreiár through guerréia, noiridúra through noirír, oblidár through oblít, pertusár through pertúsa, reusar through reúsa, servidór through servíre.
1. In such cases the preserved vowel is sometimes altered, the exchange of e and i being especially common: avinén, covinén, sovinénsa, cf. venír, ven; enginhár, enginhós, cf. genh; envelzír, cf. vil; gememén, cf. gemír; issarnít (eissernít), from excĕrnĕre; randóla, from hirŭndŭla, perhaps influenced by randón; temerós (o), from ✱timorōsus, influenced by temér; traazó (i), from traditiōnem, with a substitution of suffix; volentiérs, from voluntarius, under the influence of volén ＜ volentem.
Penult.[28]
47. (1) The vowel of the penult of proparoxytones fell in many words in Vulgar Latin, especially between a labial and another consonant, and between two consonants one of which was a liquid: ✱avĭca ＞ ✱auca, cŏm(i)tem, cŏmp(u)tum, dēb(i)tum, dŏm(i)nus[29]; alt(e)ra, vĭg(i)lat, cal(i)dus, vĭr(i)dem; frig(i)dus, nĭtĭdus ＞ ✱nĭttus, pŏs(i)tus, pūtĭdus ＞ ✱pūttus.
(2) The classic Latin -culus comprises an original -clus (sæclum) and an original -culus (aurĭcŭla). In popular Latin both were -clus (✱macla, ŏclus, etc.), to which was assimilated -tŭlus in current words (vĕtŭlus ＞ vĕclus, etc.).
(3) Many popular words which in Vulgar Latin had very generally lost the vowel were for some reason introduced into southern Gaul in their classical forms, and not a few were adopted both in the uncontracted and in the syncopated state: fragĭlem ＞ frágel (cf. Fr. fraile, It. frale), jŭvĕnem ＞ iọve (cf. Fr. iuevne); clĕrĭcum ＞ clęrgue clĕr’cum ＞ clęrc, dēbĭtum ＞ dẹute dēb’tum ＞ dẹpte, flēbĭlem ＞ frẹvol flēb’lem ＞ frẹble, mal’habĭtum ＞ malaute mal’hab’tum ＞ malapte, nĭtĭdum ＞ nẹde ✱nĭttum ＞ nẹt, hŏmĭnem ＞ ome hŏm’nem ＞ omne, pŏpŭlum ＞ pǫbol pŏp’lum ＞ pǫble.
1. Cŏgnĭtum seems to have become ✱cónhede, whence coinde cuende conge. Cf. § [79], Gnd, Gnt.