Etymology

From a derivative of Latin conventus; alternatively, possibly from Albanian kuvend (itself from the same root), or influenced by it. Compare Daco-Romanian cuvânt ‎(“word”) and cf. also Greek κουβέντα ‎(kouvénta, “conversation; word, phrase”). The semantic shift in proto-Romanian from "meeting, gathering, assembly" to "word" may have been due to the importance of assemblies and gatherings where words and ideas were exchanged historically; this also affected Macedonian збор ‎(zbor, “word”), which derives from the Slavic word for "assembly, meeting, gathering" (through a process of regional linguistic convergence known as the Balkan sprachbund, due to the close interaction of these languages' speakers). The Aromanian synonym zbor was a likely loanword from this Macedonian word.