I am familiar with the word condign pretty much exclusively in the (pompous but not obsolete) phrase “condign punishment,” and I suspect this is the case for most modern users of the language; that Wiktionary article defines it as “Fitting, appropriate, deserved, especially denoting punishment.” But when I checked the OED, whose entry dates back to 1891, I find a whole series of senses, beginning with the obsolete senses “1. † Equal in worth or dignity (to)” (c1470 “This Kyng Arthure, to whom none was condigne Through all the world,” J. Hardyng, Chronicle lxxxiv. vii), “2. † Worthy, deserving” (a1513 “She hath great honour..As most condigne to beare the principalite,” H. Bradshaw, Lyfe St. Werburge ii. xxi. sig. r.v), and “3.a. Worthily deserved, merited, fitting, appropriate; adequate” (1413 “Take him vp in to thy blysse on hye in what degree that to hym is condygne,” J. Lydgate, Pilgr. of Sowle ii. xlii. 48) before getting to the modern sense:
3.b. Since the end of 17th cent. commonly used only of appropriate punishment: a use originating in the phraseology of Tudor Acts of Parliament.
Johnson 1755 says, ‘It is always used of something deserved by crimes’. De Quincey Templars’ Dial. in Wks. IV. 188 note, ‘Capriciously..the word condign is used only in connection with the word punishment..These and other words, if unlocked from their absurd imprisonment, would become extensively useful. We should say, for instance, “condign honours”, “condign reward”, “condign treatment” (treatment appropriate to the merits).’ [Cf. 1873 at sense 3a.]1513 The godly power..Onto tha wikkyt Sawlis..Hes send conding punytioun, and just panys.
G. Douglas, translation of Virgil, Æneid xiii. vii. 64
[…]1849 He had been brought to condign punishment as a traitor.
T. B. Macaulay, History of England vol. I. 5751878 To wreak condign vengeance on the common oppressor of them all.
R. B. Smith, Carthage 195
It’s from French condigne, which has the theological sense “Exactement proportionné à la faute ou à la récompense. Peine, satisfaction, mérite condigne” (apparently not restricted to negative senses as in English) but is not in even my largest printed dictionary; the ultimate source is Latin condignus ‘wholly worthy.’ I love that De Quincey quote about its “absurd imprisonment.”
Interesting. As far as I had ever thought about it (which isn’t much), I thought it meant severe punishment – which kind of makes sense, because I don’t think it’s likely to be used in situations where the appropriate punishment is a £50 fine!
I had a vague sense that I had encountered senses 2 or 3.a before, perhaps in Shakespeare. And indeed, he playwright uses condign twice—once (in Henry VI, Part II) in “condign punishement,” but also in Love’s Labour’s Lost in “condign praise.”
I think that Jen in Edinburgh is basically right that in its remaining common meaning, condign modifying a form of punishment does not quite mean “fitting, appropriate, deserved.” It is closer to meaning “fittingly, appropriately, or deservedly severe.” As she indicates, it does not seem right to refer to a slap on the wrist penalty for a minor infraction as “condign,” however, “appropriate” it may be.
Similarly, phrases like “the punishment you deserve” usually seem to me to connote “as opposed to some lesser punishment”.
I wonder how it’s rendered in Kusaal.
But I think we’ll soon find out.
Equal in worth or dignity (to)
Reminded me of Welsh adjective equative forms like cynddrwg “as bad”, from drwg “bad”, where the cyf/n- element must be straightforwardly cognate with Latin com/n-. It mainly turns up making equatives from nouns, though, like cyfoed “of the same age (oed), contemporary.” Lots of similar forms in Latin, come to think of it. And ga-/ge- forms in Germanic, like Old English gefera “fellow traveller.” “Sputnik” as well, I suppose. Anyone might think that all these languages were related in some way.
My object all sublime
I shall achieve in time—
To let the punishment be condign,
The punishment be condign!
@Rodger C: Had Gilbert’s style included more slant rhymes, the third line of your version might actually have been better than original.
How are Hatters pronouncing this word? In BrE (and Oztalk) stress is on the last syllable, but I would not be surprised to hear it on the penultimate when the following word has stress on its first syllable – CONdign PUNishment – despite what dictionaries record (cf CHINese GOOSEberry, of course). That seems to be how Shakespeare wants it scanned, when we amplify Brett’s example:
For AmE, LPD puts it exclusively on the first syllable.
@Noetica: I normally say it (to the extent that I say it at all; it’s not a common word in my speech) with first syllable stress. However, unlike some words or phrases,* it doesn’t seem terribly wrong to invert the stress; yet I don’t know to what extent this is a product of the fact that my familiarity with the word comes overwhelmingly from written works.
First syllable here.
In fact, the word does occur in ‘The Mikado’ – in the trio where Ko-Ko, Pooh-Bah and Pish-Tush are all giving reasons why they won’t volunteer to be executed. Pooh-Bah sings:
And so,
Although
I wish to go,
And greatly pine
To brightly shine,
And take the line
Of a hero fine,
With grief condign
I must decline.
Thank you for that nice example, Kate Bunting!